en the quarterback refuses to listen and enters the playoffs, an opponent knocks him to the ground, and for a few minutes, it seems that he might really die. Instead, he opens his eyes, and the audience cheers as the doctors take him off the field in a stretcher for the last time. In this scene, the director downplays the ridiculous risk that this man takes by playing again, and fails to criticize the barbaric actions of both teams. His near death experience is quickly brushed off, and the quarterback is deemed a hero. To further emphasize the heroic qualities of the players, Stone gives the Sharks' opposing teams names like the Warriors and the Knights. He also elaborates on this concept of classical heroism in football in an important scene, where Coach Tony D'Amato and rookie quarterback Willy Beamen have a private conversation about team ethics at Tony's house. The discussion progresses into a heated argument while the chariot races from Ben-Hur play on a television in the background. Scenes from Tony and Willy's argument overlap with close-ups of the struggle on screen, creating obvious parallels between the classic heroes of the chariot races to the battling "heroes" of football. Clearly, "Any Given Sunday" romanticizes the role of football players as classical heroes, who are willing to sacrifice themselves on the football field, not unlike soldiers on the battlef
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