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The Best That Never Was

The Best That Never Was

2010

TV-G

Director

Jonathan Hock

Runtime

102 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

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.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.4/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film focuses strictly on Marcus Dupree's football career. It contains no LGBTQ+ characters or narratives addressing non-cisnormative identities.

Gender Representation

Limited

The narrative centers on a hyper-masculine football environment. It lacks female agency, focusing instead on male physical prowess and competition.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

The documentary centers on a Black athlete during a period of social transition. It explores racial identity within major collegiate institutions.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The film examines the pressures of commodified collegiate athletics. It focuses on personal accountability and the complexities of a redemptive legacy.

Disability Representation

Fair

Physical vulnerability is shown through athletic injury. However, these moments are treated as performance obstacles rather than explorations of disability.

Strengths

  • 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.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks female agency or presence within the primary narrative arc.
  • Provides no representation or engagement with LGBTQ+ identities.
  • Treats physical injury as a performance obstacle rather than exploring disability.

AI Analysis

The documentary provides a nuanced look at the intersection of individual talent and systemic expectations by centering a Black protagonist. It avoids a sanitized version of stardom, opting for a complex study of resilience. However, the film remains confined to traditional sports genre tropes. It offers very little engagement with gender diversity or LGBTQ+ narratives, maintaining a strictly masculine focus. Ultimately, the film succeeds as a biographical study of how identity and expectation collide within American institutions, even if it lacks breadth in other social categories.

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