I was familiar with the main plot points of this story. ESPN aired a high school football game between one of the premier teams in the country and a team no one had ever heard of. The game was a dangerous embarrassment for everyone involved. Quickly people realized that Bishop Sycamore was not even a real school and the story went viral wondering how ESPN had been duped into airing the game.

Behind the headlines was the human element of the kids involved that I didn't know about. The documentary does a great job covering that angle. The adults exploited kids with dreams of playing higher level football and then failed them in spectacular fashion. In no form were these kids set up to succeed in either becoming better football players or to improve academically.

Watching this made me upset that there was no one to protect these kids. Even the investigator for the state athletic association who identified the fraud seems to have done little to prevent it. Likewise despite tough words from Mike DeWine when it came to taking action his administration punted, opting for a strongly worded report instead of any real action.

And of course, where the NCAA is involved in this story their incompetence is on full display. Zero critical thinking is applied to understand the kids were duped by a charlatan. Once again the NCAA proves they don't care about their athletes as humans only sources of revenue.

The lack of accountability and understanding from all levels is infuriating. Bishop Sycamore is an extreme example, but the whole industry around pre-collegiate athletics is full of charlatans exploiting kids for their own advantage. Hopefully this documentary makes other families be more critical about coaches making promises about their kids futures.