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| The Marinovich Project | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 16 2012, 08:46 AM (1,743 Views) | |
| Erick Von Erich | Aug 16 2012, 08:46 AM Post #1 |
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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Thought about adding this to Da' Site's "Sports> Football" section (and I still might), but it's worth a quick post to boost discussion, here. Part of ESPN's "30 for 30" documentaries and currently available on Netflix Instant Streaming. It covers the career of Todd Marinovich, who was "bred" to be a professional football player. Dubbed "RoboQB", he was the media darling of California at age 14. He supposedly never ate processed food and was trained by his dad from the crib. Seriously... Marv Marinovich talks about how he would work on stretching Todd's quads, or have him crawl across a football field. In a nutshell: Todd went on to a high-profile QB stint at USC, then the LA Raiders. yet in high school he developed the nickname "Marijuana-vich", a harbinger of what was to come. Todd's USC and NFL careers lasted exactly 2 seasons, each, and by the mid-90's he became a punchline amongst football fans. Beyond that is where this documentary fills us in. Including quick stints in the CFL and Arena League. Interviews with Todd and his father Marv are very insightful. I was in high school and college when Marinovich's QB career was crashing and burning...and since he was a Raider I loved to make fun of him. Even his mid-90's band, who had some brief notoriety via the Jim Rome Show, circa 1995. I laughed, since I had made money off his "rookie cards" back in my card collecting troll days. What develops is a story somewhat similar to Michael Jackson's: a guy who had his childhood taken away from him. A telling sound-byte is when Todd says: "I would see other kids doing stuff that I wanted to...and I couldn't do it because I had to train. I thought: this kinda' sucks". I never knew he was an art major. The connection he still has with his dad blew me away. Honestly, I almost cried at the end of this thing. A guy I used to make fun of, sitting on the beach humbly recounting his days of being a pro QB...and a junkie. Tacked on at the end is a "bonus feature" from the directors. Why do film directors; of any kind; ALWAYS have to wear odd clothes? They try to compare Todd to Venus and Serena Williams and Tiger Woods. I see where they're going, but their comments don't add much and it feels like they're grasping at straws. Skip this section, as it takes away from the mood of the film. |
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| Scrooge McSuck | Aug 16 2012, 08:58 AM Post #2 |
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I'll get you next time, toilet!
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I'm not one to give parental advice, but I can't imagine forcing your child into doing stuff like physical training for football, before they can even walk and talk, and continuing this process for years to come. I can't say I feel bad he turned into a junkie, but it's possible after so many years of being restricted from doing anything, he let loose for the wrong stuff. In a horrible tidbit I wish I didn't remember, there was a sub-plot in the movie Little Giants (starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neil) where they were both trying to recruit a pee-wee player who had been training for football since birth, thanks to an overly obessed parent. I think this came out in '96, and a shitty kids movie was even making fun of the guy. |
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| Erick Von Erich | Aug 16 2012, 09:32 AM Post #3 |
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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Marv Marinovich was something of a pioneer in the NFL's strength and conditioning program and the career kinda' went to his head. I guess his actual pro career didn't last long, so I kinda' feel that he was living vicariously through Todd. Yet they make the distinction that Todd wanted to play football; he doesn't blame his dad at all. Not exactly similar, but I grew up and played football with a kid whose dad would force him to "train" and other stuff. He was a nice enough guy, so I'd call him up to see if he wanted to go the mall, play video games, etc. His reply was always "I gotta' lift". At age 11. I was always bummed, because while we didn't go to the same school, we lived fairly close and I always wanted to hang out with him. I remember his dad had a full-blown 5 foot portrait of the kid; lined up and playing a Little League game; in the family's living room. When I spent 3 weeks as a little league umpire in 1995, it confirmed that this wasn't a unique case. There are countless dads out there who think they're helping to mold the next great pro athlete. Not just "athlete"...all these guys think their kid will be a pro. It's very troubling. Oh, the film also has several sound-bytes from Howie Long. I'm sorry, but I have a freakin' man-crush on Howie. He's just a well-spoken bad-ass. |
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