The final of the three new MLB Network Presents documentaries airing this month focuses on a subject that still draws attention to this day – the Houston Astrodome. But perhaps strangely, baseball isn’t exactly the focus of this film – the building itself, and all of the history that took place within, is primarily spotlighted.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Astrodome opening in 1965 and narrated by award-winning actor and Houston native Dennis Quaid, The Eighth Wonder of the World brings viewers back inside the Astrodome to relive its greatest moments and examine its place in history as one of the great innovations of the 20th century.
Featuring interviews with President George H. W. Bush, Houston native and award-winning news anchor Dan Rather, baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, and original Astros Jimmy Wynn and Larry Dierker, the one-hour program documents the history of the Astrodome, from Judge Roy Hofheinz generating the idea of this futuristic stadium to the Houston Astros’ dramatic six-game 1986 NL Championship series against the New York Mets.
The program details how the Astrodome was not only home to baseball games, but to all different kinds of events, including the “Game of the Century” featuring Elvin Hayes and the Houston Cougars ending UCLA’s 47-game winning streak, and the “Battle of the Sexes” featuring the nationally televised tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973. The Eighth Wonder of the World covers how the Astrodome hosted thousands of refugees from Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett discusses the potential of saving this iconic stadium from destruction.
The luminaries interviewed for the documentary is unlike any I’ve seen before. There are baseball legends (Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, among many others), politicians (George H.W. Bush), non-baseball sports personalities (Billie Jean King, Jerry Jones), and plenty of people associated with the Astros and the creation of the Astrodome.
The archival footage included is also off the charts. In addition to the oodles of clips from pivotal Astros games from the 1980s, there are clips from the early years of the Dome in the 1960s, covering the creation of the massive structure to the legendary events held in the venue (Houston-UCLA college basketball, Oilers games, the Battle of the Sexes). In how many documentaries can you see clips narrated by Howard Cosell, Dick Enberg, and Tim McCarver?
The Astrodome’s growing irrelevance is also covered following the departure of the Oilers to Tennessee, the Astros to Enron Field Minute Maid Park, and the creation of Reliant Stadium NRG Stadium for the Texans. The dome has been closed to the public since 2008, and its future is still a question because of the cost of demolition and the emotional attachment that many in the community still have for the Dome.
This film was an interesting look at a venue that pioneered many stadium amenities and features that have both outlived their usefulness today, and have shaped the way we watch sports live. As someone born in the 1980s, I don’t have much of a memory of the Astrodome – the Oilers left when I was still in elementary school, and I was barely a teenager when the Astros abandoned the Dome. So for me, it was enlightening to see all of the history that took place there recapped, and all of the people who lived through the building’s glory days remembering it so fondly. It’s rare to see that kind of emotion for a stadium that lost its two primary tenants after just 35 years.
‘The Eighth Wonder of the World’ will air on Tuesday, December 15th at 9 PM ET on MLB Network.
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