We recently read "From 'Knockout Punch...'" by Ralph Donald. In it he discussed a dozen metaphors that were being interchangeably used between sports and war films, and the effect they had on male youth. In the video "Football High" we saw many of these metaphors used and the effects they had. Here are three examples:
First is "You gotta play hurt." Young men are taught in sports that their team is counting on them. If they are hurt, they need to keep playing as long as they can. This was especially evident in the video in a scene where the running back, Garrett Harper, got his bell rung on a play. When he came to the sidelines, he kept repeating "I'm OK, I remember everything." He was trying to convince everyone that he wasn't hurt so he could keep playing.
Second is "Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser." This is evident in the film with the team the video focuses on, the Shiloh Christian Saints from Springdale, AR. They started to receive all their recognition only when they improved their football program into a perennial powerhouse. They were consistently one of the top teams in their state and other programs started to try being like them. Then they played a larger Euless Trinity team from Texas in a nationally televised game. They lost, and that's what most people will remember. Because of that, instead of concentrating on what had made them successful, they wanted to model themselves more after the team who beat them. That way they would be winners and not losers.
Third is "Appreciate your interference, don't hog all the glory, and sacrifice for the team." This was in evidence with star recruit QB Kyle Frazier. As an undeniable talent, he had help prepping him for his college, and hopefully pro, career. In his interviews you could see the humility he spoke with. Instead of bragging about his talents, he praised his teammates and offensive line, sharing the glory and showing appreciation for the men up front who allowed him to do his job.
I like your final example, because I think it brings up an important point: the students on these teams are just nice young men, but they have this extreme amount of pressure and risk put on them by coaches and schools. Would they enjoy playing just as much at with less pressure? More? Less?
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