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The story of a football team fighting the effects of the opioid crisis in Ohio.
The documentary film “‘Til the Wheels Fall Off” tells the story of a semi-pro football team, The Portsmouth Stealth, many of whose players share a common history with the opioid crisis in Portsmouth, Ohio. The team offers them purpose, spirit, and connection. The showing is free and open to the public.
The “Stealth” serves as a surrogate family for players, coaches, and owners. It was started by Jojo Parker, a former star running back for Portsmouth High School. After recovering from opioid misuse, Parker found himself back in his hometown and worried about how he would get on with life. He started a semi-pro football team and channeled his energy into creating a community centered on football. The film follows this team through its 2018 season.
Parker provides a space for people like Corey Carver—people who have felt the effects of the opioid crisis in their own lives and in their own homes. Carver takes care of his younger siblings and has come to the team for the kind of emotional support he never got in his family. “It’s a good organization to be in, for me,” Carver says, because of the support and connection, it brings to his life.
Emily Owens is a co-owner of the team, and, as a nurse, serves as the team’s trainer. She says that in a community like Portsmouth, “just about everyone is affected” by the opioid crisis daily. She also sees how being on this team can have a positive effect on people: “There are people that come to play here that leave everything they have, they have so many problems, and when they walk on that field it’s like they’re cleansed of them. It’s like they’re gone.”
“‘Til the Wheels Fall Off” is based on an article, “This Storied Football Town in Ohio Is Looking to Revitalize Its Stadium—and Fight the Opioid Epidemic,” by Jack Shuler, associate professor of English at Denison, and director of the Narrative Journalism program. The article was published in “100 Days in Appalachia.”
The film was produced by Shuler. It was directed and edited by Doug Swift, creative director of Wild Iris Videos, and visiting professor at Denison University.