Netflixs Sign Stealer Is a One-Sided Story

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Netflixs Sign Stealer Is a One-Sided Story

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  • Connor Stalions and the Michigan Sign Stealing Scandal, Explained

As a seasoned cinephile with a penchant for sports documentaries and an unwavering commitment to objective storytelling, I must say that Netflix’s latest offering, “Untold: Sign Stealer,” falls woefully short of the mark. The documentary, in its attempt to tell the tale of the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, has instead become a one-sided plea from Connor Stalions, the primary suspect in this sordid affair.

As the Michigan Wolverines suffered their inaugural loss of the 2024 college football season on September 7, the ghostly remnants of the university’s 2023 sign-stealing scandal persistently linger over the athletic department. The focus of Netflix’s latest sports docuseries installment, Untold: Sign Stealer, the network missed an opportunity to craft a truthful and impartial account of events surrounding Michigan’s 2023 football season, concluding in an unbeaten win-loss record and a National Championship.

Instead of presenting a balanced account of events, the Netflix documentary “Sign Stealer” appears to primarily focus on Connor Stallions, the central figure in the Michigan football team’s cheating scandal alleging play call and signal theft. This bias makes it one of Netflix’s less captivating sports documentaries, as it neglects to provide a comprehensive view by omitting crucial details that would otherwise tarnish Stallions’ image. At their core, documentaries aim to deliver unbiased information, but “Sign Stealer” seems more like a biased argument in favor of Stallions, who defends his actions with an audacious disregard for the facts.

Connor Stalions and the Michigan Sign Stealing Scandal, Explained

Netflixs Sign Stealer Is a One-Sided Story

2023 saw the NCAA initiate a probe into accusations that members of the University of Michigan’s football team staff were covertly swiping signs from rival teams and coaches. The primary suspect in this scandal is Connor Stalions, an assistant who reportedly attended over 30 games across 11 Big 10 universities over a three-year period without any official ticket or pass. In November 2023, Stalions was implicated in a sign-stealing scheme and subsequently stepped down from his position. The alleged tactics employed by Stalions involved sending lesser staff members as spies to gather information on opposing college football teams, and deliberately stealing their play strategies.

In 2024, during an ongoing investigation, it was discovered that I, as an ardent supporter, had attended several games between Michigan rivals. This revelation stirred speculation of potential additional unlawful activities. According to Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports and a proud alum of the University of Michigan, Stalions admitted to attending the 2023 game between Michigan State University and Central Michigan University. However, it’s important to clarify that Stalions was not merely a spectator in the stands. Instead, he was reportedly on the sidelines illegally, scrutinizing both teams closely, aiming to gather crucial insights about their strategic play-calling tactics.

In the documentary, the Stalions stated that he doesn’t remember if he was present at the MSU/CMU game, which adds to doubts about his reliability and potentially compromises the neutrality of the film.

Untold: Sign Stealer Is Not Objective

Netflixs Sign Stealer Is a One-Sided Story

Although Stalions has faced significant damage to his public image, he continues to assert his innocence against the one-sided Netflix documentary that many perceive as biased. Interestingly, Brad Beckworth, Stalions’s attorney, portrays his client as the principal victim in this scandal, alleging a hack and data breach. Beckworth commented, “If these claims are true, it constitutes a violation of civil law and potentially a more serious crime.” However, labeling Stallions as the victim seems misleading at the very least and questionably impartial.

While being hacked might be a bigger crime than stealing signals to gain a competitive advantage in a sport where betting is imperative, Sign Stealer remains remarkably one-sided in its factual presentation. The so-called objective documentary gives Stalions the spotlight to defend himself in the court of public opinion without letting his detractors and accusers get their say. It’s more of a subjective confessional, not a true sports document, that fails to include other key figures in the scandal, like Coach Jim Harbaugh, who conveniently left the University of Michigan (his alma mater) for the NFL after going undefeated and winning the National title in 2023.

Although the NCAA found zero ties between Harbaugh and Stalions’s behavior, it would have been more responsible for the documentary to include more of the key principals involved in the scandal. As it is, Sign Stealer completely drops the ball by allowing Stalions to give unchecked testimony that disregards the other side of the story. Beyond Harbaugh’s glaring absence, alleged sign-stealing coaches Dennard Robinson and Chris Partridge are not on hand to give their recollections. More biased yet, opposing universities and the main accusers are largely omitted altogether. As a result, Sign Stealer feels like the least convincing episode of Untold thus far, failing to paint the full scope of the scandal that continues to be investigated. Untold: Sign Stealer is available to stream on Netflix.

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2024-09-11 03:01