Growing up I have always loved spending time watching movies or TV shows that have anything to do with sports. Two of my all-time favorites are “The Blind Side” and “Remember The Titans.” After a few years of watching these types of shows and movies, I have noticed that there is a common theme to most of them. There is usually a star player, and they come from a different type of background than the rest of the team. They have to overcome their struggles and recognize the importance of having a strong support system. No matter the sport, I am always intrigued to see what the player or team went through to overcome their conflict in the story. Everything about this theme relates to one of the top shows on Netflix right now: “All American.”

 

The first season of “All American” was released on Oct. 10, 2018. The second season was released on Oct. 7, 2019, but has recently been released on Netflix. Many of my friends kept telling me to watch it so finally, I decided I was going to give it a shot. After I started the show, I found myself two days later having binge-watched the whole show. “All American” is about a rising high school football player, Spencer James, who plays for South Crenshaw High School. Billy Baker, the head coach of the Beverly Hills football team, and one of South Crenshaw's rivals, offers Spencer a spot on his team. Spencer did not like the sound of this idea at first, but since his mother, Grace, and his best friend, Coop, saw that this was an opportunity that he needed to take to further his career, and he could not pass it up. Even though he would have to leave his home, family and friends and move in with Coach Baker, they knew that Spencer could do big things with that specific team and coach.  

 

However, it takes Spencer a while to get used to the atmosphere in Beverly, because the only bond he really had at the beginning of the show was Leila, who he later describes as a reminder of home. Beverly Hills and South Crenshaw are two different worlds. Beverly is much wealthier while Crenshaw is home to the lower and middle class population, an area where gang violence is commonplace. Even though the only separation between the two is one short bus ride that Spencer takes to get from home to home, the two worlds couldn't be more opposite. However, throughout the season certain people tie the two places together, and it's shocking to see who. 

 

“All American” tied for 227th this season among all primetime broadcasts shows with a total of 1.1 million viewers. I know I speak for everyone when I say I am dying for the third season to come out. Season 3 was originally supposed to come out in October 2020 but with the coronavirus, everything is up in the air. 

 

All in all, aside from being a great show, I think that this show has been very popular for many reasons. There are countless lessons I learned from just watching the show, my favorite being to always respect where you came from. I 10/10 recommend this show to all ages; however, I think that it is most popular for teens.