Parents' Guide to

Trophy Kids

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Searingly honest docu about sports-obsessed parents.

Movie NR 2015 105 minutes
Trophy Kids Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Trophy Kids Movie: Scene #1
  • Trophy Kids Movie: Scene #2

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age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

jess T.
jess T. Parent of 15-year-old
October 5, 2016
age 10+

Ego driven Society..Hiding behind Religion

I think All parents should watch this...It shows how the Ego driven Parent abuses their children to feed their own ego and to hide their own insecurities they felt as children..They want to create the bullies they ran from in school instead of creating the Loving and Kind Children they needed and the Ones this society so needs...To hide behind any religion and do this to your children is a disgrace. I just don't see Jesus or any God telling you to get out there and be number One ...Focus on just yourself and forget making real friends. Also to Not to listen to your own soul and figure out what you really want out of your life.. Since when did being a Kind..Loving..Smart Human not be enough...I think this world needs so many more humans like that and less of what these parents are creating.. This is great for the Parent who needs validation you have done right by Not following in behind these kinds of parents...They can be Bullies to us as well.....Be thankful you have listened to your own heart not them and guided your children in a healthy and loving way thru life... Thank you for making this film...I will pass it along to everyone...

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What's the Story?

TROPHY KIDS is a documentary that compiles/expands on three stories that were first featured in executive producer Peter Berg's HBO Sports series State of Play. The film follows five sports-obsessed parents who will stop at nothing to propel their child athletes into superstardom (or, at the very least, Division I scholarships). Two fathers have invested tens of thousands of dollars into their high-school-basketball-playing sons; one mother believes she has a covenant with God to help her twin sons be the no. 1 doubles players in the nation; one middle-class father sees dollar-sign potential in his young golfer daughter, even going so far as to call her the next Tiger Woods; and one former athlete father enrolls his son in an elite private school to play with a top football program and then criticizes him after every practice or game. The filmmakers chronicle how the intense pressure -- and parental expectations -- affects the kids.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

Trophy Kids is a fascinating, compelling exposé of the extreme lengths parents will go when they truly believe their kids have what it takes to be not just a good athlete, but an extraordinary one. One father quit his job to focus on his son's basketball career and admits that he's spent the equivalent of "two Lamborghinis" on the boy's personal training and elite teams. The former college ballplayer forces his freshman son to practice plays and study videos of upcoming opposing teams after regular football practice. The divorced dad also berates his kid and calls him a "mama's boy" and a "woman" because he was primarily raised by his mother.

More than just a documentary, Trophy Kids is a cautionary tale about how not to parent. With the possible exception of the religious mother who believes her twins are destined by God to be tennis champions, the parents are all abusive toward coaches, referees, and in some ways even their own children. The father of the junior golf champion (who calls her a "little bitch" behind her back when she swings poorly at a tournament) tells another parent that he wishes it were like the 1970s, when parents could push kids as far as they wanted. In an age when stories routinely circulate about parents being barred from games (it happens in the documentary, too) and bullying coaches, Trophy Kids is a reminder to keep calm and remember that no matter how intense your child feels about a sport, it's still a game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the popularity of sports documentaries. Do you need to know anything about (or even like to play) football, basketball, tennis, or golf to enjoy Trophy Kids? Why or why not?

  • What did you think about the relationship between the parents and their kids? Which parent-child dynamic seemed the healthiest? Which seemed the most in need of help? Do you think anyone featured in the film could change -- or would want to?

  • Which behavior in the movie would you consider bullying? Is the impact of bullying different when it's done by an adult rather than a kid's peer(s)?

  • One parent says the key is to have a kid "buy into" a parent's "dream"; is that the way sports involvement should be decided? What are the odds of kids succeeding in professional sports? Should that be the end goal, or is having fun more important?

Movie Details

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