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The Best That Never Was

Name: The Best That Never Was
Director: Jonathan Hock
Released: 2010
Duration: 102 min

Representation Score

4.3/10

Fair

2010

TV-G

Director

Jonathan Hock

Runtime

102 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The documentary offers a nuanced look at the intersection of individual talent and systemic expectations by focusing on a Black athlete. It avoids a sanitized portrayal of stardom, providing a complex study of resilience. However, the film adheres to traditional sports genre clichés and does not engage with gender diversity or LGBTQ+ narratives, maintaining a strictly masculine focus. Ultimately, the film succeeds as a biography of how identity and expectations intersect within American institutions, though it lacks breadth in other social categories.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Best That Never Was have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on Marcus Dupree's football career and does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or stories about non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.

How does The Best That Never Was portray gender?

Limited

The story centers on a highly masculine football environment and lacks women's ability to drive the story, emphasizing male physical strength and competition.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Best That Never Was?

Good

The documentary centers on a Black athlete during a time of social change and explores racial identity within major college sports programs.

How does The Best That Never Was represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film looks at the pressures of commercialized college sports and focuses on personal responsibility and the complexities of a legacy of redemption.

Does The Best That Never Was include disability representation?

Fair

Physical injuries are shown as performance obstacles rather than being explored as part of a discussion about disability.

Present on Screen

Provides meaningful representation by centering the experience of a Black athlete.
Explores the intersection of individual talent and systemic racial expectations.
Offers a complex, non-sanitized look at the fragility of athletic success.

Limited or Absent

Lacks women's ability to drive the story or presence within the primary narrative.
Provides no representation or engagement with LGBTQ+ identities.
Treats physical injury as a performance obstacle rather than exploring disability.

Official Synopsis

In 1981, college athletic recruiting changed forever as a dozen big-time football programs sat waiting for the decision by a physically powerful and lightning-quick high school running back named Marcus Dupree. On his way to eclipsing Herschel Walker’s record for the most touchdowns in high school history, Dupree attracted recruiters from schools in every major conference to his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss. More than a decade removed from being a flashpoint in the civil-rights struggle, Philadelphia was once again thrust back into the national spotlight. Dupree took the attention in stride, and committed to Oklahoma. What followed, though, was a forgettable college career littered with conflict, injury and oversized expectations. Eight-time Emmy Award winner Jonathan Hock will examine why this star burned out so young and how he ultimately used football to redeem himself.

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