A College football documentary premieres on Netflix, leaving out one Southeastern Conference team. Discover the reasons behind their omission.
Georgia Bulldogs, along with several other prestigious college football programmes, have chosen not to participate in the upcoming Netflix documentary series, SEC Football: Any Given Saturday. The series, which is set to debut on Tuesday, Aug. 5, will offer deep access to some of the most successful teams in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), excluding Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Texas.
Produced by Box to Box Films, the team behind the popular Formula 1 series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive," the documentary promises "unfiltered access" to coaches and players of the participating teams. However, the University of Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Texas have decided to maintain their privacy and control over their program’s portrayal.
While specific reasons from Georgia were not explicitly stated, other teams like Ole Miss, whose coach Lane Kiffin publicly expressed disinterest, cited a desire to keep certain aspects of team life private and skepticism about the authenticity of camera access, describing it as "phony." It is likely that Georgia's decision was for similar reasons.
Kirby Smart, head coach of the University of Georgia, has a philosophy of maintaining strict focus and controlling team information. This approach is exemplified by his statement after defeating Texas: "We didn't come here to take pictures. Our intent was to eat."
Interestingly, last fall, On3 media reported that Smart used the concept of a Netflix documentary as a motivational tool during a practice session. The success of the Formula One series in increasing the popularity of the sport has led SEC officials to hope for similar results with the new documentary.
The docuseries, titled SEC Football: Any Given Saturday, features the following teams: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Despite Georgia's absence, football fans worldwide are eagerly awaiting the debut of this exciting new series.
Despite Georgia's decision to keep their program private and control its portrayal, other teams like Ole Miss have expressed concerns about the authenticity of camera access, describing it as "phony." Kirby Smart, head coach of the University of Georgia, has a philosophy of maintaining strict focus and controlling team information, as shown by his quote, "We didn't come here to take pictures. Our intent was to eat."
