I was ten-year-old when my parents signed me up to play on the town’s Little League team. I can recall spending my Spring, Summer and Fall days on the field as I proudly carried my purple, aluminum bat and my hot pink helmet. As I grew with the sport, softball began to teach me lessons that were beyond the physical – teamwork, dedication, commitment and the reality that you don’t always win. I progressed to playing at the High School level and eventually in the NCAA at Rhode Island College. I am still so proud of my athletic achievements and know it had a major role in shaping my personality.
I remember heading to the movies with my father to see A League of Their Own in the Summer of 1992. I felt it was only fitting to watch it with my dad as he was my softball coach and trainer for so many years. I can still recall my first reaction when I watched Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell play in skirts. It didn’t make any sense to me. I was a 19-years old female athlete, and that's when I began to process the feminist perspective of the movie’s theme.
Sure, in the movie, women got to play baseball, a sport that was typically suited for men, but only because there was a shortage of male athletes during WWII. The film focused on women who defied gender norms by not only playing the sport, but performing male-stereotype actions, like sliding in dirt, spitting and arguing on the field. In contrast, the movie also showcased these female athletes in “charm school” to maintain their femininity.
One of the most popular lines in the movie is when character Evelyn Gardner starts to cry and the team manager, Jimmy Dugan yells in her face, “Are you crying? There’s no crying! There’s no crying in baseball”. This line is a perfect example of feminist preferred criticism and shows how women are portrayed and reflective of their roles in society.
I am blessed with a daughter that has followed in my footsteps and is also a college softball player. For many years, I was her Little League coach and taught her and her friends the fundamental skills of the game. I can remember warming up our team before a tournament and the opposing male coach watched me throw a ball in from the outfield. He walked by me and said, “wow, you have a heck of an arm for a woman”. I looked right in his eyes and told him, “wait until you see me hit!”
To my fellow female athletes…tell me…when were you challenged on the field or on the court by a male who didn’t expect you to be as talented as you are?
In Jodi Duclos blog titled “Yes, I throw like a girl....and I'm proud of that!” she shared her own experience as a soft-ball athlete to A League of Their Own and what could be termed by some as sexist remarks. I loved her retort when a man told her she had a good throw “for a woman” and her response “Wait until you see me hit!” What a positive come-back showing how capable she is and without taking or giving offense. Good job Jodi. Way to represent women skill and potential.
ReplyDeleteI loved the movie A League of Their Own and was delighted to see movies coming out when I was younger, where women were courageous and brave enough to step into a male-dominated society and gender-restricted “roles” to show how capable and qualified females are (or can be) if given the opportunity.
Jodi asked, “When were you challenged on the field or on the court by a male who didn’t expect you to be as talented as you are?” Rather than answering that directly, I’d like to use a play on words and focus on the battlefield of life. Sadly, my husband holds to the very male-centric views of hegemony - in every way, shape and form. He thinks women entering the workforce was the downfall of our nation and way of life. And he very much follows the male dominated patriarchal viewpoint of “men are the boss and women don’t belong in leadership, government, etc. and instead should submit to whatever the man/head says and be silent.” He once told me that “You can have an opinion when I tell you what your opinion will be.” I laughed my head off right to his face! Being a well educated, outspoken, and confident woman, I don’t take crap like that lying down and my home (or marriage) can become its own site of struggle or “battlefield” and “court” (more like “court of appeals” than a tennis court, as I try to appeal to his better nature - LOL). A woman of valor can only take that kind of oppression and unrighteous dominion for so long before they have to “rebel” and take a stand (yes, a divorce is in the works.)
While I do believe there needs to be leaders and people who can take charge, make the decisions, and get the job done, I don’t believe it always needs to be the men. To me it should be a “mutual consent” and “joint” decision making venture. I am what Sellman (2018) would call a traditional feminism, meaning I do not support the idea that women don’t need men and can do everything on their own, or that women should be domineering, masculine, aggressive, and oppressive like many men are to get ahead. Rather, I believe that women are competent, capable, and natural leaders and should use their God-given gifts and nurturing nature to heal, unify, teach, lead, create, and beautify the world. I firmly believe typical feminine qualities should be valued, respected, and rewarded as much as the typical masculine traits are. I don’t believe men are “superior” and women “inferior,” nor that women should dominate and men should be subordinate. I believe they should both be treated respectfully and given equal opportunity while using their unique gifts and abilities to shine while also blessing and supporting those around them to reach their potential. The unique differences between male and female are God-design and nature (and even evolution) supported.
References
Sellnow, D. (2018). Marxist perspectives. In The rhetorical power of popular culture: Considering mediated texts (4th ed., pp. 115–138). Sage Publications.
I was a student athlete who really didn't face any gender equality mishaps but I love movies that showcases what can happen. Stick it is one of my favorite movies because it taught me life lessons as a pre-teen. Hidden figures and For Colored women are great examples of non-sport movies that provides strong black female leads. Seeing things you can relate to always brings a smile to your face. Being able to see how history was carried out is always an enlightened moment.
ReplyDeleteI cannot answer your question as I am a male, and I also never had the fortune of being able to participate in sports (parents divorced when I was young). That being said, I am an avid baseball fan and this is one of my favorite baseball movies.
ReplyDeleteSure, the acting is great, and the move makes you feel good about the power of one's skill and passion to go places in life, but I think what really resonated with me was the concept of women working hard to shatter gender stereotypes and be successful in areas where they were previously shut out of, baseball being the example in this case.
I think the reason this resonated for me is because I was raised by a single mother that did exactly that in the corporate world, despite experiencing constant undermining and harassment from the old guard. She showed me that the core tenets of success are the ability to work hard and be passionate about your mission. Such tenets transcend ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, and of course gender.
Unfortunately, the gender issues addressed in this particular movie are still common to this day, and extend to most sports women participate in that are also contested by men. Soccer, basketball, and hockey are examples. Fortunately, women's soccer and hockey are gaining major traction in this country, and I see major inroads being made to bridge the gap between what women can do in sports versus what they've been told they can't do for generations.