Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
College sport is a billion dollar industry and until 2021, student athletes had not seen a dime of that money. However, a historic ruling on July 1st 2021 by the supreme court upended that system.
With the NIL now allowing athletes to profit from their name and likeness, college athletics is booming and has exploded into the mainstream. It’s big business, with companies clamouring to have these students be the face of their brands. But with unclear rules, it’s turned into the Wild West with money slushing around all over the place. One question hangs over the entire spectrum of college sports – can the money game and the love of the game co-exist together?
Amazon’s latest docu-series looks to explore all of this through the lens of several different promising athletes. We see the trials and tribulations of their 2023 season, across a spectrum of different sports.
Olivia (Livvy) Dunne is perhaps the most recognizable next to Jayden Daniels, representing gymnastics and football, respectively.
We also get an interesting rivalry between two college athletes in basketball, that being Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson. Finally, we have Alia Armstrong representing athletics (and in particular, hurdles). There are a few other athletes but these are the main ones explored across the 6 episodes.
What’s particularly interesting here is the way business and sport has married together. As we soon find out, 98% of the student population won’t have the same platform that stars like Livvy have, so instead they’re the ones reaching out to brands. However, with 90% of the money in football, questions around sport disparity and pay are inevitably explored.
The bulk of the series looks at the short and long-term effects of the NIL, with court rulings and larger bickering between the NCAA and NIL hanging over the granular content, which mostly centers on the athletes mentioned above. The show does well to deliver a fly-on-the-wall experience for these athletes, understanding their journey, along with who each of these athletes are and how they’re affected by these brand signings.
Given the different sports on display, there is a conscious effort to try and balance everything out and shine a spotlight on the different athletes, which is a nice inclusion. The talking head interviews help to add an extra burst of flavour to this too, while the final episode wraps everything up with a finale that explains the current landscape and what the future of college sports has in store for us all.
Each of the episodes are around 45 minutes long or so, which is just about right for what we get here. The show has a fascinating premise and as someone coming at this with no knowledge around college sports, there’s enough to really sink your teeth into and understand the plight and concerns. If you’re after a compelling sports documentary, mixed in with thought provoking questions about how money could (and does) influence sport, this one’s definitely worth a watch.
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10