– Director Mike Nicoll
"The Spoils is a navigational blueprint for the millions of players, families, coaches, and educators who pour their lives into the game of basketball."
"The Spoils is for everyone who loves the game - and is concerned about the future of the sport"
– Ken Burns
Legendary Filmmaker
"The Spoils is an important movie to see."
– Law Murray
The New York Times
THE FILM
The truth is: the business has become the game.
THE SPOILS penetrates America’s youth basketball industrial complex, offering valuable strategies to help our audience meaningfully advance their goals.
Our film peels back the layers of corporate influence to paint an honest, foundational portrait of America’s basketball machine: a factory built to identify, anoint & monetize “the Next LeBron.”
As every level of the system becomes professionalized – and a new generation of players is taught to worship branding, social media, and NIL deals – finding clarity inside the chaos is challenging.
THE SPOILS delivers a vital roadmap for solving this daunting landscape.
“I was determined to tell a story that had never been seen before - and reveal the truth about how this hidden world truly operates.“
– Director Mike Nicoll
HOST A SCREENING
Hosting a screening of THE SPOILS is a leadership opportunity for your organization!
These special events can attract new members, inspire meaningful conversations, and be a compelling fundraising tool that helps you achieve your goals.
“I grew up in this system and truly love this game - but I was compelled to make this film because money has compromised American basketball to its core. And with this film, I’m asking: How do we save the soul of the game?”
– Director Mike Nicoll
BOOK A SCREENING
THE EDUCATIONAL PLAY
With the help of our distinguished university partners, we’ve developed an expanded ‘educational version’ of THE SPOILS. The extraordinary cultural response the film has received demonstrates that THE SPOILS will:
- Contribute to high school & college curriculum across the following disciplines:
- Sports Business + Marketing
- Investigative Journalism
- Social & Sports Psychology
- Ethics, Philosophy & American Studies
- Enhance coaching & training programs for organizations that serve players & families from middle school through college.
These resources include a chapter-ized edition of the film, supplemental video content, a virtual toolkit and discussion guides for community screenings.
Our mission is to share essential knowledge with all those whose livelihood is based in the business of sports.
Education License Request
THE CAST
THE SPOILS follows the AAU-to-NBA journeys of America’s premiere talent, including:
The film also features expert commentary from journalists, executives, and insiders, including Sonny Vaccaro, Jay Bilas, Marcus Thompson, Howard Beck, Wosny Lambre, Ethan Strauss, Doug Gottlieb, Dr. Todd Boyd, Todd Ramasar, Book Richardson, Prof. David Hollander, and Warren LeGarie.
THE DIRECTOR
Mike Nicoll is an award-winning filmmaker driven by telling stories that reveal the power dynamics inside American culture, sports and business. He has directed three feature films, and is best known for writing & directing ‘AT ALL COSTS’ – a feature documentary acquired by Netflix – which was hailed by the LA Times as “a modern-day Hoop Dreams”.
Mike has spent over a decade working in the sports media world, producing & directing projects for Nike, 21st Century Fox, Netflix, Facebook, Eleven Sports Network, SLAM Magazine, BallisLife.com and CNBC.
Beyond ‘THE SPOILS’ global release in Summer 2024, Mike is finishing his next feature film – a documentary profiling Bitcoin’s emergence as a vital asset class inside the sports business world (slated for 2025). Mike earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan before landing an M.F.A from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He lives in Seattle with his wife and their two daughters.
REVIEWS
"The Spoils is for everyone who loves the game - and is concerned about the future of the sport"
– Ken Burns, Legendary Filmmaker
"The Spoils is an important movie to see."
– The New York Times | The Athletic
"A fantastic movie! You've got to check it out."
– Chris Broussard, FOX SPORTS
“Parents can learn so much about the AAU ecosystem from The Spoils.”
– National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)
“The Spoils exposes how money has changed youth sports forever. It’s worth your time.”
– Joe Pompliano
“An excellent film that exposes the game behind the game.”
– Mark J. Harris, Academy Award Winning Documentarian
“I was blown away!”
– Jay Williams, ESPN
“A fresh story!”
– USA TODAY
“Unprecedented Access!”
– Sports Illustrated
“A thought-provoking film!”
– MUSE Magazine
“A Legendary Story.”
– The Boardroom
“Compelling storytelling…the implications are profound!”
– Beyond the Fastbreak
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