On Wednesday BSO attended a VIP screening of ‘Hell Week’ by Dick’s Films and ESPN.
The half hour documentary sheds light on the five day training camp embarked on by high school football teams, with the main purpose of bringing the team together.
The aptly named title depicts the hellacious week these young students endure to prove themselves, not only as players but as young men coming up in society.
The special guest host for the Wednesday night screening was ‘Mike and Mike’ host Mike Golic of ESPN. Golic played professional football for nine years, and has two sons who both experienced their own ‘hell week’. No better expert on the topic than Golic, who said the major theme throughout was that of ‘accountability’.
In the 2013 ‘Hell Week’ story, the Bison of Station Camp High School in Tennessee endure the rigors of hell week in the secluded mountains. Over the course of five arduous days a set of life-long values are instilled and trust is earned.
The film lays out in detail how even the most perilous of situations can bring teammates together–from doing up-downs at the crack of dawn, to engaging in baby powder fights at midnight, the film doesn’t waver from depicting the children in all their innocence throughout the very tough week.
A bond is formed among the boys and they learn to love the days spent together away from society and as a band of brothers in the trenches.
While many may never go on to play college, yet alone professional football hell week’s sordid brilliance is that the lessons learned are not confined to the realms of football, but they bleed into the real world.
I implore anyone who, especially today, is dubious on the impact of having their young child play football to watch this film. In a day and age where more and more parents are turning away from football due to its violent nature, a film like ‘Hell Week’ goes to show football beyond the guts and glory and the depths of what makes the sport so much more than just a hobby.
‘Hell Week’ will air August 22 at 7:30 EST on ESPN2