Warriors of Liberty City
By Emily Ashby,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Mature content, inspiring themes in compelling docuseries.
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Warriors of Liberty City
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What's the Story?
WARRIORS OF LIBERTY CITY is a docuseries set in the Miami neighborhood of Liberty City, where a youth sports program has gained an impressive reputation for success in turning out football recruits at disproportionately high numbers. For this mostly poor and African American area, the Warriors program is a means of escape from the influence of gangs, street violence, and crime, and it becomes a way of life for the families who hang their hopes on their players' success. The program, founded by native and former rapper Luther Campbell, offers sports throughout the year -- including baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, cheer, and dance -- but it's the football teams' remarkable success at delivering the likes of NFL players Devonta Freeman and Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson that is the primary focus of this series.
Is It Any Good?
Produced by LeBron James, this compelling and dramatic show oscillates between emotional extremes to enlighten and inspire viewers for whom Liberty City's realities are foreign. It introduces by name a handful of players, family members, and coaches presumably representative of the broader community as a whole. Among them are ex-convicts working hard for better lives for their families, kids whose reality includes parents behind bars and childhood friends lost to gun violence, coaches who look to turn personal disappointment into players' inspiration, and girls with big dreams who feel overlooked by people who only see where they're from rather than who they are.
Warriors of Liberty City is a documentary within a documentary of sorts. It spans a football season, following the ups and downs of several different teams within the Warriors program, but it also speaks to the broader community's challenges in providing kids with a place to feel safe, supported, and inspired amid influences like gangs and violence. It is a story of optimism defying the odds of reality, and you find yourself rooting for not just the fresh-faced gridiron hopefuls but also their parents, their siblings, their coaches, and an entire neighborhood.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Warriors of Liberty City presents Liberty City residents' lifestyles. Does it ever feel judgmental? Are you surprised at anything you see? In what ways is your life different from those of the people in this series? What similarities do you notice?
How important are atypical role models in the Warriors program and this community as a whole? What instances do you see of people stepping up to fill roles that are missing in kids' lives, such as absent parents? How does it benefit a whole community to have these kinds of people in it? Do you have people in your life who inspire you in different ways?
How do the players demonstrate perseverance on the field and off? How do the lessons they learn in football (and other sports) translate to the rest of their lives? Do you learn more from success or from failure? In what ways does each outcome help you grow and improve?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 17, 2018
- Network: Starz
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts
- Character Strengths: Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: July 6, 2023
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