Football on Film Weekend Seminar

During the weekend of January 17-18, four ONU students and professor Crawford journeyed to the Metzgar Nature Center to explore how football had been imagined in the popular culture. During the weekend, we watched Knute Rockne-All American (1940), The Male Animal (1942), North Dallas Forty (1979), Brian's Song (1971), and Gridiron Gang (2006) (or would have if snow hadn't forced an early departure).

Students also read articles about the positive and negative views of football, including "My Crusade Against Football," an article by Wade Thompson published in the Nation magazine in 1959, and a recent article by Terrence P. Jeffery entitled "What Politicians Could Learn from Football," which took a more positive view of the game.

From the scholar athlete to the dumb jock, the class explored the various ways in which football players and the game have been depicted in film and discussed the cultural contexts that gave rise to the varied depictions.

As always, Wayne and Carol King, who run the center for ONU, provided high quality food and more than we could possibly eat.

Pictured above are (L-R) Joe Kent, Matt Cuffari, Chad Turner, and Eli Lange.