When a group of young basketball-loving men become embroiled in an international incident in the days before the 1956 Olympics, their honour, integrity, and sportsmanship are stretched to breaking-point.

GENRE: Sports/Period(1956)/Romance

VIRTUES/VALUES: Courage. Integrity. Persistence. Dedication. Chastity.

SYNOPSIS: Yanks is the inspiring true story of an extraordinary group of young men who loved basketball and were caught up in the swirl and excitement of the 1956 Olympic Games hosted in Melbourne, Australia.  Yanks is the story of 7 young men from the United States who happen to be in Australia on a humanitarian service project, who loved to play basketball—though none were professional by any means—but took time off from their compassionate service to practice once a week.

When the Olympic teams began to gather for the 1956 Olympics the Yanks are asked to form a team and play exhibition games against Olympic basketball teams in the weeks prior to the start of the Olympics.  The Yanks played against, and defeated, France (3 times), Australia (5 times), China, & Brazil.  They even played the Soviet Union and barely lost.  The game against the Soviets gained international attention with the Associated Press in the USA writing up a story about it.

The central dramatic theme of the story is the Yanks against the French. The first time the Yanks match up against the French Olympic team is early in the story in a secret game where no spectators are allowed.  The Yanks crush the French by a margin of 40 points.

When the French come back to Olympic Village that night everybody wants to know how the game went against the Yanks. The French lie and claim they won! The Soviets stand up and say it is impossible that the French team could win against such a team as the exhibition playing Yanks. A fight ensues. Everyone demands a rematch. The French make excuses, but the story is propelled and compelled to defend their challenged honor by meeting the Yanks on the court once again. It becomes the climax of the film.

The game between the French Olympic team and the Yanks is at the official Olympic basketball stadium with a FULL house, Olympic referees, and international broadcast by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corp).  The Australian fans cheerfor the Yanks since bogus publicity has made them the underdogs by 40 points at least.

From the first whistle it is apparent that this was no ordinary game. It is clearly rigged against the Yanks. Somehow the French have bribed the refs to call offensive fouls on the Yanks. The game is so rough it is more like football than basketball. There is slapping, then fists and then an all out fight. It is started by the French but finished by the referees who throw out or foul out all but three Yank players from the game.

In spite of bought and paid for referees, and three against five, the Yanks still win. The Australian supporters go wild. The French are humiliated.

The conflict with the French and ultimate triumph is the spine of the plot line but the heart of the story is the young men who play for the Yanks, and one in particular who overcomes enormous personal challenges in the course of the story, largely through his unexpected friendship with an Australian girl that adds layers of cultural conflict and romance—pure and chaste from afar.

Yanks is based on life interviews with the original team members (now in their 70’s), newspaper clippings, personal journal entries and other research sources.

Yanks is an inspiring sports film akin to Remember the Titans, Miracle, and We Are Marshall. It has the potential of reaching the hearts of sports enthusiasts in America as well as Australia. It is also critical to remember the political tensions in the world at that time (particularly the Soviet Union) If the American Yanks would have played in the Olympics as an official team, they probably would have taken the Bronze in basketball with the US team taking Gold and the Soviets taking Silver.

Former Australian Olympic basketball coach, Mr. Lindsay Gaze, has issued his official endorsement in a letter that states, “The American Yanks had such an incredible impact on the sport of basketball in Australia it would be a pity if this story is not recorded and told for future generations.”

SOURCE: Based on a true story. Adapted for the screen by Ben Watson.