One other View
The “Boys In Blue” docuseries is halfway through its four-week run on Showtime. Besides following the season-long journey of the Minneapolis North football team, individual players, and their parents, it also explores the players’ relationships with their 4 coaches, who on the time were also Minneapolis law enforcement officials.
It’s no secret, particularly around these parts, that MPD and Black people have historically had a tense relationship. That relationship grew much more strained within the midst of a deadly pandemic and the killing of George Floyd in South Minneapolis in 2020. That tragic death led to protests locally, nationally and worldwide.
It also led to calls for disposing of the police, which became a ballot measure a yr later. That effort, which ultimately failed within the 2021 municipal elections, was also highlighted within the documentary. Minneapolis City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison was amongst those featured within the back-and-forth between proponents and opponents of the ballot initiative.
Charles Adams, Sr., his son Charles, Jr., and two other officers—all 4 are also North High Polars coaches—became quick stars on “Boys In Blue,” together with the players and others. Adams, Sr. told the MSR, “They [the filmmakers] wanted to spotlight the relationships between police and our youngsters. You get a team with a bunch of coaches who’re White cops and Black cops.”
Acclaimed director Peter Berg for essentially the most part did just that. He told us that he was very impressed with the law enforcement officials/coaches. “Along with being really good cops,” he stressed, “[they] represent the perfect of community policing. They’re near, and a part of the community that they’re policing. I feel that’s very inspirational.”
Berg added that amongst his goals was that “Boys In Blue” viewers see that as well now that we’re in a post-George Floyd world here in Minneapolis, where police-community relations are still strained.
“We offer a rather more complex [look at what it] means to be a police officer in our community today,” continued director-executive producer Berg. “It’s my hope that the viewer comes away with a bit more empathy and appreciation. So many good cops were on the market trying as hard as they’ll.”
From a sports perspective, the elder Adams said he hopes that the film shows that city kids can play football in addition to, and sometimes higher than, their suburban counterparts.
“They were showing Minnesota football, especially football in our city,” he identified. “So we were putting it on the market that the competition, the extent, the professionals, the coaches—it was about all of us within the City of Minneapolis.”
There are moments of celebration in addition to unexpected heartbreak throughout the series, especially the tragic death of then-sophomore DeShaun Hill, Jr., the team’s quarterback. Officer Rick Plunkett, who worked closely with Hill throughout the season’s filming, said of the slain high schooler with a lot promise, “[He] was becoming a young man.”
With the rave reviews for “Boys In Blue,” will there be a “Boys In Blue 2”? Adams, Sr. says he hopes so. “I’m quite sure people need to know what happened next season.”
“The whole coaching staff are only incredible characters, incredible people,” said Berg. “I feel they represent the most effective of humanity. My crew worked really hard and fell in love with that community, and now we have nothing but respect for the lads and girls of the Minneapolis North community.
“It’s possible that we’ll return and spend more time with these remarkable people,” he concluded.