Women, Sport, and Film Course

1. What is the cultural ideal displayed by the main characters in each film? What norms/ideals of the time, do the characters challenge and expand?

2. What is the relationship between the main characters in the films and their message about women and sport? Has it had an impact on what is happening in women's sport today? How does it effect womne who are not engaged in sport?

3. How does the media - print - video/movie - web - portary women and sport? Is it helpful?

I'm an older student at Smith, (an Ada Comstock Scholar, or "Ada"). My name's Mary and I loved the movie "Love & Basketball" because the film-makers tried to present a complex story on multiple levels. Many of the earlier comments have reflected this.

There was the story of Monica and Quincy -- kid neighbors/athletic rivals/high school crusaders in their chosen sport/then lovers/sparring lovers/spouses.

There was the story of Quincy's doomed family unit and of his role within his own nuclear family and the separate story of Monica's uneasy role within her nuclear family. These contrasted with each other in such an interesting way. Q modeled himself on his dad, eventually to his frustration and bitter disappointment. Monica strove to take the opposite path from her mother & sister and ultimately, you infer, made a comfortable peace with her chosen path in relation to the paths of her mom & sis.

There was the story of each individual, Monica & Q, in relation to her/his own trajectory in organized basketball. Two very different stories. The early, easy path for Quincy in high school & then college. The struggle for Monica in both arenas. Q dropped out of college to turn pro and was injured, all the while experiencing personal turmoil, due to family troubles. Monica sticks with college, then settles for European league basketball, just to keep playing.

Everyone who's commented so far seems a little uncomfortable with the "pat" ending of the story of Monica & Q as reunited lovers. Could real life ever be this neat & tidy? Each of the characters gets exactly what she/he wants? But you do feel happy for these two, nonetheless. The film-makers have done a great job of getting you to like both of the main characters enough to be willing to accept the perfect denouement. The story has moved along at a leisurely pace in order to accomplish this. The scenes with Monica & Q as children, as high school athletes, at the Prom, in college -- all lead slowly and carefully down this road toward a happy resolution. There is even time to quite fully develop most of the roles played by the various family members of the two main characters -- as well as those played by their respective team-mates, especially Monica's.

This really is a well-told story, that takes time to focus on issues in sport, as well as in love and family relationships. There are very few stereotypes. Most characters are well developed. (Perhaps Quincy's parents are exceptions to this, especially his dad.)

For me, the issue of race is not at the forefront of "Love & Basketball". I found the stories more human than particular to a racial group. I concluded that, if this was going to be a story of basketball stars in school & college, it made sense for the lead characters to be African-American. Race was never made an issue for the characters -- and it never seemed to me to be an issue either. Although Monica & Q were both obsessed with their sport, you felt as though they could have just as easily been tennis players or musicians or aspiring writers. They were both kids from families that had high aspirations for their children. It was as simple as that.

We're just starting "Blue Crush". I don't think these characters will be travelling as smooth a road.

Mary W. Jayne

1. Is it advancement for women in sport, that the main character is the first woman on the cover of SURFING magazine? Why or why not?

2. (Same as week #1) What is the cultural ideal of women in sport? And how does it differ from men?

3. How does this film stereotype the main and supporting characters in this film?

Monica was also allowed to be seen as an athlete, unconcerned with projecting her femininity on the court while playing. While she did appear in her sports bra a good number of times - I had to wonder at that depiction, and whether it was a choice of the producers to make her more sexualized or make her more believeable as an athlete - the depiction of Moinca was always, first and foremost, as an athlete, not a female sex symbol. I think that this letting her be seen in warm-ups, in sandals, in tshirts and shorts, all teh time, is far and away from the typical depiction of female athletes in the media - film, paper, etc. Like I previously stated, while she is allowed to function as a feminine, sexual being, those two functions never seem to overwhelm her functionality as a superb athlete. I wish that more athletes could be represented in this way, both visually and characteristically. More of the ideas and thoughts of Venus and Serena and ANnika and ANna and less of them in their underwear. THe development of MOnica as a complete person, as an intense, thoughtful athlete, just lent more validation to her existence within the film. I feel that similar treatment towards other popular female athletes would result in our seeing them not as sex symbols or a good fantasy, but as complete, awe-inspiring people.

My name is Stefanie and "Love and Basketball" is one of my all time favorite movies. This movie is drastically different from most any sports film just based on the fact that the main storyline is about a woman basketball player trying to succeed in a sports arena that has been previously dominated by men, and the only professional opportunities available were overseas. In this respect, the portrayal of a woman athlete differs from the typical layouts of women athletes seen in magazines, in ads, during interviews, etc. Usually women are seen in roles that are far from athletic or that have nothing to do with the sport or sports in which they are involved. Their feminine physique is the focus of any pictorial layout, whether that requires them to wear their typical athletic apparel or not (most often not). Yet in "Love in Basketball", the main character, Monica, refuses to wear anything that she can't shoot hoops in, such as a dress or heels. She is consistently portrayed in an athletic environment, sweating in her uniform during a game, or wearing some form of athletic apparel while hanging out. She is shown to work hard and play harder, a mantra typical of male athletes, and even once in a while she will lose her temper just like the "boys" do during their games. She is the epitome of a "tomboy" and yet does not identify herself as anything but a female basketball player.
However, within the movie, the focus on the female form is still prevalent. For example, many scenes are done inside the locker rooms where the athletes are changing and are typically conversing in nothing more than shorts and a sports bra. In this respect, the movie is showing that Monica, how ever good a basketball player she is or will become, is still a female. This is affirming her "femininity" even though she can trash talk with the boys, and possibly play just as well. Monica proves herself a great athlete, and yet still must be portrayed as a female through the modest, yet obvious, nudity of these scenes in order to reduce the threat of female athletes infringing in the world of male-dominated sports.