Why are sports movies and TV shows so popular? How do they reflect the influence sports have on society and vice versa? Finally, how have sports movies and TV shows reinforced and/or challenged concepts like hegemonic masculinity, racism, classism, nationalism, and/or meritocracy? Be sure to offer specific examples to support your points. Limit: 13 responses
Shannon Goria
ReplyDeleteSports movies and TV shows are so popular is because they are so unpredictable. “You never know when you sit down to watch either what’s going to happen” (Grierson & Leitch, 2020). Of course there are many sport movies and TV shows that depict athletes as heroes after going through adversity, but a lot of popular sports movies are those that leave audience members on the edge of their seats with all of the surprises and unpredictable turns that take place in the plot. I know I personally I do enjoy watching the inspirational movies and shows as they give me courage to never give up even when the odds are against me. However, I do find the unpredictable ones to portray more what life is like as you never know what each day brings. Not everyone comes out as a hero or as the best athlete in the world and to me that is very relatable and what makes sports movies and TV shows so interesting. Yes being an athlete does make me and I am sure many athletes more inclined to watch sports movies. However, Grierson & Leitch (2020) claimed that “The best sport movies… appeal to anyone whether they love the sport or not.” This shows that these movies and shows additionally a much broader audience than just athletes or sports fans as many of these movies use characters and plot lines that are relatable to anyone and that teach life lessons or get any and all individual's to feel for the characters. Their constant changing plotlines make them interesting to everyone and with sports being one of America’s most cherished pastimes, it promotes a sense of pride as well.
Some of the best sports shows and movies of all time recognize that athletes are not just athletes but are also just regular human beings. The movie Bend it Like Beckham (2003) does this as the main character contends with her struggles as an athlete and just as a person while she tries to live up to her coaches and her family’s expectations (EW Staff, 2021). Many of the best sports shows and movies also use well-known actors to promote their movies/shows.
For example, the show Ballers does this as they use “The Rock” or Dwayne Johnson. As a result, many fans of certain actors enjoy these movies or shows just because they love the actors in it. Senator Elizabeth Warren, when interviewed by EW, said “Why would people be surprised that I like Ballers? It’s got The Rock! What’s not to love?” (EW Staff, 2021). Movies also grow popular among fans when they tackle other cultural issues going on in the world. For example, Bring It On (2000) focuses on “cultural appropriation, highlighting how Black athletes like the Gabrielle Union-led Compton Clovers can contribute so much to a sport only to be treated like they’re disposable” (EW Staff, 2021). Another popular series, One Tree Hill, uses a love triangle and pop culture was very enticing for a young audience, but also used “wild storytelling decisions” such as “having a dog eat a main character’s heart” to keep the audience on their toes and interested (Josh Jackson & Paste TV Staff, 2022).
Shannon Goria (Continued)
ReplyDeleteSports movies and TV shows reflect the influence sports have on society and vice versa as these shows use sports as an ordinary part of many of the character’s lives. In shows like One Tree Hill, basketball embodies the main character’s entire world as he is known as the jock and the athlete to the rest of his high school. Many sports movies and shows also use sports to address cultural and racial issues to show the power that some minority groups have. Sports in American culture are seen as a strength and by having those labeled as minorities excel in these sports these movies and shows hope to bring about change. The movie a Survivor’s Remorse challenges racism by “digging deeper into racial and gender politics than almost any show on television” but making sure to “consistently find the funny in knockout satire” to keep things lighter but still very real (Josh Jackson & Paste TV Staff, 2022). The show Glow on Netflix also doesn’t shy away from “deeper issues of race, gender, and the realities of a career on the stage” by bringing together Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling to life and the power the females have (Josh Jackson & Paste TV Staff, 2022).
References
EW Staff . (2021, December 3). The Best Sports Movies and TV shows. EW.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://ew.com/tv/best-sports-movies-tv-shows/?did=703017-20211128&%3Butm_campaign=ewk-tv_newsletter&%3Butm_source=ew.com&%3Butm_medium=email&%3Butm_content=112821&%3Bcid=703017&%3Bmid=73105195589&slide=08641703-ab31-4e8e-a4f5-6ac977bae327#08641703-ab31-4e8e-a4f5-6ac977bae327
Grierson, T., & Leitch, W. (2020, March 16). The 50 greatest sports movies of all time. Vulture. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.vulture.com/article/best-sports-movies-ranked.html
Josh Jackson & Paste TV Staff. (2022, March 9). The 22 best TV shows about sports. pastemagazine.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/sports-tv/best-sports-series/
Nicole Clemons
ReplyDeleteSports movies and TV shows are so popular because no matter how many times the story is repeated people will watch for various reasons. Whether you watch because they are inspirational and uplifting or because you can resonate to what the athlete is going through. According to AP News “When sports films work, they work because the audience connects emotionally to the protagonist,” Pizzo said. “When people talk to me about ‘Rudy,’ if that movie works for them, it’s because they see themselves in Rudy. They see themselves as someone who is not appreciated, is not seen, is not valued. And by sheer force of will and belief and faith, they manage to break through. It’s not just about achieving the dream -- it’s about going on the journey to achieve the dream”(Fendrich). I love a sports movie with an underdog who comes out on top at the end and the whole story is inspirational. The movies where an athlete overcomes the odds reflect the influence sports has on society, we all think of this inspirational story for professional athletes. When usually the unpredictable stories are the ones that do the opposite.
Sports movies do have an influence on society, they allow people to see that these athletes are normal people too, “One of the first things that comes to mind is 'Rocky I, which is kind of a weird starting place," former Only a Game producer Niko Emack says. "You know, Apollo Creed comes out, and it's this huge spectacle." "And it kind of contrasts with Rocky's kind of humble, 'I'm just a guy from the neighborhood. I'm gonna come out in my sweats and do my thing”(Given). Although these movies are great and very inspirational, they are also giving some false hope and are often times are shown from a certain perspective that you start to believe. This reinforces challenges like racism in films this can be seen in the film Hardball. “Keanu Reeves goes to Chicago in the housing developments, gets this ragtag team together," Olivia says. "They win the championship. Just a guy who's a gambler. It's not even like he's an ex-baseball player. He's just a white guy who comes and saves the day. “You’re trying to create a message of equality, but the larger message can be misconstrued as, it takes a white person to give credibility to a Black person, so that we can thrive,' " the Washington Post’s Jerry Brewer says. "And that's a very dangerous message to send"(Given).
Nicole Clemons cont
DeleteThen there are other shows like Ted Lasso that bring attention to heavy issues like mental health, racism, toxic masculinity, and environmental issues instead of thinking they are going to solve the issue in the movie or show. “Despite touching on these difficult topics, it manages to never feel preachy or uppity. The way the characters approach the situations in a lighthearted and disarming way allows the audience to absorb them fully rather than dismiss them entirely”(Gardner). This may be a better way to bring attention to these topics rather than acting like the issue can be fixed in the film like we see in other films.
Work Cited
Fendrich, Howard. “Why We Watch: Sports Movies' Emotional Connections Resonate.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 17 Apr. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-baseball-sports-general-tom-hanks-4b4fb7948357168904b309f0631a1bd1.
Gardner, Jessica. “Here's What Makes Ted Lasso the Show the World Needs Right Now.” MovieWeb, 10 Feb. 2022, https://movieweb.com/ted-lasso-show-the-world-needs-why/.
Given, Karen. “The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy.” The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy | Only A Game, WBUR, 26 June 2020, https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports-meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR3Qklvr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg.
Brianna Gonsalves
ReplyDeleteNumerous sports movies and TV shows have been released over the years and have been a huge hit with audiences. They are very popular and people tend to look forward to their release dates. Shows like One Tree Hill and All American capture the ins and outs of sports from the field to the lockerrooms. Sports movies and TV shows display a sort of equality that is not often shown in the media and teaches audiences about the importance of teamwork and the passion for sports that people share. The reason people love sports shows and movies is because they have a message that allows us to reflect on and change the way in which we live our lives. In an article titled Here’s What Makes Ted Lasso the Show the World Needs Right Now written by Jessica Gardner from Movieweb, it explains the show Ted Lasso which follows an American college football coach who gets a new job and is viewed as the underdog. The message of the show is very uplifting and with the current climate of the world it was very needed, “Good is an understatement, rather Coach Lasso embodies kindness, decency, compassion, vulnerability, and forgiveness, without an ounce of cynicism. Which is a revolutionary concept in a world rife with discord, negativity, and pessimism. Ted wanted to show us there was good in the world at the exact moment we all needed it,” (Gardner). Sports movies and TV shows reflect an uplifting to our moods and this is why they are so popular.
Sports hold a huge influence on society in our day to day lives and this includes the media produced based around sports. In this time, the world has been hit with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement which are two things that took up a lot of people’s talk and attention. The show All American follows the story of football player Spencer Paysinger and dives deep into the lives of a bunch of high school football stars navigating the college recruitment process. The show covered a lot of episodes in season three about the topic of Black Lives Matter. In an article titled All American boss discusses powerful Black Lives Matter episode from Entertainment Weekly written by Samantha Highfill, it takes a look at the specific episode, “‘This was always a story line we were going to do,’" Carroll tells EW. ‘As a mom of two young Black boys, I have a lot of pain and anxiety around this topic, so I poured it all into the script, hoping and praying that with everything that happened last summer and with the election and with the very public social justice awakening that this country seemed to be having, it felt like, maybe naively so for me, it felt like there was a shift happening. My hope was that by the time we got to this story line that the thing I'd be battling the most is that it would feel outdated.’" (Highfill). The All American team took this incident to heart and knew it was something they needed to talk about. The episode got a lot of positivity from viewers.
Sports movies and shows also challenge the concepts of racism. In an article titled, The Blind Spots- How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy, from WBUR written by Karen Given, it explains how sports hold important characteristics and sports movies and shows highlight the positives and negatives on sports in extreme ways. “‘You're only getting a certain perspective from these kind of movies — and these tropes — that you start to believe them in real life,’ Niko says, "which can be really, really, really problematic,’" (Given). The problem circulating sports movies is that they mislead the ideas and tend to ignore the actual struggles that people of color face.
DeleteWorks Cited
Gardner, Jessica, and Jessica Gardner (59 Articles Published) . “Here's What Makes Ted Lasso the Show the World Needs Right Now.” MovieWeb, 10 Feb. 2022, https://movieweb.com/ted-lasso-show-the-world-needs-why/.
Given, Karen. “The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy.” The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy | Only A Game, WBUR, 26 June 2020, https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports-meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR3Qklvr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg.
Samantha Highfill By Samantha Highfill April 26, 2021 at 09:01 PM EDT. “'All American' Boss Discusses Powerful Black Lives Matter Episode.” EW.com, https://ew.com/tv/all-american-black-lives-matter-episode-nkechi-okoro-carroll/.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBrandon Krikorian
ReplyDeleteProfessor Burns
25 April 2022
Weekly Blog #10
As being someone who has always loved sports and everything that goes with it, it is not a surprise that I enjoy sports movies and tv shows. Growing up as a kid those were the only types of entertainment for me as I remember great movies like Rudy, The Sandlot, and Angels In The Outfield just to name a few from my childhood. This is a big part as to why people love sports movies because there are millions of people who are sports fans and any chance that they get to consume more of their sport, they will jump at the chance to watch it. Another great part that sports movies has going for them is how relatable they can be to the general population. From FilmThreat, they came up with three reasons as to why people love sports movies. Those reasons included that they are most of the time based on a true story, have a good foundation, and are easily relatable to people watching. (FilmThreat). One thing that I think they should have mentioned was that sports movies are inspiring as it usually comes down to the player or team having to overcome hardships and finally coming out on top to achieve their goal. It sets up for a very dramatic ending that can cultivate the audience and make them remember what they just saw. Another reason as to why people are so involved in sports entertainment is because they always want to know more and dive into the details that only the people involved know.
A perfect example of this is The Last Dance, which documented the Chicago Bulls dynasty and Michael Jordan’s career as we got to see and hear never before known facts and scenes that happened 30 years ago. Another great example which just came out was about the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty of the 1980’s that involved basketball but also the lifestyle of being a star in L.A. From The Hollywood Reporter, they talk about the hype for the show as its first teaser trailer dropped at the end of 2021, “When the first teaser dropped in early December, current Laker’s star LeBron James summed up the excitement surrounding the series with six fire emojis, tweeting, “Wow!!!! I can’t wait for this,” to his following of 50 million” (Rose). I think that this quote perfectly sums up with excitement that a show like this can have on people as people who lived during that time know a lot about what went on but not the full story. Also, you have people who were not even born yet that know a little but still have so much to learn about what happened 40 years ago. All of this is great and is the reason as to why people want to watch sports tv shows and movies, but there is also another element too. Racism is something that does play a role in sports shows and movies when it is needed. From WBUR, they use the example of Remember The Titans to showcase how racism works in movies. They say, “Winning the championship — they actually didn't win — coming in second place in the state does not solve the structural racism and integration in Virginia. And so we get lulled into a sense of reaching a mountain top of a mountain we're still climbing” (Given). I personally do not believe in what they are saying here for a couple of reasons. Obviously, it is a sports movie that talks about the racism that the head coach went through, but that is just a part of the movie and not the entire plot so they try to wrap up the racism part by connecting it with the football season so that it flows with the movie. Does winning in football solve racism? No, it does not but they had to tie it together somehow and that is how they chose to do it. It is not perfect but it is good enough and does bring awareness to the racism that they went through and shines a light on it and at least does not fully ignore it or mention it.
DeleteGiven, Karen. “The Blind Spots - How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy.” WBUR, WBUR, 26 June 2020, www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports- meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR3Qkl+++vr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg.
Rose, Lacey. “How HBO's Lakers Series Ticked off the NBA, Ended a Friendship and Became the Most Anticipated Sports Show in Decades.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2022, www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/winning-time-adam-mckay-john-c-reilly-hbo-laker-series-1235097468/.
“Why Are Sports Commonly Featured in Movies?” Film Threat, 4 Apr. 2022, filmthreat.com/features/why-are-sports-commonly-featured-in-movies/.
Gage Kilborne 1
ReplyDeleteThe main reason why sports movies and tv shows are so popular is because of the story they tell. The general stories of sports movies is highlighted by the lovable losers or the underdogs, if you will. The underdogs usually have a rival team that we see them compete against earlier in the film and lose very bad to, eventually as the film progresses the underdog improves on their season and meets their rivals in the championship game (Heath). This being the last hurdle in their season, they end up defeating them on the last play of the game to win the championship. It is because of compelling stories like these that keep audiences engaged and wanting more on the story.
A perfect example of a film like this is "American Underdog", a movie that is based on a true story about NFL hall of famer Kurt Warner. The film shows the hardships that Warner went through to be in the NFL and help lead the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl Championship in 2000.
Gage Kilborne 2
DeleteThese films just like American Underdog influences how athletes play their game. A perfect example is my swimming career, we lost our championship meet to our rivals my freshman year and decided to use that as motivation for the following season. We ended up coming short of the championship in my sophomore and junior years until we got a new coach who rejuvenated our team. Everyone on the team believed that we had a chance at winning the title game that season and it was going to be a storybook season for us. Unfortunately, one of our star team mates claimed he was sick and opted out of the meet causing us the chance to have our redemption season.
This story about my swimming career shows how much of an impact sports tv and film have on society and influence the way we think and act when we watch our teams play or when we played.
Finally, the sports movies and tv shows do a tremendous job when it comes to dealing with racism and masculinity especially. There are two films that come to mind when I think of these issues and both of them are based on real events. The first film is "42", a movie about Jackie Robinson and the struggles he went through to break the color barrier. The movie was well-filmed and provided very realistic scenarios that made the audience feel the pain he went through to be loved by our country for his bravery. He is now well-recognized by the MLB as his number is retired by every team in the league in his honor and they wear his number on April 15th, the date he first took the field, to celebrate his actions.
The second film I am going to discuss is "Miracle" which does a decent job describing masculinity. There is one scene in particular when the team was playing a practice game and they were not really focused on the game. Herb Brooks then took them back out on the ice and made them skate suicides until they learned respect for their country. It was this training method that led them to have "fresh" legs during the later stages of the game against the Russians.
Gage Kilborne 3
DeleteJackson , Josh. “The 22 Best TV Shows about Sports.” Pastemagazine.com, Paste Magazine, 9 Mar. 2022, https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/sports-tv/best-sports-series/.
EW Staff Updated December 03, 2021 at 02:43 PM EST. “The Best Sports Movies and TV Shows.” EW.com, 2021, https://ew.com/tv/best-sports-movies-tv-shows/?did=703017-20211128&utm_campaign=ewk-tv_newsletter&utm_source=ew.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=112821&cid=703017&mid=73105195589.
Heath, Paul. “Solved Why Are Many Sports Movies so Compelling? What Are ...” THN, 2019, https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/many-sports-movies-compelling-good-examples-inspiring-sports-movies-q37096443.
Robert Fritz
ReplyDeleteSports movies and TV shows are popular because sports are popular. People love the person behind the mask or off the field. We saw this with the “Last Dance” the story about the 1998 Chicago Bulls. Another reason is because of the relatability the sports provide the Davis vs Goliath story that you can see with a movie like the Miracle. You have movies like the Sandlot where you can reminisce about your childhood and looking at it and seeing yourself in those characters. These shows and movies reflect greatly on society as they rehash and reaffirm this idea of needing to be the most masculine to be the hardest worker to do nothing but train, train, and train. These shows and movies also like to gloss over very important things that happen in these athletes lives. Michael Jordan for example has this story of being cut from his basketball team in high school and then he worked on his game and then made the team the next year. But what they leave out is that he was a 5’10 sophomore that who then had a massive growth spurt. So this idea that if Michael Jordan got cut from his varsity basketball team then it really doesn’t matter is flawed because not everyone is going to grow from 5’10 to 6’6. That isn’t the only issue that sports movies and TV shows have as especially with older shows and movies they do reinforce the ideas of hegemonic masculinity, racism, and others. Look at the movie Hardball for example "Keanu Reeves goes to Chicago in the housing developments, gets this ragtag team together," Olivia says. "They win the championship. Just a guy who's a gambler. It's not even like he's an ex-baseball player. He's just a white guy who comes and saves the day." (Given). Even in recent times with a movie like the Blind Side it is the same sort of trope where a white family needs to be the savior. Now not all TV shows and movies struggle with these issues the most notable of that is Ted Lasso. They do a great job with the masculinity side in sports “Ted is never afraid to be vulnerable or open about his feelings and encourages other men in the series to follow his lead. When Jamie (Phil Dunster) and Roy’s (Brett Goldstein) conflict comes to a head, Jamie approaches Lasso for advice, who promptly tells him to “woman up” and discuss his issues with Roy directly, when Jamie tries to correct him, Ted doubles down, stating “Y’all been manning up for a while now and look what that’s got you”. (Gardner). Sports doesn’t always to the best job in representing reality but when they do it is great.
Gardner, Jessica. “Here's What Makes Ted Lasso the Show the World Needs Right Now.” MovieWeb, 10 Feb. 2022, https://movieweb.com/ted-lasso-show-the-world-needs-why/.
Given, Karen. “The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy.” The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy | Only A Game, WBUR, 26 June 2020, https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports-meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR3Qklvr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg.
Alex Donald
ReplyDeleteSports movies and sports TV shows are so popular because they give us a better aspect of how the athlete had to go through things like his achievements, difficulties, and so on. In other words “The most commonly played stories in sports movies are those of redemption and the underdog. These stories resonate with audiences because of the human aspects applied to sports stars who are often idolized by millions and sometimes seen as untouchable. They also make for the most intriguing tales in the real world of sports, with teams or athletes able to defy logic and defeat all-conquering entities with the right strategy or a lucky break.” (Heath 2019). In my opinion, sports movies and TV shows are better than sports documentaries because they give us a better perspective of the athlete. Some famous well known sports movies and TV shows are “White Men can’t Jump”, the “Rocky” series, “Creed”, “Like Mike”, “42”, “King Richard”, “All American”, “Space Jam”, and so on. They reflect the influence on sports that they have on society because they are human beings as well as telling a story of an athlete during high school and his/her younger days. For example, the show “All American”, inspired by former NFL player Spencer Paysinger. “All American tells the story of Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), a star football player from South L.A. who’s recruited by a coach (Taye Diggs), an expat of the same neighborhood to come play for him in Beverly Hills—a plan which necessitates Spencer moving in with the coach and his family in order to get around the school’s hyper-strict zip code requirements. Much of the drama that follows, both in Beverly Hills and back in South L.A., is what you’d expect: The rich kids have expensive pill addictions or are spiraling into depression after being left alone in their mansions for months on end by their oblivious jet-setting parents, while the kids in South L.A. are trapped in a school that is chronically underfunded and over-policed, and are at risk for falling into gang life.” (Jackson & Paste 2022). This show not only shows us the life of Spencer Paysinger, but also the society surrounding him whether he was at Crenshaw or Beverly Hills and also how he had to deal with real life events like the Black Lives Matter protests, gang life, legal issues, police brutality, and so on.
Sports movies and TV shows had challenged racism, nationalism, classism, hegemonic masculinity, and meritocracy in a way that hating fans sometimes saying something offensive to the players mostly to just get in their head. However, players mostly take these offensive comments as motivation to win a championship and prove their haters but it doesn’t solve the ending to racism or other types of discrimination. Also another reason why sports challenged discrimination is that "You're trying to create a message of equality, but the larger message can be misconstrued as, 'It takes a white person to give credibility to a Black person, so that we can thrive,' " the Washington Post’s Jerry Brewer says. "And that's a very dangerous message to send." (Given 2020) and we all see that through the athlete’s perspective in movies and TV shows.
DeleteWork Cited
Given, Karen. “The Blind Spots - How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy”. WBUR. Jun 26, 2020. Visited Apr 26, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports-meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR3Qklvr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg
Jackson, Josh and Paste TV Staff. “The 22 Best TV Shows About Sports”. Paste. Mar 8, 2022. Visited Apr 26, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/sports-tv/best-sports-series/
Heath, Paul. “What Makes Great Sports Movies So Compelling?”. THN. Sept 26, 2019. Visited Apr 26, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2019/09/26/what-makes-great-sports-movies-so-compelling/#:~:text=The%20most%20commonly%20played%20stories,and%20sometimes%20seen%20as%20untouchable.
ReplyDeleteClever Streich part 1
Sports movies and television series may be considered cliche by critics and moviegoers alike, but they play an important role in building a fanbase and investing a viewer in the stories that sports can make. According to an AP News article by Howard Fendrich, sports films have significant importance to our society because “they are capable of filling us with hope and despair, triumph and disaster -- often all four within a span of mere minutes. Movies, meanwhile, can do the very same,” (Fendrich). The effects a sports show or film can have include furthering the immersion and passion of a fan of a certain team or player, and increasing economic revenue for a league that wants to profit off ticket sales or merchandise. The reason for a sports movie or TV show’s popularity stems back to the same idea of why viewers are so passionate to watch and follow sports - the stakes, drama, action, story arcs, and payoffs can be rewarding for a dedicated viewer to see a losing team become a champion or the downfall of a once-great personality or team. According to an article published by Jessica Gardner for Movie Web, a show like Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso can also provide healing, entertainment, and unity, as “a feel-good fish-out-of-water comedy” that centers on an American Football coach succeeding out his element by coaching and creating community on a Premier League soccer team. (Gardner) The tropes in a show like Ted Lasso are familiar, as an outsider must prove his success to his team, his boss, and his family to show that his investment as a coach is worth the while. This leads to the point of why sports series and films can have an influence over society at large. A character such as Ted Lasso shows compassion to his peers and team but expects great things from his players and the front office. As Gardner states in her article, “Lasso embodies kindness, decency, compassion, vulnerability, and forgiveness, without an ounce of cynicism. Which is a revolutionary concept in a world rife with discord, negativity, and pessimism” (Gardner). This reminds the audience that a positive outlook can be necessary to navigate a divisive and negative sports world and political environment, showing how sports media can influence society, and the times can influence sports media content as well. With the massive influence that sports movies and shows can have, it is also important for them to address issues in society that can be either be reinforced or altered through portrayal in films and television.
Clever Streich Part 2
ReplyDeleteAccording to an article by Karen Given that was published on WBUR, racism is one of the most highly discussed concepts in sports movies, as sports typically portray its black athletes in pop culture as “immune to systemic racism”, as leagues can be “a place where African Americans can get ahead.” (Given) The article also gives an example of the false notion that sports can be a solution for racial intolerance, as seen in the 2000 film Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington. When Washington’s character lost, a brick was thrown through his window, but when he won, a parade was thrown in his team’s honor. (Given) This is an example that not all sports films will be realistic or even reflect society as large, as sometimes the narrative can be skewed or altered to fit a more emotional story. Regardless, sports movies remain popular crowd favorites and tell memorable and iconic stories that are rewatchable for many audience members.
Clever Streich
ReplyDeletePart 3 - Works Cited
Fendrich, Howard. “Why We Watch: Sports Movies' Emotional Connections Resonate.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 17 Apr. 2020, https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-baseball-sports-general-tom-hanks-4b4fb7948357168904b309f0631a1bd1.
Gardner, Jessica. “Here's What Makes Ted Lasso the Show the World Needs Right Now.” MovieWeb, 10 Feb. 2022, https://movieweb.com/ted-lasso-show-the-world-needs-why/.
Given, Karen. “The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy.” The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy | Only A Game, WBUR, 26 June 2020, https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports-meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR3Qklvr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg.
Dylan Sommer Part 1
ReplyDeleteSports movies and TV are so popular because of their real-life and underdog stories. In the sports world, stories are being made all the time. Players, coaches, and management all have a story to tell with every game, practice, or even off the court/field. With sports movies and TV shows, the audience gets to see their stories for themselves and learn more about the specific person it is about. For instance, CW’s All American is a true story about the professional football player Spencer Paysinger. The show depicts Spencer’s journey as he tries to make his NFL dreams a reality. According to an EW article, it says “there’s a complex reality young people who want to be professional athletes navigate and All American does an excellent job mining that for our entertainment” (EW Staff). All American has become one of the most successful TV shows as of late because of its emphasis on Spencer’s story and the development of the characters throughout the season. Another reason why sports movies and TV shows are popular is because of the classic underdog story. For example, in the movies Kicking and Screaming, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and The Mighty Ducks, they all have an underdog team that struggles at the beginning of the movie that eventually wins it all in the end. People love the idea of rooting for the underdog, so the movie industry took that into account and produced movies where the underdog was victorious. Since sports movies and TV shows are entertaining and relate to the audience’s interests, they have come to be very popular in society.
Dylan Sommer Part 2
ReplyDeleteThe influence that sports movies and TV shows have on society deals with the matter of bringing people together. In society, sports function in teams, and players have to work together if they want to accomplish their goals in the long run. Similarly in sports movies and TV shows, the characters go through a conflict at the beginning of the plot, and they work through it with others to get the solution. In Hoosiers, a new coach arrives to lead a high school basketball team to a championship. In a Bleacher Report article, it explains “the community almost drives the coach out, but with the support of a few key influencers, the team finds itself and starts performing better than ever” (Mahlmann). Sports movies and TV shows have also impacted the sports world as we know it. After seeing Moneyball, many MLB teams adapted the philosophies that they saw from the movie, and they are still using them to this day.
In particular, sports movies and TV shows have reinforced and challenged the concepts of hegemonic masculinity, racism, and meritocracy. According to a wbur article, it says “sports are often seen as a place where all the matters of hard work and talent, a place where African Americans get ahead…or, at least, that’s how sports are portrayed in pop culture” (Given). Since sports movies and TV shows are bringing up these racial issues, they are being talked about more and more and the world is finally working towards a change for it.
Works Cited
Given, Karen. “The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell the Myth of Meritocracy.” The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy | Only A Game, WBUR, 26 June 2020, https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports-meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&%3Butm_medium=social&%3Butm_term=nprnews&%3Butm_campaign=npr&%3Bfbclid=IwAR3Qklvr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg.
EW Staff. “The Best Sports Movies and TV Shows.” EW.com, 2021, https://ew.com/tv/best-sports-movies-tv-shows/?did=703017-20211128&utm_campaign=ewk-tv_newsletter&utm_source=ew.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=112821&cid=703017&mid=73105195589.
Mahlmann, Andrew. “The Most 25 Inspirational Sports Movies.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/783232-warrior-and-the-25-most-inspirational-sports-movies-of-all-time.
Sports movies and TV shows are so popular because it is a setting that a lot of people identify with. Someone doesn't have to be a professional player to enjoy the stories that are involved in sports. Sports are popular with current players, old players, new players, avid fans, casual watchers and others. Sports are known to succeed in reaching multiple audiences due to the influence sports holds on society. Watching the simplicity of a sport get immersed in a story of overcoming a challenge or facing adversity, there is a personal aspect which makes people want to watch the uplifting stories shows and movies offer. It is truly an identifying experience when a viewer watches a sports movie or show. This is perfectly seen in a show like Ted Lasso. The show was created to be relatable and enjoyable while talking about some hard issues like mental health and toxic masculintity. The content of Ted Lasso was heavy at times but because of its comedic nature “it never felt arduous or weighty” (Gardner) This is quite a change for a show surrounding the idea of sports to be talking about what people deal with everyday in the society we live in and how sports can show that too. Movies like The Sandlot or The Blind Side both tell great sports stories but their lessons are different. Usually a sport will have the ‘facing adversity’ aspect to encourage that the underdog can overcome anything. We all want to be the underdog of our own stories so watching and seeing what sports movies are telling us is influential to societal views.
ReplyDeleteSports movies and televisions are typically white male dominated but when there is an underdog story it is how the non white male made their mark on the sport. The creation and telling of these stories seem like a great way to bring awareness to the issues involved in sports, but identifying them is different than solving them. These stories of people of color, people from lower incomes or even female athletes are gripping to tell but without identifying the solutions along with the problem there is a reinforcement of the same systemic issues that have been around in sports for years.
part 2
DeleteGardner, J., & Jessica Gardner (59 Articles Published) . (2022, February 10). Here's what makes Ted Lasso the show the World Needs Right Now. MovieWeb. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://movieweb.com/ted-lasso-show-the-world-needs-why/
Given, K. (2020, June 26). The blind spots: How sports movies sell the myth of Meritocracy. The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy | Only A Game. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/06/26/movies-myth-sports-meritocracy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR3Qklvr1BGW5Dj635MjhYBZ6sKmhjVLcixb-KqfDTQQ65qz24bt8SnSAjg
Schilling, D. (2019, July 8). What makes a truly great sports movie? Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2783617-what-makes-a-truly-great-sports-movie