The debate over how college athletes are treated may become a feature film. Several former college stars -- including Aaron Rodgers, Ray Lewis and Desmond Howard -- have joined former LSU football player Abram Booty's efforts to make a movie portraying college athlete exploitation in the NCAA.
The movie would be called “Work Horses” and is scheduled to start production in March 2016. The movie's website (workhorsesmovie.com) lays out some of the plans for the film and includes testimonials from prominent players.
Booty has created a Kickstarter campaign with an initial goal of raising $250,000 by Jan. 17. Booty claims the script is completed and would be produced by George Folsey Jr., who produced “Coming to America,” “The Three Amigos” and Michael Jackson's Thriller” video.
The movie marks a new effort in the athletes' rights movement -- propaganda through Hollywood. The NCAA and its schools have changed some facts on the ground regarding how they treat players, such as through cost of attendance, unlimited food, concussion safety guidelines (but not rules) and transitional health insurance required by the Pac-12. There continue to be legal fights over whether college athletes should be allowed to get paid.
Booty played wide receiver at LSU and is the brother of former All-SEC LSU quarterback Josh Booty and former All-American USC quarterback John David Booty. Abram Booty said the trigger for him to write “Work Horses” came after the 2007 Rose Bowl, when wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett was the MVP with a dominating performance. Booty said his family later saw Jarrett walking to a McDonald's for a cheap dinner a mile from where he had won the game in front of millions of people.
The fictional script is about a low-income football player from a Louisiana farm community whose eyes are opened to the injustices of major college sports, Booty said. A female student reporter becomes a love interest and enlightens the player and his teammates to take a stand.
About 50 to 70 major sports names are backing the project and lending their support for free while promoting the movie on Twitter, Booty said. Some of them plan to be on the set during production in Shreveport, La., to make the film be realistic.
