Movie Review Monday: ESPN 30 for 30 - 'Broke'
Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!
This week's movie is ESPN Film's "Broke" in their 30 for 30 series, directed by Billy Corben.
Before you say anything, I know, a sports movie? I'm not a huge fan of the sports, nor have I ever done the sports for school or anything (save for some epic pee-wee action back in the day). I still found myself interested in this movie, given the topics of money and decision making, as well as the exposure I've had to student athletes working in higher education. The issue has been something I've gone to workshops on as it relates to leadership of a sports franchise and how to support your followers so they can succeed, in their current role and future ones.
The film follows a rough outline of the typical life cycle of an athlete in any of the major professional sports (NFL, NBA, and MLB). It starts at the signing and the lavish life of luxury these individuals enjoy at the beginning and goes into the hardships that come with such wealth coming so quickly. It ends with the numerous professional athletes who have declared bankruptcy and have faced significant difficulties after they retire from their respective sport. Some can turn their lives around but many do not.
I found this short documentary compelling since the responsibility of higher education is mentioned briefly and came to my mind as well as I watched. A lot of these professional athletes get their start at colleges and universities and we have a duty to prepare them to be positive citizens with the appropriate skills and knowledge to succeed in the world just as much if not more than our other students. The sports world can be a wild ride with many people trying to take advantage of the massive amounts of money involved, so we owe it to our student athletes to make sure they know how to take care of themselves before it is too late.
While it isn't the most groundbreaking, dazzling, or amazing documentary out there, I found this to be a solid watch to get some insight into the reality of the sports world. There are a few other 30 for 30 films available on Netflix so if you're more of a sports nerd than I am, I encourage you to check them out.
You can catch this movie streaming right now on Netflix.