Hungary's version of 'the Miracle on Ice' is called 'Blood in the Water'

This water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union had real stakes — and real blood

Blood streams from the cut eye of Hungarian Ervin Zador.
(Image credit: AP PHOTO)

The myth of the modern Olympiad is that the quadrennial games are a time of universal brotherhood where petty differences between nations are put aside in the spirit of fair play. But it is only that: a myth.

The 1936 Berlin Games were the Nazis' coming-out party as players on the international stage. The Summer Games in 1980 and 1984 were boycotted by the United States and the Soviet Union, respectively, in a Cold War skirmish. And there was, of course, the "Miracle on Ice," where a bunch of college kids from the United States upset the dominant Soviets in the winter of 1980. But that is all Disney movie material compared to the danger and intrigue of "Blood in the Water."

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Anthony L. Fisher

Anthony L. Fisher is a journalist and filmmaker in New York with work also appearing at Vox, The Daily Beast, Reason, New York Daily News, Huffington Post, Newsweek, CNN, Fox News Channel, Sundance Channel, and Comedy Central. He also wrote and directed the feature film Sidewalk Traffic, available on major VOD platforms.