Behind the Shield shows why it’s high time for educators to take on the NFL
For a lot of educators, NFL football might seem like the last thing worth spending time analyzing and discussing in the classroom.
But for acclaimed Nation magazine writer Dave Zirin, the co-producer and host of our bestselling film Behind the Shield: The Power & Politics of the NFL, the National Football League’s astonishing TV ratings dominance¹ has given it cultural, and even political, power and influence that extend far beyond sports in ways we ignore at our own peril.
“The National Football League is the closest thing we have to a national language and a national religion,” Zirin says at the start of Behind the Shield. “And the fact is, more than any other major American sport, the league has explicitly built its brand on a whole complex of images and messages that have helped shape everything from dominant ideas about patriotism, militarism, and war, to gender norms and our conception of American manhood, to the politics of race, to the meaning of corporate power in U.S. society. So, I’d argue that whether we’re football fans or not, or even sports fans, we all have a stake in understanding just how powerful the NFL has become as a cultural and political force in this country.”
If you’re looking for a classroom tool to inspire critical thinking and dialogue about our current political and cultural moment, don’t miss Zirin’s fascinating, fast-paced analysis in Behind the Shield. In the film, Zirin excavates a riveting archive of media to show how the NFL has reflected and reinforced dominant, often regressive, ideologies at key points in American history. At the same time, he identifies an equally strong counter-current of player protest and employee whistleblowing to show how high-profile cultural platforms can model and inspire transformative change. The result is a film that’s less about sports, football, or even the National Football League, than about the contradictions inherent in America itself.
Behind the Shield is now available to purchase in a variety of formats. If you’d like to book a public screening of the film, please fill out this form and we’ll be back in touch.
(1) “NFL Swallows TV Whole, With 93 of Year’s Top 100 Broadcasts,” by Anthony Crupi, Sportico, January 5, 2024.
PRAISE FOR BEHIND THE SHIELD
“Behind the Shield is about so much more than football – it is about us and where we are as a nation and what lies ahead. If you love football, watch this film. If you care about justice, watch this film!”
— Eddie S. Glaude Jr. | Head of African American Studies at Princeton University
“Behind the Shield is terrifying and brilliant. After watching it, I now believe that you cannot understand this country without understanding NFL football. I will be showing this film in my classes FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.”
— Robin D.G. Kelley | Professor and Chair of History, UCLA
“Behind the Shield convincingly demonstrates that football is indeed the most American sport, then deftly deconstructs just what that Americanness implies. There is the brutality of racism, violence, militarism, and hypermasculinity, but also the courageous resistance and unyielding commitment of those who love America enough to, as James Baldwin wrote, ‘insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.’”
— Melissa Harris-Perry | The Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University
“Dave Zirin is one of the foremost thought leaders on the intersection between sports, race, and politics. In Behind the Shield, his thoughtful critiques of the most powerful brand in sports are both necessary and patriotic.”
— Jemele Hill | Sports Journalist, Contributing Writer, The Atlantic
“You may not care about football—but [this] riveting documentary reminds us that we have a stake in understanding how powerful the NFL is in shaping our country, culture, and politics. A must-watch.”
— Katrina vanden Heuvel | Editorial Director & Publisher, The Nation
“A provocative, eye-opening documentary that upends conventional wisdom. You may not agree with everything in [this film]. But it will compel you to ponder, deeply.”
— Ken Auletta | Media Critic for The New Yorker
“Provocative and unflinching, Behind the Shield is not just about the NFL, but about who we are as Americans. This documentary is long overdue.”
— Julie DiCaro | Sports Journalist, Author, Sidelined: Sports, Culture & Being a Woman in America
“Outstanding! Exposes the heart of the menacing partnership between the NFL and the military-industrial complex. Watch this documentary, and then share it. The stakes are too high not to.”
— Rory Fanning | Author, Former U.S. Army Ranger who served with Pat Tillman in Afghanistan
“An exceptional expose of why American football fans’ and the NFL’s demand that we shouldn’t insert ‘politics in sports’ is itself so political. A must-watch.”
— Soraya Chemaly | Author, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger
“Behind the Shield offers a stark portrait that compels viewers to consider the power, pitfalls, and possibilities of the NFL’s continued cultural impact.”
— Amira Rose Davis | Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas-Austin, Co-host of the “Burn it All Down” podcast
“An indispensable educational resource for our perilous political times. Whether you love professional football or hate it, if you want your students to understand how the sports/entertainment industry shapes dominant ideology, this film is your new best friend.”
— Jackson Katz, Ph.D. | Author, Creator of the award-winning Tough Guise video series
