The Lost Dream: New Documentary Explores the Fall of the Montreal Expos
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A new Netflix documentary, Who Killed the Montreal Expos?, arrives as Canadian baseball fans celebrate the Toronto Blue Jays’ anticipated 2025 World Series run, a bittersweet moment highlighting the enduring pain of losing Montreal’s beloved team. The film examines the complex series of events that led to the Expos’ relocation to Washington D.C. in 2005, tapping into a deep well of nostalgia and unresolved anger.
A Strike and a Slow Decline
The story of the Expos is one of heartbreaking near-misses. In 1994, the team was poised for its first – and ultimately only – World Series appearance, leading their division when a players’ strike abruptly ended the season in August. This premature halt proved devastating, effectively derailing a promising era for the franchise. The Expos never fully recovered, and the team departed Montreal just over a decade later.
Echoes of “The Last Dance” – But Missing a Star
Director Jean-François Poisson frames Who Killed the Montreal Expos? as a true-crime documentary, focusing heavily on the business decisions that sealed the team’s fate. The film draws clear parallels to the critically acclaimed 2020 basketball documentary, The Last Dance, particularly in its depiction of internal conflict and power struggles within the organization. The cinematic music and timeline structure intentionally evoke the style of its predecessor.
However, as one observer noted, the documentary lacks the central, magnetic figure that propelled The Last Dance to success. While Michael Jordan dominated the basketball narrative, Who Killed the Montreal Expos? struggles to find a comparable on-field presence. Instead, baseball serves largely as a backdrop for illustrating front-office failures; even moments of on-field mishaps are presented as symbolic of the ownership’s shortcomings.
A Web of Blame
The title Who Killed the Montreal Expos? suggests a simple answer, but the reality is far more nuanced. Poisson identifies a confluence of factors contributing to the team’s demise, including the deteriorating condition of Olympic Stadium and insufficient provincial support for a new ballpark. The weak Canadian dollar also played a significant role, as did a series of questionable management decisions.
Former executive VP David Samson emerges as a readily identifiable figure to blame, though he maintains he shares only partial responsibility. “He doesn’t know how to use the phrase ‘mea culpa’ properly,” one source commented, highlighting Samson’s reluctance to fully acknowledge his role in the team’s downfall.
Emotions Over Answers
The documentary is most compelling when it focuses on the emotional impact of the Expos’ departure. The very existence of the film underscores the enduring passion for the team and the lingering resentment felt by many fans. The excitement surrounding the Blue Jays’ potential World Series victory in 2025 is tempered by the wistful thought of what could have been with the Expos.
As one fan poignantly observed, it’s a joy to witness Canadian baseball success, but a profound loss that it cannot be celebrated with the team that first captured the nation’s heart. The story of the Montreal Expos serves as a cautionary tale, a reminder of how easily a beloved institution can be lost to a complex interplay of economic forces and managerial missteps.
Worth a look
