Fridge / The Replacements (2000)

Fridge Logic

• So, the players go on strike, and scabs have to be hired. Fair enough. Why did the cheerleader captain have to hire a whole new squad of cheerleaders? Did they go on strike to show solidarity with the players?
  • I haven't seen the film in years, so I can't recall if it was covered, but that might actually be exactly what happened. Many times, when one specific area of an industry is on strike then other areas might strike as well in order to show solidarity and support. They might also have been legitimately striking for their own better wages or benefits and coordinated with the players for the timing.
  • A deleted scene from one of the early drafts has it revealed that the cheerleaders (except for Annabelle) are walking out with the players in a show of solidarity.
• I keep racking my brain on why the mafia thugs would have made Nigel miss kicks in this game. In-universe, the Dallas team is supposed to be so much better than the Sentinels, Dallas would probably have been double-digit favorites (which means that whether Washington loses by three, or wins in overtime), Dallas can't cover the spread. Unless it was some sort of over-under bet, which wouldn't have been smart if everybody's betting on Dallas to stomp Washington, or some sort of prop-bet ("Who wants to bet that Nigel chokes on a field goal?"), or maybe they did bet on Dallas to just win, even though it would have been a (bet $200 to win $100) sort of deal.
  • Probably the mafia guys weren't the ones making the bets, they were the ones taking the bets. I.e., they'd have to pay out more if the Sentinels won than if Dallas won.
  • Nigel talks about how he "had the money, but pissed it all away at the track," which implies he's in debt to the mafia. And much like Paul Crewe, the mafia is forcing him to shave points off the game under the threat of taking away his pub.