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Introduction

What Teamwork Means By: Alex James

Remember the Titans is based on the school T.C. Williams, and for the first time, the white and black school integrated as one high school. Due to the time period and state of the country, racism was a prevalent issue in all aspects of society. One of the main problems in combining schools is that they will need to create a unified football team. During offseason practices, it became clear that there were selfish intentions in terms of playing with each other. Because of the school integration, “suddenly there were three teams’ worth of players to cram into just one squad” (Rehagen, Paragraph 8). In this quote it shows that even without the race and other issues that were going on when being on the team, but to combine three teams down to one team is still a lot of players that won’t make the team or get any playing time. It is hard being together as one unit, when there was competition to determine who was going to start or get any playing time at all. In addition to struggling to get playing time, so was playing on a team with your rivals. Everyone on the team was so stuck in their ways that they struggled to find cohesion in playing with all the different school players. Lots of players were more focused on how many tackles on defense or how many yards on offense instead of focusing on your team that you are playing with and winning the game. With it being the 1970’s in America, there was still racism ravaging the nation, with one of the minute effects seen in integrated football teams. The movie Remember the Titans demonstrates the use of teamwork on how it can help to fix social issues such as racism, because in order to have a successful season playing together as a team was the only option in order to win games. 

What makes teamwork so important to a football team’s success that can also lead to solving off the field issues and lead to a positive change on the community around them?

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During the offseason, Coach Boone knew that the biggest problem they would face was going to be playing together and resolving any race-fueled conflicts between the players. Coach Boone had a desire to fix this issue promptly, and therefore decided to room everyone with someone from the opposing race, and they were forced to talk with each other to find out about their personal experiences and lives. With the lingering punishments of additional practices and running miles, the team decided to initiate cohesive efforts within this new requirement from their coach without extensive issues. These efforts took time but resulted in the guys’ successful ability to connect on the field. By the time that offseason had ended, there were no more race-fueled conflicts between the team players. Instead of directing hatred towards others on the team, they were able to look at each other as teammates. This movie was so impactful that teachers “used to show Remember the Titans in history class when they were teaching about racism” (Spencer, Paragraph 33). It is a rare occasion when there is a movie that can give an inspiring message about what it means to deal with racism and overcoming this issue, even within sports. But, in the case of Remember the Titans, there is more than just playing football, but rather how people can overcome societal biases and assumptions to see each other as equal. Throughout the movie something that is recognized was the use of team work that was involved for the success of the team. The impact of this movie on the T.C. Williams football team has also shown what it means to combat racism in the renowned world of sports.

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After the offseason, things weren’t running as perfectly as it seemed, as the team began to run into more issues. Instead of being away at college for a week with just your teammates, they were back in the real world where racism was still around. This allowed that mindset they had while in the offseason has changed as they started to hangout with their old friends. Individuals on the team were purposely missing blocks during the games and solely focusing on their personal statistics and tackles rather than the success of the team as a whole. Gerry eventually realized that Ray had purposely been missing blocks, causing the quarterback’s injury and Ray’s dismissal from the team. This scenario depicted that being a team player for the school’s football team didn’t encompass concerns of race or friendship, but instead the solidarity and trust of the team. It has been shown that, “by working together as a team and taking the time to consider both individual and team strengths and weaknesses, [the team can] finish the season undefeated and go on to win a state championship” (Collett, 3). The ultimate goal of the team was to have a successful season and to prove that no matter what race each player was, playing as a unit was more important and influential in winning the long run. Coach Boone discovered late in the season that if he had lost one game, he would be fired, but this was never a thought in Boone’s mind as he was more focused on the development of each player and the efforts of becoming a united front in the school’s athletic program. This situation would have been super stressful especially with fans being very hostile due to the time period, but instead of letting this affect Coach Boone he let it inspire him and his players.

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One of the most powerful scenes in Remember the Titans was following the team’s win when one of the star players, Gerry, was injured in an accident that resulted in the end of his football career with paralysis. Instead of being sad and influencing the team’s mood, Gerry told all of the other players that he was going to be okay and this injury wouldn’t prevent the team from getting the state championship title. Gerry said, “When I met you, I hated you. But I was hating my brother because I was afraid.' And that's what we're still dealing with to this day. We're dealing with fear. Fear of change” (Rothstein, Paragraph 3). In this quote it showed the relationship that Gerry, and one of his teammates Julius, and each one of these teammates were different races. At the beginning of the offseason they did not like each other, but as they played together on the field they had a saying that was “left side strong side.” This shows the kind of friendship that they had and through playing together on the football field they were able to become best friends. No matter what race Gerry or Julius was, it wasn’t going to stop the brotherhood they had created throughout the season and the lifetime establishment of friendship and trust. Gerry and Julius called each other brothers, and their races didn’t influence the relationship between them, inspiring others to realize that if the best players from the football team can get along despite their different ethnicities, so can anyone else. Even with this story taking place during the high school years, this societal lesson can be expanded to anyone of any time period.

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The impact that Remember the Titans has created has allowed change not only in 1971, but also for anyone watching the movie until this day. One of the most important takeaways expressed is that, “the critical examination of the film’s ending and successful racial integration revealed the underlying mechanism of the Titans’ on-field success. Historically, members of the team and community suggested that racial tensions were minimal at the school” (Cranmer, 2). Remember the Titans enabled the ability to show that through tension and conflicts, teams can persist and accept each other through difficulties to achieve their goals. The team was able to have an undefeated season while winning the state championship after there was no expectations for the team to do well as they were one of the first schools in the area to decide to integrate the schools. Coach Boone, who was the coach of the football team, was given one chance and he was forced to have a perfect season or else they would fire him. Even with all of that pressure of going to be fired and making sure the football team was together he became successful. Even with all of these kids being in high school, they were still able to develop a moving story and a movie that highlights what it means to be a team and together. While all of this was happening at the height of American racism, lots of players and coaches were having hateful phrases spewed at them for the enablement of this united team, but the team was able to accept that others might not accept this newfound concept, but their brotherhood and sports’ success proved more important in the strengthening of themselves and their communities of diversity.