GLORY ROAD
A redemptive basketball story of courage, teamwork, and hard-won victory.
Should You Watch It?
Here is a sports drama with real heart. Glory Road tells an arduous true story through convincing acting, teamwork, drama, perseverance, and a redemptive message. Its Christian elements are positive and meaningful, including prayer, commendation of church, gospel songs, and the sense that the team’s achievement is possible under God’s sovereignty.
The film also depicts the racial hatred surrounding the team’s success. Families should be prepared for racial slurs, threats, racially motivated violence, drinking, suggestive dancing, and carousing. These concerns matter, but the story’s moral center is strong: doing what is right despite pressure, hardship, and persecution.
If your older children can handle those concerns, Glory Road is worth seeing together. It is a stirring choice for older children and adults.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn 1966, Don Haskins accepts the head coaching position at Texas Western, a college basketball program with little recruiting money and little support. He takes an unconventional approach, recruiting African-American players from cities across the country and building a team that surprises the college basketball establishment.
As the team begins to win, racial hostility grows. Haskins and his players must face pressure and persecution while trying to become champions on the court.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a winner. The story is inspiring, and the acting is convincing. Josh Lucas gives Coach Don Haskins a forceful presence, while Jon Voight is outstanding as Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp.
The film also makes Haskins’ evolution interesting to watch. His initial focus is winning basketball games, but increasing harassment forces him to recognize the broader significance of his decisions. The movie’s delivery exceeds declining Hollywood standards, and its combination of teamwork, drama, heart, and soul makes the story work.
The Worldview
Glory Road strongly emphasizes self-discipline, hard work, self-sacrifice for others, and making moral choices despite persecution or pressure. It commends church, includes a player leading the team in prayer, and uses the gospel spiritual “People Get Ready” as a soul-stirring musical presence. The story presents the team’s victory and its social implications as possible under a sovereign God.
The film’s moral vision aligns with a biblical concern for courage, perseverance, justice, and doing what is right. It also includes a reference to Malcolm X and his Black Muslim movement, along with light pagan and Romantic elements. The movie contains slight revisionist history in its portrayal of Adolph Rupp and other elements of the South; these embellishments are unnecessary to the compelling story and reduce its historical nuance.
At its center, the film argues that faithful perseverance and moral courage can bring good through intense opposition. Scripture likewise encourages believers: “And let us not grow weary of doing good” (Galatians 6:9).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong Christian worldview with elements emphasizing self-discipline, the importance of hard work, self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, making moral choices despite persecution or pressure to do otherwise, plus several positive Christian references, including a basketball team praying prior to a game, several gospel songs played throughout the movie, with slight revisionist history regarding portrayal of Adolph Rupp and other elements of the South, plus light pagan and Romantic elements, and one character speaks briefly of Malcolm X and his distorted Black Muslim movement in a few scenes; twenty very light and often muffled obscenities and no profanities, but a number of racial slurs throughout movie; several cases of racially motivated violence, one in which African-American character is beat up in bathroom and his head is dipped in toilet; kissing and suggestive dancing; upper male nudity throughout, though never in a sexual context; light alcohol abuse in two scenes; and, a large number of sinful actions motivated by racism, including extortion and unkindness.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Haskins chooses to persevere when the program has little money and little support. What helps you keep doing what is right when success seems unlikely?
Galatians 6:9 · James 1:12The team faces racial hatred as its success grows. How should Christians respond to injustice without returning evil for evil?
Micah 6:8 · Romans 12:21The story connects courage and teamwork with sacrifice for others. What does Jesus teach about laying down our lives for one another?
John 15:12–13 · Philippians 2:3–4The film includes prayer and positive references to Christian faith. How can prayer shape the way a team, family, or church faces pressure?
Philippians 4:6–7 · Colossians 4:2The Final Word
Glory Road is a heartfelt, inspiring sports drama with convincing acting and a strong moral center. Its racial slurs, violence, and other mature content call for parental judgment, but older children and adults can find much to admire. WORTH THE TRIP.
