All American is a Netflix series that follows the life of “Spencer” as he escapes the hood to Beverly hills in order to further his opportunities in Football. Spencer leaves his family behind in South Crenshaw, a place where gang violence rules, where the vast majority of people are African Americans plastered in poverty whos only safety is the gang they hide behind. He moves to Beverly Hills to escape, one of the richest suburbs of Los Angeles, a place so different from home he can sleep without being woken up by gunshots, he can play football without having to worry about being stabbed on the field, he can pursue his dream on an Nfl career with much fewer obstacles in his way.

Spencer is a character I really admire, in his move from Crenshaw to Beverly, he is bullied, tormented and threatened by rich white kids. He constantly feels like he doesn’t fit in and yet still puts everyone he meets before himself and will jump at any opportunity to be selfless. As time passes the move gets easier but never does he ever feel like he fully fits in. Instead of having restless nights because he can hear the guns, he has restless nights because h cant hear them and knows his mum and brother could be in danger but he can do nothing to help. Over the whole series he is constantly faced with challenges but every time he keeps a cool head, keeps playing great football whilst also solving everything that comes his way. I really admire this about Spencer because even though he has a lot to deal with in his personal life he turns to football to save him and puts his anger into motivation to do well. Now, this isn’t something I can directly relate to because Wanaka is far different to the hood but I can relate to it slightly in the sense that when I’m having a bad day, I like to go to the gym and work hard to be better which is something that spencer did a lot. A quote from the start of the series before he moves to Beverly is “When my friends are out shooting ni**as up I be in the gym working hard so that I can use my talent to escape, not use a gun to stop someone else from escaping”. This I think is a really good quote because it shows why Spencer was really motivated to succeed and as I found out later on in the series this hard work and dedication really paid off for him. This is a message that I took from the text in that no matter your situation if you put in the hard work, the effort, and the time you can always find an escape to a better life. This is something that a lot of people don’t understand and instead of working hard they feel sorry for themselves and let their situation take hold of them ruining any potential chance at escape they had. 

Challenges that Spencer had to deal with were everywhere, but the two that stand out to me the most are the loss of on and off friend Shawn, and the appearance of his dad who left many years ago. Shawn and Spencer had been best friends growing up but Shawn’s involvement in Gangs really put a strain on their relationship toward later years. It was not a surprise when Shawn was zipped up in a body bag on a Friday night before one of spencers football games. Spencer initially reacted very badly but turned all his anger into motivation and went out onto the football field the next day to do what Shawn never had the chance to do. Spencer played one of the best games of his career and I think this was a really good reaction from spencer. Instead of seeking revenge and potentially endangering himself and his future he let his football do the talking and played for Shawn. Spencer’s dad left when he was a little league star in primary school. Spencer spent his whole early teens full of hatred at his father for ditching his mum and the two boys. But when the dad shows up on spencers doorstep and spencer finally learns the truth everything in his mind changes. Spencer no longer has this barely controllable anger built up inside him but now has a weight off his shoulders. For the remainder of the season, he plays freely and wins the state player of the year award. I really respect this as again he has proven to be the bigger person in the situation and to let his talent do the talking. 

All American is an honour that is given to the best high school football players in the country. Spencer is one of these players who receive this honour. This makes the name of the series very fitting and a name that any football fan will recognise and immediately know the show is about football. This is what makes it a good name because just from reading the name the target audience will be drawn to watch. I would recommend this show to any football fan in the world as it is something that is really eye-opening as it is based on a true story so to know that this is what people have to deal with on the daily is really eye-opening for people who don’t. 

In conclusion, I think this is a must-watch show for anyone who is keen on an exciting and eye-opening experience. It touches on the inequalities of life and really tells the story of what people from the hood have to deal with to be the best.