Way back in July of 1998, Trey Parker and Matt Stone were enjoying newfound success with South Park, which premiered the previous summer. As the world was first getting to know the groundbreaking and influential animated series that is still going strong to this day, its creators were stepping in front of the camera to co-star in a pointed comedy that took the increasingly greedy world of professional athletics to task. What Idiocracy is to society, the late ’90s film BASEketball is to pro sports. But why are we telling you this? You can just see for yourself when we screen BASEketball at Avalon Theater on Thursday, April 6.

The movie—which was set in Milwaukee and directed by Shorewood native David Zucker—finds Joseph “Coop” Cooper (Parker) and Doug “Sir Swish” Remer (Stone) accidentally creating a successful hybrid game that combines elements of baseball and basketball with excessively offensive “psychouts.” As the Milwaukee Beers dynasty is threatened and sport’s profits grow, so do the worries and responsibilities of its creators.

Though BASEketball only grossed about $7 million domestically in theaters, the cult comedy found a devoted audience thereafter, thanks to its endless array of quotes and memorable cameos from Ernest Borgnine, Jenny McCarthy (before all that vaccination stuff), Yasmine Bleeth, Al Michaels, Bob Costas, Robert Stack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wisconsin sports super-fan Kato Kaelin. If you weren’t among the oh-so few who caught BASEketball in theaters the first time around, we’re willing to bet this will be your only chance to do so.

The movie starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $6. We’ll see you there. You’re excited?! Feel these nipples!

About The Author

Avatar photo
Co-Founder and Editor

Before co-founding Milwaukee Record, Tyler Maas wrote for virtually every Milwaukee publication (except Wassup! Magazine). He lives in Bay View and enjoys both stuff and things.