The show “All American” encapsulates the life of African American high school football player, Spencer James. “All American” takes place in a city near Los Angeles called Crenshaw, which is a poorer, more dangerous area of town. Just a few cities over is Beverly Hills, which is one of the richest cities in Southern California. The show starts off with the football coach of Beverly High School coming to recruit Spencer to play for their team. Spencer then moves in with the coach and the coach’s family so he can transfer there. One of the main themes of the show is the cultural differences that are represented between rich and poor. It shows how socioeconomic status can greatly influence the way a person behaves and who they interact with. Another big issue that is presented in “All American” is race. It is obvious that race is a factor of one’s financial situation, as Spencer’s hometown, which is poor, is primarily black, but the city which he moves to, that is very wealthy, is made up by mostly white citizens.
One of the other important characters to be analyzed is Spencer’s teammate, Asher. Asher grew up very differently from Spencer, as he has lived in a rich town his entire life. He puts himself on a pedastal compared to Spencer, one, because he is rich, and two, because he is white. However, later in the show it is revealed that Asher’s family went bankrupt, since his mom left and his dad was a drug abuser. He continued with his impression of being better than his peers because he thought he had to maintain his reputation of being rich, since most people at the school who go there are rich. It makes Spencer the ‘Other’ in the show, because he does not fit in compared to his classmates and teammates. He is not in the upper class, and is also African American, which makes him a minority in his school.
source for picture: https://gizmostory.com/all-american-season-4-expected-release-date-new-cast-plot-and-trailer/