The Marinovich Project

"Hard, Fast and Beautiful" ESPN has made a lot excellent sports documentaries in recent years. And, not surprisingly, several have been about very hot high school and college prospects who have fallen flat on their faces when it comes time to go pro--such as Len Bias, Chris Herren, Marcus Dupree and now with "The Marinovich Project", Todd Marinovich. So, the subject matter of this film is very familiar. What's a bit different is how he grew up--with a father was was an ex-football star and a trainer for the Raiders. Starting as a very young boy, Todd was placed on a special diet and exercise program and lasted through most of his childhood. Now Marinovich MUST have had some natural gifts as well--but regardless, he was an amazing quarterback--leading major high school and college teams as a Freshman! But, in spite of these gifts, Todd was unable emotionally to handle it--throwing it away on drugs and a lack of discipline--which is ironic, as his childhood was ALL discipline.

The film gives you a lot to question. Did his father push him too hard? Was the guy simply a screw up? Was he gifted but folks needed to allow him to emotionally mature before giving him the chance to star? I think the most interesting thing I heard in this documentary was when Todd's brother said "If people want to say it's my father's fault, I could see that---but no one told Todd to take drugs". I couldn't have said it any better. And I also really appreciated the latter part of the film as well as the epilogue by the filmmakers--making it clear that it's NOT as simple as blaming dad. If the film had, I would have enjoyed it FAR less.