Two-a-Days

Expected to endure illness, injury, and extreme weather, the players fight for the touchdown, college scholarships, and a chance at local and national glory. For some, this fight also represents a ticket to a better life. While the series includes positive values like school spirit and team cooperation, they're overshadowed by the pitfalls of committing your entire life to a sport. The idea that these kids must "win at any cost" leads to a distorted sense of balance that's evidenced by their struggle to separate their performance in a game from their sense of identity -- and, to a larger extent, their self-worth.

Many of the players' parents and members of the Hoover community reinforce this skewed sense of self, further perpetuating the idea that there's only one thing or activity in the world that defines who we are. Football fans will undoubtedly find Two-a-Days entertaining, and teens will very likely enjoy the romantic tensions between players and their girlfriends. But in the end, what this documentary really shows viewers is that for players who are serious about turning football into a college or pro career, it stops being a game and, as a consequence, very often stops being fun.