Read an oral history of The Wire's "Game Day" episode

The Undefeated

"Baltimore’s illegal activity (for the afternoon of Episode 9) was on a kind of TV timeout," Kelley L. Carter says in introducing a "play-by-play" of the Season 1 episode. "It was Game Day in a city that birthed real-life basketball stars such as Muggsy Bogues, Keith Booth, Reggie Williams and Carmelo Anthony. This is where a high school hoops legend like East Baltimore’s Aquille 'The Crimestopper' Carr flourished — and slowed down crime for two hours in Baltimore every time he had a game. The Wire’s Eastside vs. Westside contest, and the drama around it, was one of the most authentic hours in one of the most authentic television series ever to hit the small screen."