Glory Road

Movie Review: Glory Road
The plots of sports movies have become so predictable that audiences have come to expect a series of clichés when they attend them. Glory Road (2006), however, is not merely about an underdog team or an inspirational coach overcoming low expectations or obstacles. It is an incisive history of racism in American sports. Although African-American players have made substantial inroads in college and professional basketball, at least as players (rectifying the racial imbalance in coaching has proven to be more difficult), the ability of players to be treated equally regardless of race was not always a given. Set in 1966, the film relates the story of an all-African-American starting lineup of Texas Western College, a lineup that was then a watershed in college basketball history.
Texas Western College even today is not known as a sports powerhouse, and this was doubly the case when Coach Don Haskins took the helm of its basketball program. Haskins was an unlikely selection, a selection which reflects the desperation of the team. He was working as a high school basketball coach of a girls’ basketball team, a resume that suggested he was not the most desired choice for an aspiring NCAA entrant. The film does not portray Haskins as initially wanting to foster greater equality in sports, but as a man desperate for a job in a slightly more competitive environment. As the underdog coach of an underdog team, Haskins was desperate, as desperate as some of his players to escape the streets and to play. He is on his last chance to prove himself, like the players he recruits. Haskins moves his wife and children to a remote location, staking everything on the chance offered by Texas Western.
Coach Haskins took the radical move of selecting the best players for the Texas Western College Miners, rather than taking race or class into consideration. The film portrays the team, again in true sports film fashion, as an initially ragtag band of players who need some finishing but who still have raw talent. The team consists of seven African-American players and five white players, a lineup that would hardly be unusual now, but during the height of the civil rights struggle in America, particularly in racially divided Texas, was considered remarkable. Over the course of the film, the coach as well as the players must learn from one another, and learn to trust one another across racial divides. Haskins initially is resistant to the more streetwise style of play embraced by the players, who have learned their game in a much more informal way than the average NCAA player of the time. Only when he learns to cast aside his preconceived notions of what makes good basketball as well as what a good college basketball player looks like can the team succeed.
The need for greater racial tolerance in college sports thematically elevates the film over the typical cliché of the all-wise, all-knowing coach. Perhaps because the film is actually based upon real events, Haskins has much greater vulnerability than the typical sports movie coach. He is supporting a family on a coach’s salary, and his family understandably is concerned about what will happen if he does not succeed and secure his position. Still, there are many moments during the film which do harken back to sports movie clichés in which Haskins attempts to instill discipline in his players. “I speak, you listen. I don’t wanna hear ‘can't’ or ‘won’t’ or ‘Coach, I'm bleeding.’ I don’t wanna hear anything except the basketball bounce!” But as his quote indicates, even though Haskins is a tough man, he is a fair one, and sees ability not color, first and foremost. In a racially-divided sport, this makes him a rarity, and his players respect his toughness because they know his discipline is not rooted in racial bias.
While the rocky relationship between coach and team has its ups and downs, ultimately the coach is the team’s greatest defender and advocate, rather than has an adversarial relationship with his team as is the case with some sports films. The typical montages of players struggling during practices give way to games in which the players must confront raw racism from fans. The initial victories against local teams with vastly inferior skills give the players’ confidence in themselves and in their coach’s style. Haskins and the players negotiate a style that satisfies the coach’s need for teamwork yet also gives them the ability to celebrate the unique skills they have learned on the streets. But because of their style, the team begins to get a great deal of negative publicity from the local press. The racism, including vandalism of the team’s motel room, and the threats to which they are subjected eventually wear on them psychologically. Again, this is another example of how real events foster greater psychological realism in the film. The team is not invincible, despite their great skill as players. Racism takes a toll upon the self-esteem of players.
Racism also takes a toll on Haskins and his family. His wife and children receive threats. Simply by allying himself with a racially mixed team, Haskins becomes the target of abuse. One of his players is attacked and beaten. But thanks to its winning record, the team is still able to move on to the NCAA tournament. The film—perhaps predictably, but also in a manner which is true to history—cumulates in a historic game, in which the Miners face off against the University of Kentucky Wildcats. For anyone familiar with college basketball, even today the Wildcats are famous as college basketball royalty. The Wildcats are obviously favored to win. The Wildcats’ team is all-white, has greater experience, and a more traditional strategy than the Miners. Undaunted, once again Haskins decides to select his very best players, regardless of race, which results in the first all-African-American starting lineup in NCAA history.
Given that such a lineup would be unremarkable today, Glory Road is an important reminder of the extent to which equality in sports, even the sport of basketball which is relatively well-integrated compared with other sports, should never be taken for granted. It is also a reminder that sports is not simply a game which involves personal improvement and success. Clichés of teamwork may be present in the themes of Glory Road, but the film also shows how racial tensions has affected every facet of American life. The climax is a nail biter, given that the Miners lose some of their most critical players to injuries and fouls, but narrowly pull out an impressive victory.
Ultimately, Glory Road is a history listen but also a satisfying sports film, with greater heft and depth than the average film. It also will encourage any basketball fan to view the NCAA tournament with greater appreciation of the sacrifices players have made over the years to ensure a more racially equal sport. Of course, the sport still has more progress to make, in terms of ensuring greater equality in its coaching ranks as well as its players, and also ensuring academic as well as competitive success for those on the court. But it is still important to take time to acknowledge the contribution of the Miners and their coach.
Glory Road is a film about race as much as it is about sports, and thus it ensures that the viewer realizes that sports is never merely a game. The players’ style is not merely personal, it is a reflection of their class and their history, and Haskins’ accommodation to it shows his compassion as well as a realization that he must learn like his players. When the Wildcats’ coach tells his own, starting bench that this is not an ordinary team, and to take them seriously, he is right. The Texas Western Miners were fighting for more than a title—they were fighting for dignity and respect.



Work Cited
Glory Road. Directed by James Gardner, 2006.