While ESPN has put its PR muscle behind the "Nine for IX" documentary series this summer, with documentaries about Venus Williams and locker room access for women's sports writers, it's strongest installment so far has been "Pat XO," about former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.
At the same time, the strongest minute-by-minute film -- especially so because it lasts only about 16 minutes -- is "Coach," the documentary short about Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer.
It could clearly be developed into more, and that it's not is somewhat of a shame. Still, it's worth watching, and it's the kind of bite-sized segment that packs a lot of punch into a comparatively little piece.
So much information in such a short time does leave some -- much in some cases -- underdeveloped. As a result, the work of director Bess Kargman and executive producer Whoopi Goldberg feels incomplete and little rushed.
Still, the film works. "Coach" just has so much going for it -- and so much of a chance to connect with a wider audience than several other films in the series -- that it's a shame it almost gets lost online, that it has not gotten the PR push of other films in the series and that it's not a deeper and longer.
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