Film Screening and Discussion "In Football We Trust"

In Football We Trust transports viewers deep inside the tightly-knit and complex Polynesian community in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the chief sources for the modern influx of Pacific Islander football players to the NFL. Shot over a four-year period with intimate access, the film follows four young Polynesian men striving to overcome gang violence and poverty through the promise of American football. Despite overwhelming obstacles, Polynesians are 28 times more likely than any other ethnic group to make it in the NFL, a surprising statistic that the film opens with. Some refer to this phenomenon as a ?calling? or a gift from God; others credit genetics, socio-cultural influences or stereotyping, or the push and pull of global sports capitalism.