“Rudy”: An Inspiring Tale of Grit or an Elaborate Lie? | Bad Football Movies Podcast

A tale of football grit that inspired a generation of un-athletic kids, or was it a cocktail of lies that ended up duping investors for a failed sports drink company that eventually ended up in Rudy's arrest? We dive into a movie that many think is good, but could be straight-up evil.

Does the story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, the lilliputian Notre Dame walk-on who logged a sack in his only on-field appearance, define an era of grit and determination? Or, is it simply the bedrock of yet another poorly cloaked American hustle?

Our panel of experts, including Notre Dame graduate Jessica Smetana, Notre Dame reject Conor Orr and senior writer Charlotte Wilder discuss whether the seminal 1993 feature starring Sean Astin should be taken at face value, or whether the real Rudy's subsequent life, combined with the underbelly of the movie's casting, formation and freewheeling relationship with the truth, should have this ultimately labeled as a “Bad Football Movie.”

What’s more American than challenging the long-held beliefs that the story of Rudy is infallible? Sit back, grab a nonexistent sports drink used as a vehicle to create a ponzi scheme and enjoy our latest edition of BAD FOOTBALL MOVIES. (And if you’re interested in earlier episodes of this podcast, you cancheckthemallouthere.)

Listen to our Bad (or Maybe Good!) Football Movies series, plus the rest of The MMQB’s NFL podcasts, on iTunes or wherever you download your podcasts. 

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