I know this is sacrilegious, but aside from hometown teams and games that have a major national impact, I rarely watch sports. Watching a random game for the sake of watching a game doesn’t interest me. If need be I can see the entire game in 8 minutes on YouTube, thus freeing me up to watch things I really find interesting like serial killer documentaries, knife forging shows or a mini-series on Orangutan rescue sanctuaries. So to that end, each Friday I will be giving you my non-sports binge recommendation for the weekend.
This week’s viewing recommendation is “Cheer” on Netflix.
Whoever thinks I should “turn in my man card” because I watch Cheer has no idea how fascinating this show is. It follows the Navarro College Cheerleading Team as they prepare for the NCA National Championships, and to see what these cheerleaders go through with the single goal of “making mat” is simply jaw-dropping. It’s intense. It’s insane. It’s impossible to turn off.
Every kid has a story, but the most intriguing character is head coach, Monica Aldama. She is a ball buster of epic proportions. She is the cheerleading equivalent of Bear Bryant. Kids are dropping like flies from broken ribs, dislocated elbows, high ankle sprains, and her response is simply, “Do it again”. Ruthless, but still kinda hot.
Sure there’s drama. Sure they all want to be “influencers”. But Cheer is the #1 trending show on Netflix and a pop culture phenomenon and as we like to say, the culture isn’t wrong. If you think a cheerleading documentary sounds stupid that’s fine. No one is making you watch it, but I’m still not turning in my man card.
PHOTO: Netflix