Fight, Team, Fight

I didn't like this episode. I thought the football coach was stubborn and selfish, especially when he refused to take Albert out of the game after Albert told him that he was hurting. Albert was lucky his injuries didn't become more serious! I also didn't like the way Mr. Ellerbee treated his son. it just wasn't fair to ignore the fact that his son clearly was not interested in football, and it's wasn't nice to tell his son he had to be successful at football if the son wanted his father to be proud of him.

Not one of my favorite episodes. I'm a big football fan, but this episode is probably anachronistic, as I don't think football had spread that far west by this time. Also, a town as small as Walnut Grove probably wouldn't have enough boys to field a team.

I didn't like Ellerbee at all. What a selfish, self-absorbed, man! I felt so bad for his son and for Albert...had psychotherapy been around back then, I think Mr. Ellerbee would have been a good candidate.

Not my favorite episode either. I didn't like Mr. Ellerbree either. His idea is to win no matter what. That's what alot of people think, of now these days. Just win win. They don't think have fun, doing your best.

I hated this episode!

I dislike this episode. Seeing this one a few times is enough for me. I find this beyond boring.

Not the best episode.....Pa should have taken Albert out of the game sooner

Mr.Ellerbee was obsessed with football and obsessed with his team winning. He put Albert's life in danger by refusing to get Albert out of the game.

I saw this yesterday....a bit too much football for me, but maybe it appealed to people who like playing sports or remember a couch like that.

There are people like that, they get obsessed, but he did seem a bit over the top.

I don't like it that Mr.Ellerbee endangered Albert's life by refusing to take him out of the game. Albert is lucky he didn't puncture a lung when he suffered some broken ribs.

Everytime I watch the episode, I feel sorry for Mr. Ellerbee's son. He hated football and his father made him play and said he's too weak and needs to toughen up. Mr. Ellerbee put all the boys in danger making them play too hard and making them think that only winning counts. I wouldn't be surprised if his wife left him. But we will never know since they were never seen again.

Yes! But I'M sure in real life people are obsessed with sports like this.

All the football bored me, although I like the overall concept of the show, especially in regards to Coach Ellerbee's relationship with his own son, Dan. I seem to be in the minority of liking the concept of the show.....remember, I'm not saying I like Mr. Ellerbee; but I think that this show is to make a point about sons wanting so badly to make their fathers proud that they will do something they hate and that hurts them in order to try to make their dads proud. We're not supposed to "like" Mr. Ellerbee - that's one of the points of the show, to show him as an unlikable character obsessed with football. You can see that Charles and Caroline don't really like him even when they are invited to his lovely house to eat. I suspect they did like his wife, but she probably can't get a word in edgewise since I think Mr. Ellerbee probably talked about football throughout the whole dinner.

I think they should have filmed the scene where Mr. Ellerbee went home to talk to Dan. I would have rather cut out some of the football scenes and been able to watch there be a father/son reconciliation. I would have loved to see Mr. Ellerbee tell his son he was proud of him. I think then that viewers would come away liking this episode more than they did.

I was also surprised to learn that Nels went to Princeton!