Hollywood’s Hegel Reads the Bible: Remember the Titans, Race Relations, and the Prison Industrial Complex

Abstract

Remember the Titans (2000), directed by Boaz Yakin, tells the motivational tale of a journey from racial conflict into racial harmony, accomplished through football. This is the Hollywood version of the true story of a high school in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971, that has been suddenly forced to integrate black and white students, and so also black and white football players. It is the story of the success of Coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), who has been sent to T. C. Williams High School to be assistant coach to Bill Yoast (Will Patton). He is soon promoted to the position of head coach as the token black head coach for the region. Boone’s promotion infuriates the displaced white coach, Yoast, and his young daughter, for whom this represents both a humiliation and an obstacle to his being honored in the “hall of fame.” In the face of the antagonism of Yoast and his supporters, Boone proves himself. He is a tough coach, who requires his team not only to work, work, work, in order to become perfect, but also to integrate and to get along. Through a process of hard work facilitated by Boone’s high expectations on and off the field, the youths supersede their inclinations to the contrary: the team perfects its game, and the players overcome the hostilities generated by racism. Even the two coaches overcome their pride and territorializing behaviors and recognize each other’s talents.