This new HBO documentary from Peter Berg is one of the most chilling and unsettling films you ever will watch about sports.
State of Play (Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET) documents parents going overboard in trying to turn their children into superstar athletes. Trust me, what you see in the trailer is a just a fraction of the abuse these kids take from their parents.
These parents are so over-the-top, you almost think they must be actors. It doesn’t seem possible that an actual parent would act that way in front of cameras. Do they not know how bad they look?
There is a segment where a parent berates a young football player with his former wife driving the car. It was so difficult to watch that I eventually had to fast-forward through the passage.
Following the film, Berg does a panel discussion that includes Todd Marinovich, who definitely is qualified to talk about the topic.
All in all, I highly recommend you watch this film. Here are the details from HBO:
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HBO Sports and executive producers Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey team up again for the innovative new documentary film series STATE OF PLAY. Presented by Film 44 in collaboration with Herzog & Company (HCO) and HBO Sports, the show takes on complex and multi-layered themes in sports, exploring their relationship to larger society. Each new edition spotlights a topic or person whose impact on the sports world is undeniable, opening with a brief overview followed by a 40-minute cinéma vérité documentary and concluding with an in-depth, 20-minute roundtable discussion of the issue with the filmmakers, subjects and guest experts. Emmy® nominee Berg (“Friday Night Lights”) serves as moderator of the panel discussion.
STATE OF PLAY: TROPHY KIDS, the first documentary of the series, debuts WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. The film that opens the program features a compelling and engaging examination of the obsession a growing number of parents have with the scholastic athletic competition of their children.
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 4 (5:20 a.m.), 6 (11:30 p.m.), 8 (7:30 a.m.), 10 (3:15 p.m.), 13 (8:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.), 14 (11:00 p.m.), 21 (4:30 p.m.), 26 (4:00 p.m., 5:25 a.m.) and 30 (12:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 6 (5:15 p.m.), 12 (1:00 a.m.), 16 (2:45 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 19 (9:50 a.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 22 (10:35 a.m.)
The program will also be available on HBO ON DEMAND and HBO GO.
Immediately following the documentary segment of STATE OF PLAY: TROPHY KIDS, which focuses on four parents and five children, Berg hosts a thought-provoking roundtable discussion on the challenges of raising a child in today’s competitive sports environment. Roundtable guests include sports psychologist Dr. Larry Lauer and former NFL quarterback Todd Marinovich, whose athletic journey, shaped by an ambitious father, led to the starting quarterback position at college football powerhouse USC and a first-round draft selection by the Oakland Raiders in 1991.
“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with HBO to give a voice to passionate, sports documentary filmmakers who have poured their own blood, sweat and tears into their work,” says Peter Berg.