Last Chance U

In England football is an obsession; in America it is life itself. 111.9 million people watched this year’s Superbowl 50. Coldplay, the world’s biggest band, performed its half-time show. 30-second advertisements cost companies $4.5 million. With games regularly played at Wembley the reach of the sport is expanding. No longer can people deride the game as particular to America. America may own the rights, but they are leasing out the franchise to viewers all round the world.

When I lived in a flat with my brother and his mates Sunday was often given over to football: the British kind during the day and the American variety at night. Ever the studious teacher I would excuse myself from the evening session to devote time to planning and marking. On the frequent occasion I did take a break though, I would enter the living room and watch parts of the game. Despite never becoming hooked, I could appreciate the interest. For a start, the thing is a spectacle. No one does razzmatazz like ol’ Uncle Sam. The fireworks, marching bands and cheerleaders make an event out of the sport, ensuring a carnival whatever the score. Further, it has an exuberance that is utterly infectious. Tackles are cheered like ceasefires, touchdowns like armistices and victories like homecoming parades. Raised on Hip Hop culture, these players don’t hide their successes; they flaunt them like bling bling chains. In the oxymoron world of soccer personality, the American game has character and characters in abundance. If only there weren’t quite so many stoppages, I could easily fall for it.

The U in USA doesn't stand for understatement.

Just as football is predominately played by working-class men, American football is too. America’s wealth gap is so great that football is seen as one of few legitimate routes out of poverty. With that in mind high school and college football are big deals in America. The campus, alumni and community turn out in force to cheer their team, aware that they may be seeing the stars of tomorrow. Given America’s geography, it isn’t always possible or affordable to see state teams; therefore local school and college teams are seen as the next best thing. Just as the big league has bands, cheerleaders, mascots, and chilli dog vendors so too do the minor ones. If anything the atmosphere is more fervent because the players are attached to the people in attendance. As a result, they don’t carry the weight of the nation on their shoulders; they carry something much worse: the weight of their own world. If they lose there is no hiding place: they’ll see their supporters in class tomorrow. A victory though will ensure a canteen queue jump, ensuring celebrity for another week.

This is the context for Netflix’s Last Chance U, a documentary that follows East Mississippi Community College over a season. Situated in Scooba, local population 782, the football team is something of a phenomenon. In spite of their small town status, the team has won the national championship three out of the last five seasons. The key to their success? They recruit talented cast-offs from the upper echelons of the game; players that would have had a foot in the NFL (National Football League) if it wasn’t for having a punch in a rival. These are young men of unquestionable talent but questionable discipline. Coming to EMCC then is a step down, a chance to reform their character and re-find their game, and in coach Buddy Stephens they have a tough love enthusiast AKA 'their best way back.'

Scooba: a dive. (Sorry the pun was there for the taking.)

In many ways this isn’t a documentary about football, rather a meditation on teaching and whether young men will accept the lessons they’re taught. Born into violent homes the boys’ only experience of conflict-resolution is seeing someone reach for a gun. For example, Ronald Ollie, a defender, witnessed his mother being killed following a domestic argument with his father. The ensuing police chase ended when his father used the murder weapon to commit suicide. Another volatile player DJ Law spent much of his childhood without a positive role model due to his father’s incarceration. Their boasts of fighting and debauchery give the impression of manliness, but fundamentally these are lost boys. They need to grow up quick, otherwise they risk the Peter Pan fate of arrested development.

The people tasked with helping them grow up are Ms Wagner and Buddy Stephens. Ms Wagner as academic advisor has the job of getting the boys through their education programmes. In America all students are expected to graduate with qualifications. Failure to obtain the grades jeopardises the players’ chance of advancing in their sport. The trouble is these kids were built for sporting endurance, not academic rigour. Their high school education was not their number one priority, meaning they probably spent more time with headmasters than teachers. It falls on her to inspire these men to fill their heads, that is before they have it knocked out of them on game day. Wagner is warm, passionate and dedicated – if anything too dedicated. Every time one of her charges skips class, she feels responsible. Acutely aware that these boys will fall through the cracks if she’s not careful, she runs quasi-revision, counselling and social services from her office.

Ms Wagner.

Buddy Stephens is an altogether different proposition. A bad cop to Ms Wagner’s good one. He is a swearing machine powered by perfectionism. A man of advancing gut, he is a visceral agent of spleen and aggression. His after-dinner talks at the rotary club merely a refined front to hide his maniacal impulses. Stephens, a family man, is capable of being a loving father, yet he has it within him to be a vengeful one too, raining fire and brimstone curses on his footballing creations. By the end of the documentary you’ll wonder whether the indiscipline of the players is down to nurture or Stephens’ “I’ll kick you in the fucking ass’ nature.

Coach Stephens.

Last Chance U is a very special documentary, Netflix’s best since Making A Murderer. It makes the case for second chances, making you aware of where the cycle of indiscipline comes from. This knowledge will mean you will root for the boys whilst feeling pissed with them. As a teacher the show really resonated with me. It is so frustrating to see people absolve themselves from responsibility by withdrawing from education, believing wrongly that this is a lesser evil than trying and failing. Seeing the boys’ pride trip them up at every turn is heartbreakingly depressing and shows how masculinity has a lot to answer for.

Dreams, masculinity, nature/nurture. It might say sports documentary on the synopsis, but it is so much more than that. In giving this recommendation I’ve thrown you the ball, it's now down to you to catch it.

Last Chance U is on Netflix