![]() They will play for me,” the coach assures them, but the two players appear to have mapped out an elaborate game plan, which includes seeking to convince the opposing team to join them and mounting a pretty astute media strategy. The ultimatum from the star QB sends shock waves through the college-football establishment, as the heads of the conferences, fearing where the roots of the called-for boycott might extend, enlist LaMarcus’ coach (J.K. He’s joined by roommate Emmett Sunday (“Vikings’” Alexander Lussig), a tight end who knows his final college game is likely the last he’ll ever play. The entry point into all of this is Heisman-winning quarterback LeMarcus James (Stephan James), who announces three days before the national title game that he won’t play unless the NCAA agrees to a list of demands about fairly compensating athletes. As is noted in the film, only a small percentage of players will ever see an NFL dollar, while universities and coaches cash in as they sacrifice their bodies, risking the long-term health ramifications that go with it. The movie proves most effective examining the inequity in a system that has long relied on athletes’ free labor, offering the promise of professional paydays down the road and scholarships in the interim. That said, parts of the film already sound dated after the Supreme Court ruling in June that paved the way for athletes to benefit from their fame – if not fully share in the NCAA’s multi-billion-dollar pie – via deals trading off their name, likeness and image. There’s obvious method behind the timing of the movie’s release, heading into college football’s bowl season and championship playoff in January. ![]() ![]() The message is still worth contemplating, but lacking a better vehicle to convey it, feels more deserving of analysis on sports pages than the entertainment space. “National Champions” tackles the NCAA and its hypocrisy about “student-athletes,” but in a movie that doesn’t make it across the goal line. ![]()
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