Todd Marinovich Project: Why There Should Never Be Another "Robo QB"

In essence, Todd Marinovich experienced a Spartan upbringing.

Before he was even born, Todd's father, Marv, had plans for him. Marv meant to build the perfect football player, and he knew how he was going to go about it.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, Marv's plan worked. Todd quickly became a football prodigy, and was well on his way to being a star by the time he was in high school. The public quickly took note, and so too did the media.

When they did, the "Robo QB" was born.

A few short years later, the Robo QB was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

Anyone who ventured to watch the new ESPN documentary The Marinovich Project will know all this. The film is yet another outstanding piece of work from the Worldwide Leader, one that dives right into the rise and fall of Todd Marinovich, who played quarterback for USC and then the Los Angeles Raiders.

All things considered, Marinovich's fall is nothing unheard of in the sports world. He had a bright future ahead of him, but substance abuse got in the way and eventually killed it. Marinovich already had a drug problem when he entered the NFL in 1991, and he ended up lasting just two seasons with the Raiders. Marinovich's problems persisted for years after he washed out of the league.

Unfortunately, stuff like this happens a lot in sports. Marinovich is one of numerous athletes who have succumbed to their addictions.

What makes Marinovich's story original is the rise that led to his fall. He was a great young football player, but he never really had a choice in the matter. His father made his choice for him. And once the choice was made, it simply wasn't going to be undone.

It was therefore a little odd to see Marv Marinovich come off as a sympathetic figure in The Marinovich Project. After long being viewed as a villain, he was portrayed as an odd kind of victim.

However, this does not justify Todd's upbringing. Nor should it. This is because, given the reality of the situation, Todd did not fail as a football player. He failed as an experiment.

Todd may have been the first of his kind, but you honestly have to wonder and fear if he will be the last. America has an obsession with football that is oftentimes quite unhealthy, and it's no secret that some circles place tremendous pressure on youth football players to succeed. In these circles, youth football is not supposed to be fun.

It is therefore no accident that we have something like The Marinovich Project. Sooner or later, a man with a twisted ambition was going to get it in his mind to build a Robo QB, and at no point was he going to bother to ask whether or not he was doing something wrong.

Todd Marinovich's story is definitive proof that such an ambition is indeed wrong. In addition, The Marinovich Project is definitive proof is that what Marv did is dangerous.

Just like several other ESPN documentaries, The Marinovich Project is a cautionary tale. Now that the story has been told, we can only hope that another like it will never have to be told. 

We can only hope that the Robo QB will remain one of a kind.