Last summer, TSL examined the decline of sports movies in pop culture. Since then, Ron Howard's sports drama, RUSH was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Picture Category, Ridley Scott has begun the process of creating a film based on the NFL's CTE crisis, the trailer for Kevin Costner's drama based on the NFL Draft dropped and a debunked rumor claimed that LeBron James was negotiating a deal with Dick Ebersol's sons to co-star in a Space Jam sequel caught fire in mid-February.
The Oscars were last night and in typical fashion, Arizona's Rich Rodriguez seized the moment by starring in a spoof trailer of the original Speed that relates to an issue currently at the forefront of college football. The spoof's plot is inspired by the NCAA's recent inquiry into adopting a proposal which would give opposing defense's 10 seconds to substitute defenders in between plays.
(Clears throat for trailer voice-over)
RIch Rodriguez is a hot shot coaching pioneer living out his days as the head coach at a non-traditional powerhouse program after building his entire career on up-tempo offensive pace.
For Rodriguez, offense was always easy. In the desert of Tucson, Arizona, his ground-based rushing attack was one of the best in college football. It left fans salivating for more big plays and defenders thirsting for a water break for 60 minutes. But the game really began when the diabolical NCAA and jealous coaches with an axe to grind, hold his frenetic paced offense hostage.
When a rule with ramifications which would essentially "blast college football offenses back to the stone ages" is discussed by the NCAA, only Rich Rodriguez can prevent the destruction of all that he knows dear. The rule would have essentially mitigated one of the few weapons smaller, college football teams have against the stronger, faster athletes on the defensive end at traditional, powerhouse programs. But they picked the wrong Wildcat to mess with.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Sandra Bullock's Arizona Wildcats tattoo from the original Speed, Nick Saban, Brett Bielema, Rich Rodriguez, B.J. Denker, Anu Solomon and the return of Austin Hill in a trailer critics call "Better than that racing film trailer starring Kid Cudi and Jesse from Breaking Bad". Get ready for rush hour.
(end scene)
Football is by nature a copycat sport so it's entirely possible that this could become a fad adopted by other programs in college football, but this will be a tough production to match and any attempts will likely be more reminiscent of the widely panned Speed 2.
Rodriguez is a vet in the spoof film game though and if this whole football thing ever comes to an end, there could be a few motion picture cameos in his future.
