The Marinovich Project (ESPN 30 for 30)
The Marinovich Project recounts the career of Todd Marinovich, who was slated to be the NFL's next big star. The documentary outlines Todd's upbringing, his legendary training and diet regimens, his high school and college careers, his tumultuous NFL career, and what happened to him afterwards.
Released 2010; Runtime 90 minutes
Concepts
- Burnout: Todd Marinovich is one of the best-known cases of burnout; Plenty examples are given throughout the first half of entrapment, overtraining, foreclosed identity, and chronic stress.
- Parents & Family: A prominent fixture throughout Todd's early life was his father, who started training Todd when he was still in a crib; Todd's family goes through a lot of stress because of his intense training, plus when he is homeless following his NFL career.
- Substance Abuse: Todd becomes addicted to marijuana while in high school, using it as a release; His drug and alcohol use skyrocket in college and while in the NFL, causing him to leave football penniless.
- Sport-Life Balance: Todd talks about how the only thing he did when he was young was play football or train for football, while his friends would go on vacation or to summer camps.