When you think about sports movies, chances are you think about the underlying theme(s) instead of just focusing on the sport that is involved. That’s because sports movies are much more than just outlining whatever sport the film is about. According to David Firestein in his article, “Fields of Dreams: American Sports Movies,” “There are few, if any, countries in the world in which sports—not a sport but sports in general—permeate national life to the degree that they do in the United States. Sports are part of the very fabric of American life” (Firestein 1). http://www.america.gov/st/artsenglish/2008/June/20080615215701xjyrrep0.7029383.html In today’s society, there are so many people who are or have been linked to sports in some way or another. With that said, everyone has a different connection to sports, but a strong one nonetheless. Since a majority of our society can relate to sports, they are able to connect sports and their experience with sports to specific events or hardships in their own lives.
In chapter 9 of MediaSport, Leah R. Vande Berg quotes, “Smith (1973) explains that modern sports heroes have outstanding physical abilities, sustain excellence year after year, overcome adversities, and display individual flair or charisma” (Vande Berg 138). I feel as though this quote can be connected to sports films in several ways. There are plenty of ways that people can describe sports heroes, and yes, I think that the aforementioned reasons are very valid. Additionally, I think that when comparing that quote as a whole to sports films in general, when people are searching for a sports movie to watch, they are going to be looking for a story that has a ‘hero’ or a theme of overcoming adversity, an athlete or team that have outstanding physical abilities, or being able to sustain excellence year after year. Even though those are some incredibly strong themes, those are just a few minimal themes to choose from among a plethora of sports movies.
In chapter 11 of the Handbook of Sports and Media, R. Glenn Cummins quotes Berman in saying that sport, “speaks very directly to the experience of contemporary America” (p.12), adding, “We simply do not identify with scientists or painters in the way we identify with athletes” (p.13) (Cummins 197). There are not many sports movies that are solely about the sport being played at hand, but are about much more than that. In terms of that, I believe that audiences like to see the sports films that contain an underlying theme and that have something much more than the sport involved. They do so because those “stories” appeal to them. Yes, the sport as the main theme may catch their eye at first, but before actually viewing the movie, they want to truly know “what the movie is going to be about.” Our society has a way of identifying with athletes; partially because most of us were one at some point. Sports films tend to focus on struggles that are occurring during the time the film is set in and a lot of people can relate to that since they’ve either learned about those struggles in the past or have lived through something similar to it. It is much easier to identify with athletes instead of scientists or painters because it is more common to be an athlete or grow up being an athlete rather than being an up-and-coming scientist or painter.
Sports films attract different types of viewers because of the sport being played, but also because of what the film ultimately stands for. If you were to look through every sports movie ever made, there are tons of themes that the movies are about and that helps to take the films from just average and boring to a great, feel good movie. Do you think that when fans are picking out a sports film to watch, that they are more focused on the type of sport that is being played, or the underlying themes? And, do you think that sports films are becoming more and more about life’s issues rather than the sport at hand?
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While reading the assignments for this week, one quote really stood out to me. Rachel used the same quote in her lead blog and I thought it spoke to the very basis of what we are reading.
ReplyDeleteShe wrote:
In chapter 11 of the Handbook of Sports and Media, R. Glenn Cummins quotes Berman in saying that sport, “speaks very directly to the experience of contemporary America” (p.12), adding, “We simply do not identify with scientists or painters in the way we identify with athletes” (p.13) (Cummins 197).
I agree with Cummins, but with one hitch. We were almost all brought up on some sort of sports movie. Most of us also participated in some sort of athletic sport -- be it cheerleading, soccer or whatever.
As a child, I played baseball and soccer. I can remember watching movies like "Rookie of the Year," "The Big Green" and "Cool Runnings" with my parents as a child. For those reasons, I feel that is why we're more connected to sports movies than anything else.
Almost everyone can pinpoint a moment in their life, during a sporting event, where they were on cloud nine, or the opposite. It speaks to our own experiences. Not everyone painted beautiful pictures (I still cannot color inside the lines) or played an instrument (four years of piano down the drain). But everyone played some sort of sport.
Even if was just Capture the Flag in gym class, sports have been tied to our lives from the earliest recollection. Sports movies speak to the larger majority than a movie about a painter because it brings it to a level we can understand.
Most people probably couldn't tell you all the rules to football or baseball, but they have a general understanding of what is going on. Not that many people can look at a painting and describe it or explain how a piece of music moved them.
Sports are basic and are understood by the larger majority. That's why movies about sports are so celebrated.
My basketball coach in high school always had some of the best sayings and also some of the best philosophies on life. He once told our team that sports would teach us more about life than anything we could ever learn in the classroom. To save some time for the reader and to save my hand from cramping while trying to explain it I will not go into the great detail. So one might ask how this applies to sports fiction? Well, sports are true to real life and real life makes the best movies.
ReplyDeleteIn the Handbook of Sports and Media, it talks a lot about sports fiction. R. Glenn Cummins writes, "Fictional narratives involving sports have become a popular staple of the modern entertainment landscape." (186) Through the years there have been great fictional sports movies like Rocky, Major League, Rookie of the Year, are just a few to name. They take the essence of sports and using fictional characters and turn it into a good movie.
However, I believe that the best sports movies are the ones that are based on true stories. In my opinion, Rudy is the greatest sports movie of all time. It has all the elements that make a great sports movie and it is also based on a true story. Very few sports movies can bring tears to a person's eyes like this one because as you watch you think about the real person that went though all those trials and tribulations. Other great movies that are based on true stories include Hoosiers and Glory Road.
As I watch sports nowadays I wonder what great stories that will someday be turned into a great sports movie. Could a movie someday be in the works about the Tampa Bay Rays transformation from worst to first or maybe an inspiring tale of Jason McElwain. As long as sports continue in our society, they will continue to inspire great sports movies.
..."We simply do not identify with scientists or painters in the way we identify with athletes" quoted Berman (p. 13)(Cummins 197). This quote puts into perspective the way our society views sports and athletes. Sports heroes and famous sports teams have been the inspiration for many sports films throughout time. However, are these films more based on the sport aspect, or are these movies just using sports as a way to present a good storyline?
ReplyDeleteFor instance "We are Marshall" was based off the 1970 plane crash that nearly killed all of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team. The movie focuses on the crash following the rebuilding of the college team after the deaths of almost all the players. Because college football is extremely popular among the American society, this horrible tragedy was the plot that eventually made the movie a box office hit. Many people can relate to what happened the Marshall football team because society takes the blow when something tragic happens to a team or a player.
"The Babe Ruth Story, "Ruth actually heals the sick on several occasions by his words and deeds" (Tudor, 1997, p. 52)"(Cummins 196). The affect sports heroes have on people is overwhelming. So many individuals rely on sports and athletes to make or break their day. Through sports movies and books, people have the chance to essentially watch these stories play out right in front of them leaving a significant impact.
"A League of Their Own" depicts strong, determined, athletic, independent women who played on a female baseball team. This movie actually focuses on the game, and showed team work, dedication to the game, and support throughout the entire film.
I played tennis throughout middle and high school. "Wimbledon" was the only sports movie that was essentially about tennis which I could relate to. I loved the movie. Maybe it wasn't the all time "best" sports movie, but it was just interesting to see the way my favorite sport was demonstrated on film.
Sports movies seem to cater to all audiences whether you are a sports fan, sports player, coach, or simply just a movie fan. Sports movies give you the adrenalin an actual game would give you, along with underlying themes and stories that go along with it. Essentially you can identify with a sports hero on screen better than you can identify with a superhero like Batman, or Superman.
-Katie Devlin
Sports movies do tend to always have underlying meanings. I think this also speaks to the fundamentals of the movie business though. If the people who made sports movies were only trying to reach the sports-fan audience - they'd be ruling out everyone who didn't have a substantial connection to athletics. Sports movies have to branch out and connect to different ideals and aspects of every day life that the average person can relate to. Of course that's not the only reason sports movies have these underlying meanings. It is also because sports are a reflection of our society. Sports mirror the way we are, the way we function. "the products of Hollywood do mirror the changes of the culture that gives birth to the films." (Dickerson, 1991, pg. 153) Sports are competitive. People are competitive by nature. Sports is about the desire to win, the desire to be the best, the desire to belong to a group of peers. All of this can be found in every day life. Sports is about overcoming obstacles in order to achieve what you want. This is certainly present in the world outside of sports as well. That's why I think people are able to relate to sports movies.
ReplyDeleteFor me, my favorite sports movie (despite being utterly obsessed with baseball to the point of ridiculousness) is Rudy. For those of you who haven't seen it (and you should go watch it immediately) is about a tiny little guy named Daniel "Rudy" Reuttiger who always dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame. he was always told that he wasn't smart enough to get into Notre Dame, but he did. He was told he was too small to make the football team, but he did. he was told that he wasn't good enough to play a single minute of game action - but in the last game of the season, for a few minutes, he did. People can relate to this movie even if they've never watched the fighting irish play a single game. The story is much deeper than that.
Other sports movies address even larger issues than just individual hardships. A league of their own address such issues as women's equality and roles in society, and how much was expected of women during times of war. Remember the Titans addressed racism, desegregation, tolerance, and how sports was able to bridge the gap between two races. "Critical/cultural scholars who have explored the depths of latent meaning behind sports fiction assert that these narratives are on a whole powerful statements about gender and sexuality, the role of men and women in society, race, changes in culture and society, and countless other topics." (Cummins, 201)
You don't have to play sports to relate to sports movies. You don't even necessarily have to like the sport that they're talking about. Baseball is without a doubt my favorite sport. But I could probably name more football movies I like more than baseball movies (not that there haven't been great ones - For Love of the Game, 61, Pride of the Yankees, League of Their Own, Eight Men Out, etc) The point is, sports movies can reach a much larger audience than people give them credit for. They don't just speak to people who love sports, they speak to anyone who has ever loved anything worth being passionate about.
"In ancient times, the hero, usually a warrior, was a legendary figure who performed brave and noble deeds of great significance, who possessed attributes of great stature such as bravery, strength and steadfastness, and who was thought to be favored by the gods." - Vande Berg, Mediasport, 134
ReplyDeleteSports movies always focus on a hero, a protagonist, someone that you follow through the story as they achieve their greatness in one way or another by the end of the film. But is the story really about the sport at all? And why are we so captivated by this hero?
"No other film genre so celebrates the traditional American belief that any person can achieve success through dint of his own efforts." Good, Handbook, 190.
But something we often overlook in sports movies are the imperfections and flaws of the "hero". In many cases, the hero, or protagonist, is truly not a good person. Roy McIvoy, Gordon Bombay, Randy "The Ram" Robinson; these are people with serious issues, and yet by the end of the movie we are behind them 110 percent. Why?
The bottom line is that audiences want a connection. This connection that we strive for helps us find a sense of togetherness, even if it is in misery or sadness. In real life, most people have their shortcomings, whether it be alcohol, how they treat people, etc. Why should our "heroes" be any different? In mythology, many of the heroes had tragic flaws, and we are seeing the same thing mimicked here in modern sports cinema.
Sports are simply the vehicle through which we see these characters. Yes, the movie will draw a specific audience because it is based around sports, but the same story could truly be told in any other genre. In The Wrestler (and yes, I know some people think wrestling isn't truly a sport, myself included, but an argument for another day), Mickey Rourke's character, a washed up wrestler, sees a second chance come his way. But do we root for him because we love wrestling? Or are we more interested in the fact that he is attempting to rekindle his relationship with the daughter he abandoned years ago, or the stripper who he is romantically involved with? Sports are merely secondary at best to the stories here. True, not all sports movies are like this. But the fact remains that even when sports are in the forefront, there's a story about a person, often imperfect and flawed, and that is what the audience is drawn to.
At first I thought not everyone was as tied to sports as we in this class believe them to be, but when I read Andrew V’s post it occurred to me that we were all “forced” to participate in physical education in grade school. I didn’t feel forced because I was an athlete and gym was my favorite part of the day, but I remember some kids hating it as much as I hated cooking class. Anyway, what I mean by this is that as many have previously stated, we all seemed to be exposed to sports at a young age. We didn’t necessarily have to be the captain of the team to understand the sport, and we didn’t really need to play at all to feel what athletes felt. This is due in large part to sports movies.
ReplyDeleteIn the Handbook of Sports and Media Chapter 11 author R. Glenn Cummins reflects on the ability of these movies to make us “laugh, cry and sit on the edge of our seats” as many other movies do (Raney and Bryant 202). These films do not always center entirely on the sport itself, often times a sport takes a back seat to the real issues of contemporary life. The film’s sports heroes essentially “highlight social problems, and they proffer hopeful solutions” keeping us engaged and connected (Wenner 152).
I think when someone is picking out a sports film to watch that it is the underlying themes that ultimately sell it. One of my favorite films of all time is Finding Forrester, a film about a kid from the Bronx who is not only a genius on the basketball court but also has a gifted mind. Although the kid is told that it is his high test-scores that get him sent to a prestigious Manhattan prep school, it is learned that it is his basketball talent that they are really after. Having said that, the movie isn’t really all that much about basketball. This kid befriends an older writer named Forrester and it is more about their journey to help one another overcome their individual obstacles than anything else. That (as well as the acting) is what makes the film so good.
Based on my own preconceived notions, that of others who have commented, and the list of movies in article that you presented, Field of Dreams: American Sports Movies, there is no doubt in my mind that sports films are more about life’s issues than anything else. The article mentioned how successfully sports permeate American society, so much in fact that on any given day you may hear someone utter a sports metaphor for something completely unrelated to sports. For as long as there are gifted athletes with marketable stories I believe sports films will be here to stay.
-Alison Dolan
I definitely agree with all those who said that sports are many times what draw people to the theaters but then the main storyline focuses on a historical event or the development of the protagonist. This is the case for two of my favorite sports movies, "Remember the Titans" and "We are Marshall" where in each football is only a backdrop for the main storylines which focus around historical events of the time.
ReplyDeleteIn these movies the audience connects with these characters, both players and coaches, as they understand their struggles and what they have had to overcome. In the "Handbook of Sports and Media" Raney and Bryant talk about this connection the audience has with characters of sports films in what they call the disposition theory. "The viewer hopes for positive outcomes for characters with whom a favorable disposition has been formed and negative outcomes for those with whom an unfavorable disposition has been formed" (198). It is human nature and a great appeal for many Americans to cheer on the underdog and I always find myself attaching myself to one character and hoping they will succeed throughout the movie.
Sports in general can teach us many lessons about life and I believe this is another reason why sports films have become so popular. Sports can demonstrate the universal values of teamwork and cooperation to achieve a common goal, hard work and determination as well as the ability to overcome adversity. Many sports films contain some or all of these aspects but people still flock to see them because each story is unique with a different set of characters.
Finally sports films are for the most part very inspirational and motivating. Everyone loves a movie that can inspire us and I am no different. One thing you can takt to the bank is that you will leave the theater with a good feeling.
I think that sports films relate more to the underlying themes then they do to the actual sport. Personally, I would not want to watch a movie if was strictly about the sport without adding more human issues to the storyline. If that’s what I wanted I could just turn on the television and watch a game.
ReplyDeleteAlso with movies it is harder to capture sports action by simply recreating plays (especially if the movie is based of the real game). There is not the same feel to that action, so I feel like they place less of an emphasis on it.
I don’t think sports films are becoming more about life issues, I think that they have always been like that. Take a look back at movies like The Sand Pit and older movies. When it comes down to it, it has always been about the human struggle and interpersonal relationships and that is why we value these movies so much. If people just want the sports action then they will go watch a real game.
Chapter 11 of the handbook states; “If our emotions are to be involved in winning or losing, we need to give a hoot about the individual who’s sweating glycerin and gnawing his lip and panting like the athlete that he isn’t” 197. A good sports movie has to capture a person’s emotions; just good sports action will not satisfy the needs of a movie viewer. Liking the sport that’s in that movie will only keep a viewer occupied for so long, they need more then just the love of that sport.
Vande Berg references Klapp in Chapter 9, “The Sports Hero Meets Mediated Celebrityhood,” saying that he identified “three social types, or shared role models in American society- heroes, villains, and fools,” as well as “five types of heroes: winners, splendid performers, independent spirits, heroes of social acceptability, and group servants (1962, pp. 27-28)” (Vande Berg 135). How do these types not sound like the basis for every sports movie ever made?
ReplyDeleteSports movies absolutely model American society, or even just human society, in almost every circumstance. “Heroes, villains, and fools” could even suffice as another title for Sportscenter. But we love sports movies, as someone said already, because they model real life in such a tangible way. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sport that you don’t know or like, if the story behind it is good, people will watch it. Even I watched “Miracle” for crying out loud, and let’s just say it wasn’t because I love hockey. The theme (aka: dreams come true! Thanks Disney…), the historical significance, and the competition just drew me in. The sports issue in that movie wasn’t lost, it was the thread that kept the story moving forward, which is a good thing.
As far as sports movies today, I’m not sure if they are just becoming thematic pieces or not. I think it is maybe more of what people want to see, but there are storylines behind everyday sporting events, too. I think it’s just art imitating life.
Sports films help us relive our playing days and also cater to our imagination of what could have been. Sporting competition is an integral part of all society's around the world. They are used as an escape from stress and bring about excitement, its such a great feeling when you get the oppurutnity to step on the plating field.
ReplyDeleteMovies such as 'Rudy' & 'Sandlot' stick out in my mind more than any other because of the stories inside and the way they were portrayed on screen. On page 200 of the Handbook, "Guttmann suggested that spectators' facsination with some types of athletic competition satisfies a sadomasochistic desire within the viewer."
'The Sandlot' is a fictional piece that explores every boy's childhood. Playing ball with your best buddies everyday during the summer. Growing up together and then watching everyone venture off and go their own way. It's moving to me because I can bring up so many instances of my childhood and present status that parrallel what occuered in the movie. The movie was about sports but even more about life and how to deal with obstacles that arise.
'Rudy" is just a classic and that is all I need to say. The first time I saw the movie, I cried! I strived to be so much like him butI did not have the will and determination that he held. IT was so nice to see the underdog make it big time then get to step on the field and to actually make a play in his only action on field.