Yesterday I watched the first 35 minute's of "Rudy" five times.  Why only the first 35 minutes?  Because I was showing it to five classes while I was subbing, silly.

Briefly, the movie is about a young man (rudy, played by Sean Astin) who works in a mill in a small town and inists that one day he will play football for Notre Dame.  He hangs around outside the stadium, weasels a spot on the ground crew, and one can only assume he achieves the goal with heart, grit, and American do-gooder-ism.

I want to see the end of the movie.  But if I were to make a judgment right now, I would say that I love it.  Oh, it's bad.  The music tells you what to feel, the characters (while well acted by Sean Astin and Ned Beatty) are cardboard cutouts we've seen in other films.  I don't really need to see the ending, because it's the kind of feel-good romp that only allows itself to end one way.

But:

I love the movie because it is the only major film I know of that chronicles the obsession of a Sports Nerd.  Now, much has been done in pop culture about conventional nerds (hell, they got revenge in four movies), but Sports Nerds are the most fascinating nerds of them all. 

Sports nerds only read the sports page in the morning, check Fantasy scores at work, have scores sent to their iPods, and at night listen to their wives bitch about the monopoly on the TV.  Sports Nerds that work second shift spend their mornings watching the same episode of Sports Center loop seven times. 

Sports Nerds usually were athletes once themselves, until they were told they had to leave high school.  They played in a few pick up games here and there.  Sadly, their bodies wore down over time.  Then they gain weight and fill ex-cheerleaders up with babies.  All they have left are their home teams, and progeny they can rear to be champions. 

This isn't always the case.  Some people make a living as sports nerds.  They are called "sports journalists."

Rudy is the quentissential Sports Nerd.  he has a fiance, a good job at the mill, and a spot in junior college.  Yet, he is obsessed with Notre Dame football.  He leaves everything behind to live in the maintenance room and sniff the players' towels. His entire sense of self worth is tied into his favorite football team. 

With Notre Dame, Rudy is nothing.  His moon reflects the light of the Fighting Irish sun.  I ask: why?  Rudy is an extremely well-disciplined, hard-working guy.  He's determined to get what he wants, and is infinitely resourceful.  If he didn't obsess about sports, he could start his own business, help with charities, feed the poor and retarded.

Yet he can only define himself through the greater whole of Irish football.  Why this obsession?  We see in an early flashback that his dad only allowed Notre Dame football to be watched in the house.

Ah-ha. 

Like most Sports Nerds, Rudy is trying to prove himself to his father by attaining athletic glory. 

In America, we've never had gladiator competitions, joustings, or warrior-kings.  We only have baseball, basketball, and football (hockey and soccer don't count) to show we can prove we're athletically stronger than others.

Is this what we should be doing?  Following the exploits of a handful of shallow, overpaid genetic mutants as they repeat the same actions over and over and over? 

All right, that's my time.  I need to go get ready for my Fantasy baseball draft Saturday.  I've won the league two years ina  row, and I'm determined to take the title again.