the coach's tearful pep talk

Every coach on this shelf is trying to save a team's season as a desperate way to save their own. Norman Dale washes out of college ball before getting one last shot at redemption in small-town Indiana in Hoosiers. Ken Carter benches his undefeated squad over bad grades in Coach Carter, risking the whole season without flinching. Sure, the team gets the trophy, but the coach is who the story is really about. Someone believes in a group of kids before there's a single reason they should, and you're just waiting to see if that faith gets repaid.