Parents' Guide to

Ballers

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Sex, conspicuous consumption, cursing in football drama.

TV HBO Drama 2015
Ballers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Bella M.
Bella M. Adult
July 25, 2020
age 13+

Fun Football Show with THE ROCK

There is no sex, just kissing (barely). Although there is profanity such as f-ck, sh-t, and b-tch. I feel comfortable with letting my children watch shows with profanity, because I know that they know not to repeat it, but in the end it comes down to whether or not you feel comfortable with your kids watching shows with language.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much swearing
WoofLab1
WoofLab1 Parent of 12-year-old
January 22, 2019
age 16+
Ballers is a good show for anyone interested in management and football or glamour. But it has far too much sex scenes.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the ensemble series BALLERS, current and former pro football players navigate life on and off the field. Retired player Spencer Strasmore (Dwayne Johnson) has turned to guiding the careers of young pros, including Ricky Jerret (John David Washington), a competitive yet spiritual player who's made some mistakes. Assisting Spencer are Joe (Rob Corddry), a foul-mouthed financial advisor, and Jason (Troy Garity), a cutthroat sports agent. Meanwhile, orbiting the same planet is Charles Greane (Omar Benson Miller), a retired player who's had a little trouble adapting to non-baller life; ESPN commentator (and Spencer's secret love interest) Michaels (Taylor Cole); and Tina (LeToya Luckett), the recently widowed wife of one of Spencer's best friends.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (1):

Many of the beats found in Ballers will be familiar to fans of football genres: young players, flush with success, dripping in fancy cars and easy women, trying to live life to the fullest because they know full well the gravy train could screech to a stop at any time. Meanwhile, a slightly older and wiser version of those players (the effortlessly charming Johnson, natch) tries to keep things rolling along even as the reckless players get themselves into scrape after scrape. But, though the source material seems familiar, the appealing actors, zippy plotting, and snappy (yet realistic) dialogue keeps things fresh. Freshest of all: Ballers gives the wives, girlfriends, and female colleagues of the players and their agents meaty roles. When Greane comes home to tell his long-suffering wife that he's finally, finally found a job, wife Julie (Jazmyn Simon) jumps on him, squeals, starts doing a playful striptease, and teases him at the same time about her role in her husband's success: "You know you like a tough coach!" She is that, as well as a vibrant, interesting character, just as interesting as her husband and every other character on-screen. You don't have to like football to like this intriguing show.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why football is such a common milieu for sports dramas. Why not tennis? Soccer? Synchronized swimming? What dramatic possibilities does football, with its vast popularity and enormous salaries, offer that other sports don't?

  • How is the audience supposed to feel toward the football players in this drama? Are we supposed to admire them? Relate to them? Hate them and enjoy their downfalls? How can you tell?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate