Glory Road is an American sports drama film directed by James Gartner, based on a true story involving the events of the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball championship. He was released on January 13, 2006. Don Haskins, represented by Texas Western College head coach Josh Lucas, coached a team with an all-black starting lineup, the first in NCAA history. Glory Road explores racism, discrimination, and student athletics. On-screen supporting characters Jon Voight and Derek Luke also play their roles. The duration of the film is 1 hour and 58 minutes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Greatness Road is not generally about the underdogs and winning the big game. It's about racism in American sports and how mentor Don Haskins and his players on the 1965-66 Texas Western University basketball team made a leap forward comparable to when Jackie Robinson was hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers. In Texas at that time, we learn, college basketball teams were integrated, but there was an "informal rule" that you never played with more than one black player at home, two on the road, or three if you were behind . After Texas Western won the 1966 NCAA title with an all-black team on the court, besting an all-white Kentucky team managed by Adolph Rupp, the rules were changed and modern high school and professional basketball began. Glory Road has some major themes particularly concerned with racism in sports. Racism is highlighted first and foremost by the atmosphere surrounding Texas Western players. When Don Haskins goes recruiting, he looks at mostly white players, but then is forced to recruit black players because they have few opportunities in the predominantly white sport. White players were dominant; white athletes were considered more intelligent and black athletes were considered incapable of winning at the highest level. This is further exemplified by the fact that there were unwritten rules that limited black participation in college basketball, and was also reflected in African Americans' belief that they would not have the opportunity to play in college. White people are given the upper hand in society. and this is reflected in college basketball. Whites were given more scholarship opportunities and playing time ahead of blacks, regardless of talent. It was only after Haskins defeated him that Rupp recruited the first black player at Kentucky. This is indicative of the notion of white privilege as white people in Kentucky. Whites were given more opportunities in sports than blacks. And while Haskin helped break down the color barrier in major college sports, that doesn't instantly change people's minds or end white privilege, and thus, the film's racial undertones have larger implications on the long-standing issue of White privilege in sports. and also in society. Sports-related racism is also a key issue in the film as sports helps overcome racism, but also helps reinforce it. Basketball separated blacks and whites along social lines in ways that helped maintain racism in the sport as it existed in society. Yet sports were also a way for a group of black individuals to make progress by defeating an all-white team, thus helping to break down the barriers of racism. Sports offered a mode of nonviolent competition between blacks and whites, but it was also used as a way to limit the opportunities afforded to blacks. Therefore racism wasa key aspect relating to sport and racist attitudes within society were also transferred to amateur athletics. The main characters are coach Don Haskins and the stars of the basketball team Bobby Jones, David Lattin, Moe and other members of the team. Leadership skills are mostly observed in Coach Haskins, Bobby Jones, and Lattin. The coach does the right thing while the assistants should do things right. The coach followed his vision, which is to compose a team with a majority of African-American players to play with. While his assistants were mostly trying to put things together for the team and help with the recruiting process. If we compare the two coaches of the teams that were in the final of the national championship, we notice a difference between both coaches' methods of motivating their players. Coach Haskins had the ability to transform the team into a strong entity by finding the right position for each player, illustrating technical skills and experience in basketball procedures, he used his power as an expert intelligently. To motivate his players he used to say: “Play smart, with big heart”, while the rival coach says: “We will win this match, go out and make me a prophet”. While Coach Haskins attempts to bring out the players' inner talent, the rival coach's choice of words indicates a personal interest in winning, rather than a concern for a greater vision for his team or players, devoid of human skills. less spotlight also in the leadership of cinema entertainment. Before the final game, the players who are not African-American were able to grasp the coach's vision of a game for all by starting and playing with an all-African-American team. In other cases, we see the coach affirming team values ​​and emphasizing the goal when he reminded his players of their priorities and what was at stake in every single training session. The film's director James Gartner chose to direct Glory Road not because it was a sports film, but because of the other layer of racism and time period. The reality of the story and its importance forced the director to make it. The director once mentioned in an interview that: "I went to one of the premieres of Glory Road and someone in the theater came up to me and asked: 'What took 40 years to tell this story?' And that was my initial question and what I was interested in was just publishing this story.” At the time the director thought he had achieved his goal. The film is beautifully written and acted. The actors also did a commendable job. It's very well acted, however two people steal the show: Jon Voight, who plays Kentucky State's extremely racist coach, and Derek Luke who steals the show as the team's top performing star. The music of the film adds the icing on the cake, the sound effects capture the attention of the viewers and make them easily able to visualize the hardships that the characters go through. The sound effects during the game intrigue the spectators and make the story compelling. What makes this film work is the struggle that black people face. This film is inspiring. It's a major triumph for first-time director James Gartner. It is more than just a sports movie as the main character is more than just a basketball coach. The director of the film also did a great job, he is portrayed in a way that anyone can relate to. The film has some weaknesses. It feels like there are too many characters and not enough development for each character. The sports commentator in the film tells the audience about the progress of the matches, taking it for granted.