Thanks, You're Fired

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In today’s edition…

They were a ragtag group of bartenders and gym teachers.

Everyone laughed until they humiliated future Hall of Famers on national TV.

But after pulling off the impossible, the suits upstairs said:

"Thanks. You're fired."

Let’s dive in 👇

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The Incredible True Story That Inspired the Movie The Replacements

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Do you remember The Replacements?

The one where Keanu Reeves cleans boat hulls to the tune of Lit’s “Zip-Loc”. And then suddenly, the (fictional) professional football league’s player association goes on strike.

And then Gene Hackman recruits Keanu and a band of rag-tag replacement players to play for the Washington Sentinels.

Keanu comes out of early retirement after a shaky performance in the Sugar Bowl. And, together, he and his lush, flowing black hair lead the team of replacements to victory.

There’s that one scene where the offensive lineman ate too many hard-boiled eggs and throws up in the huddle.

And the other one where they come together as a team and sing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” in a jail cell. Keanu even falls in love with a cheerleader.

So, do you remember it? Do you remember The Replacements? 

You do, and you loved it. Even if you’re afraid to admit it.

Though The Replacements doesn’t have a title card claiming it’s based on a true story, it takes obvious inspiration from real events.

The Replacements was inspired by true events.

This is a more niche category of films: the sports movies that don’t try to mirror history with unrelenting detail.

Rather, these films aim to capture the spirit of a moment.

Some of these have been cemented as unadulterated sports film classics.

Like Rocky (1976).

Before he created Rocky, Sylvester Stallone had $106 in his bank account. After watching the 1975 heavyweight fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner in 1975, he was inspired to write the film to capture the spirit of that moment. An underdog like Wepner, going 15 rounds with Ali. Taking an absolute beating all the while.

Or A League of Their Own (1992), which portrayed very fictional characters in the very real All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).

A league that was formed in 1943 to keep baseball in the public eye while many male players were serving in World War II.

People expect far less historical accuracy from these sorts of films.

Rightly so, they’re less intent on uncovering the “wrong” parts of films that don’t try to convince viewers they’re watching documentaries.

It almost makes for a more relaxing watch. No obsessing about what’s true and what’s not.

And as you can see, the true stories that lie underneath these films are often striking.

I’m not here to tell you that The Replacements belongs in the same conversation as Rocky or A League of Their Own. 

But perhaps what does belong in the same conversation is the story the film was inspired by.

It’s 1987, and the NFLPA is going on strike.

In 1987, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) went on strike after the season's second week. The central conflict: free agency.

Players wanted the right to free agency. To negotiate with any team after their contract expired. Better pension, benefits, and severance.

They wanted these things in place of a free agency system that undervalued talent and reduced player movement.

The league’s owners staunchly opposed the NFLPA’s demands, arguing that ceding ground on these issues would throw off competitive balance and make labor costs unaffordable.

The owners responded to the NFLPA’s demands by cancelling one week of games. And then forging ahead with teams of replacement players, derisively known as "scabs."

As the only team with no players crossing the picket line, the Washington Redskins, led by Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, assembled one of the most memorable replacement squads in the league.

Despite lacking the star power of a smoky Keanu Reeves (I said it, but you were thinking it), the real-life replacements were remarkable.

Washington’s rag-tag team of underdogs.

While the movie shows the replacements playing the final four games of the season, the real strike only lasted 24 days, through three weeks early in the season.

The men who suited up for Washington were a true collection of underdogs, pulled from all walks of life for one last shot at glory. A few notable players from the list:

• Anthony Allen (WR): A former USFL player, Allen had been cut by the Atlanta Falcons during the final roster trim in the summer of 1987. He was a free agent, chasing another NFL opportunity when the strike hit.

• Ed Rubbert (QB): After a standout college career at the University of Louisville, Rubbert went undrafted. When Washington called, he was working as a bartender in New York.

• Tony Robinson (QB): A former star at the University of Tennessee, Robinson's career was derailed by a knee injury and legal troubles. After serving time, he was playing semi-pro ball for the Richmond Ravens, trying to rebuild his career when the opportunity arose.

• Willard Scissum (T/G): An undrafted player out of Alabama, Scissum had bounced around the Canadian Football League and was working non-football jobs before being recruited by Washington.

Most of the other players — like center John Cowne, linebacker Tony Settles, and center Eric Coyle — were a mix of free agents, former CFL or USFL players, or men holding down everyday jobs as teachers or industrial workers before getting the call.

Defying the odds and leaving their mark.

After answering the call, the Washington Redskins replacement team outperformed any expectations a rational person might have had for them.

The odds became even more stacked against them as notable players on opposing teams, like the defending champion Giants, began crossing the picket line and returning to the field.

Week 4: They beat the St. Louis Cardinals 28-21.

Week 5: They crushed the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, who had many of their own stars cross the picket line, by a score of 38-12.

Week 6: In a climactic Monday Night Football showdown, the all-replacement Redskins faced the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys' roster was stacked with regulars who had crossed the picket line, including Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett and Randy White. Against all odds, Washington won 13-7.

It was a stunning run for the replacement squad of the Washington Redskins, but the strike abruptly concluded after Week 6.

Life after the strike.

When the strike ended, the fairy tale was over for most of the replacement players. With their improbable 3-0 run complete, they were thanked — and promptly fired.

The whole thing was rather unceremonious.

The regular Redskins squad, with quarterback Doug Williams at the helm, returned to find their team sitting in first place and went on to win Super Bowl XXII, thrashing the Denver Broncos 42-10.

Most of the players who earned those three critical early-season victories — helping to secure a high seed for the Redskins in the playoffs — watched from home. 

A few, like Anthony Allen, remained on the roster and earned a Super Bowl ring at the time.

Some stayed in the league for years, like tight end Craig McEwen. In fact, McEwen went on to play for the San Diego Chargers after his stint in Washington. He was in the NFL the longest of any of the replacements.

The vast majority, however, didn’t stay in the league.

They didn't get playoff shares, and for a long time, they didn't get the ultimate reward for their efforts: a Super Bowl ring.

Years passed, and the replacements felt destined to continue fading away, used and unthanked.

Many returned to their previous lives.

Quarterback Ed Rubbert played for the Albany Firebirds for a few years before becoming a high school coach in New Jersey. Center John Cowne worked in Virginia as a high-school football coach and teacher. Others followed suit.

Finally, in 2018, more than 30 years after their perfect season, the Washington football organization commissioned and awarded Super Bowl rings to the replacement players.

It was a long-overdue acknowledgment that their "guts," as Coach McGinty would say, had earned them a piece of that championship legacy.

The double-feature you didn’t know you needed.

I have an idea for a double feature. Two movies that I hadn’t thought to pair together until now. The perfect films to accompany you and a few cans of your favorite beverage on a Saturday night.

Start with A League of Their Own. Finish with The Replacements. Two stories, both inspired by true events — capturing a sport in the midst of unprecedented turmoil.

No doubt A League of Their Own will be remembered as an all-time great in sports film history. But I fear, perhaps deservedly so, that The Replacements will be forgotten. An underdog in its own right.

You have the power to change that. Watch it again. Remember The Replacements.

Oh, neat.

As a reward for making it to the end of the article, I’ve uncovered two fun facts about The Replacements' production that’ll make you say, “Oh, neat.”

All you need to do is find a repeatable, reliable method of mentioning The Replacements in conversation. A method so discreet your friends won’t suspect any foul play.

Then, you can spout off one of these little diddies, and all of your friends will think you are super smart. They’ll like, really respect you, after they hear you say these things.

• Fact 1: The film was shot at Baltimore's stadium — not in Washington. While the team in the film is from Washington, the movie was primarily filmed in Baltimore, Maryland. The home of the Sentinels was the then-named PSINet Stadium, home of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. In the movie, the stadium was called Nextel Stadium. Today, the venue is known as M&T Bank Stadium.

• Fact 2: Keanu Reeves took a pay cut to secure Gene Hackman. To ensure the legendary Gene Hackman would be cast as coach Jimmy McGinty, Keanu Reeves reportedly agreed to a significant pay cut. Reeves' willingness to reduce his salary made it possible for the production to afford Hackman.

🐶 

Today’s story was written by my friend Blake Levy, who writes Tuesday Night Movie Night – the free newsletter where you get one good movie recommendation every week. It’s become one of my favorite weekly reads. Join here!

Then, check out these related stories 👇

• The True Story Behind The Real Coach Carter

• How an Underpaid Backup QB Broke Barriers & Won The Super Bowl

Thanks for taking the time to read The Underdog Newsletter every Sunday.

I can’t wait to share what I have in store for you this fall!

Til next time,
Tyler

Extra Innings…

🌟 Trivia Answer: B) Bay State Patriots. “The owners throughout the league found [it] unacceptable.” In other words, they hated the abbreviation B.S. Patriots.

👀 In case you missed it: This 59-year-old man decided to play college football, and now his crazy story is coming to a theater near you.

⚽️ Love soccer but don’t know when the big games are? Then start reading Route One Daily. It’s a free newsletter that curates the biggest global soccer stories worldwide each morning – and it takes just 5 minutes to read.

🏈 I found the full broadcast from the ‘87 Washington replacement team’s upset of the Cowboys, and it is glorious.