E039 | The Blind Side (2009) – Adoption at the Movies When the summer heat burns itself out, kids head back to school, and a hint of fall breeze rustles the trees, one thing becomes clear: football season is upon us. And while Hollywood has made many a football movie, there is one that scores bigger with audience than all the rest. 2009's The Blind Side follows the story of Michael Oher, a once-homeless Memphis teen who, with the help of a community of people throughout his young life, works his way to the NFL. The film is the highest grossing football film and sports drama of all time (unadjusted for inflation) and, as of late, the subject of controversy, all of which we get into in this very special episode of Adoption Pop! Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer live from Kristal's home in Canada (isn't that where all the good stuff is filmed?) as we take a close look at this Oscar winning film and the real people behind it. The Blind Side was written and directed by John Lee Hancock. It is based on the 2006 book, The Blind Side, by Michael Lewis. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on September 2, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: Little Giants is a 1994 film starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill in which "misfits form their own opposing team to an elite peewee football team, coached by the elite team coach's brother," according to IMDb. For the uninitiated, "D1," or Division 1, are those US colleges and universities competing in athletics at the highest level, and represents the most direct path to professional sports for student athletes. You can read more about segregation academies here. In this episode, Sullivan takes issue with the portrayal of Michael Oher as an implicitly dangerous big, Black man in the book and movie. She wishes she had been more explicit in her explanation of why this is so problematic. The supposed "threat" Black men and boys pose to white women has for centuries been used as justification for their murder, mutilation, torture, and lynching. Michael Lewis, as a white American, knows this. To lean into descriptions of Michael Oher that imply he is a threat to white women is to court violence against him, and against all Black men and boys. This was true in plantation days. It was true in the early aughts when Michael attended Briarcrest and Ole Miss. And it was true at the time we recorded this episode. It is still true. During the discussion, Sullivan says that Sean Touhy and The Blind Side author Michael Lewis were college roommates. They were not college roommates, but rather, childhood friends. I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond by Michael Oher with Don Yaeger Steve Almond, "The back and forth over 'The Blind Side' misses the big picture. So did Michael Lewis," L.A. Times (August 17, 2023) Michael Sokolove, "The Blind Side Made Him Famous. But He Has a Different Story to Tell," New York Times Magazine (August 18, 2024) In re Michael Jerome Williams, Jr. filed in the Probate Court of Shelby County, Tennessee August 14, 2023 Ree Hines, "Sandra Bullock opens up about the challenges of being a white mom raising Black children," Today (December 1, 2021) Emma Banks, "All About Sandra Bullock's 2 Kids, Louis and Laila: She 'Couldn't Be More Proud,'" InStyle (August 19, 2025) Box Office Mojo, "Football Movies at the Box Office" and "Sports Drama Movies at the Box Office." The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram.
