Independent Lens

No one in my family has ever been to college. You know, they've gotten close... but they've, uh, messed up, and... I don't want to be like that. That's Mike

Indistinct

and them. Hey, go up to Katie's room. Go to Katie's room right now. I'm gonna go grab

Indistinct

and them. All right. Football. By far, it's football. Hey, for--hey, listen.

Speaking foreign language

And then you...

Chanting

And then go slowly. Flex your muscles and go down. Uh! Ah!

Laughter

Speaking foreign language

That means, like, get ready for battle. It's time. And then everyone gets up and just goes, vroom!

Chanting in foreign language

Some face this way, forward, and that way.

Player

I know. It's cool. Yeah, but try learning it first so you-- because you don't really look that good.

Shouting in foreign language

Chanting in foreign language

Shouts in foreign language

Chant

Laughter and cheering

Player

Say it!

Man

It doesn't matter where I grew up, where I'm from, how much money my Mom and Dad have. All that...goes out the window. One thing matters on this team. It's the guy next to me on the right, the guy next to me on the left, and the 65 behind my ass that have my back. Fihi,

voice-over

When I sat down with Coach Benson, he told me the things that I could be in the future and the things that Polynesians struggle with. We have, you know, all the talent in the world, but hardly any of us, like, do good, because we, um-- we're more into, uh, helping out our family. The thing that he told me is, first try to help me out and make me be the best I can be before I can help out my family. At first I didn't like it. I thought he meant, like, you know, turn my back on my family, and I didn't--didn't really like that, but now that I think about it, you know, there's a lot of little brothers and sisters that I have, and if they see me, hopefully they... they want to do better.

Chatter