The sports genre of film has for while been very popular with society and can compete with other films of different and other popular genres as well. The sports genre like other genres has been around as long as films and short films have. Some of the earliest sports films include a film produced in the early 1890s titled Corbett and Courtney before the Kinetograph. (K.L Dickson & Heise, 1894) This arguably can be one of the earliest silent films people have seen let alone in the sports genre. The sports genre itself can be up for discussion that it only is particular to sports, or athletic fanatics. However we see that many sports films can bring about such a symbolic and unique meaning to the audience that we can throw the name of the genre aside and appreciate the film for what it means.
There are certain expectations that films of the sports genre need to meet in order for the film to be successful and popular. One of the important parts of the sports film genre has to be the plot. Sports films should have to deal with sports, or contest or competitions between one another or among a group of people that test them. The “sports” part of the film has to revolve around the character which affects what goes on in the plot. (Baker, 2003) Many expectations of the sports film genre have to do with the character defining himself in the end after hard work and determination which settles as a theme for many sports films. Many sports films tend to have to deal with the main character or characters generally being an underdog throughout the whole film until they put in that effort and determination until they rise to victory at the end of the film where they win. A general expectation of the audience for sports films is that the good guy...
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...rselves that is just waiting to be won. Rocky also showed that even if you lose, the effort and hard work you put in makes you a winner. The genre of sports reveals several things about the audience filmmaker and culture that produced it. The genre shows that the filmmaker tried to reveal a much deeper symbolic idea in a events that can be related to anyone. These films didn’t needed to be watched by a sports fanatic and still be appreciated, because they all took on other roles and showed that through sporting events. What the genre says about the audience is that the audience enjoys seeing films with a character who seems to be struggling because we all are like Rocky, or Coach Carters basketball team, or Coach Herb Brooks hockey team. We all contain heart and determination that can further us in life, its just whether or not we want put in the work and effort.
For the purpose of this paper, I will argue the film Field of Dreams does not contain a baseball theme, but one of inner conflict between father and son. Field of Dreams is a film of perseverance, fear, ingenuity, and good old fashioned stubbornness, from a man who fears becoming like his father. Resources will prove how this films use of acting style, cinematography, and direction are used to portray the father/son persona. Additionally, you will realize the reasoning behind this films theme, due to the unsecure masculinity during the 1980’s when this film was released. Although key elements pertaining to baseball were seen throughout this film; The sport of baseball is not the movies theme. Field of Dreams has several classifications for a sports themed film; However, due to acting style, direction, and cinematography, portrays a masculine balance between father and son.
Over the last several years, it has become undeniable that any kind of sport can, and will, be sensationalized and commercialized by the people from the great companies like “Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and Marlboro” (1667). These companies have hundreds of thousands of dollars budgeted each year to pour into sports in the form of sponsorships, advertising, etc. Once the sponsorships are introduced into a sport, it is exactly the kind of thing that will push an athlete out of competition. An athlete will find himself in a “make-it or break-it” situation. If an athlete receives a sponsorship, then the money is free flowing for equipment, testing, training, etc – anything that the athlete wants or needs to aid in putting him...
But rather than focusing on the game, he is more concentrated observing the fathers of the young players. While he sees excitement and pride on these men’s faces watching their sons playing, he also perceives frustration and helplessness. The narrator tries to presume that while they watch their sons playing, they are “Dreaming of heroes” they will never be. Through their sons, they live their fantasy of being sport celebrities. One can rationalize that since sport stars are considered idols, because of their economic and social success, these fathers imagine being in their position.
Rocky Balboa is an important cultural figure. His story is that of the ultimate underdog. He is a small-time boxer who only makes about $40 every two weeks, if he wins, from boxing until he gets a chance to face Apollo Creed for the heavy weight championship. No one expects him to win; in fact, Creed and his people think of it as more of an exhibition match than a serious match. Rocky himself admits that he knows he’s not going to win the championship and only wishes to “go the distance.” (Avildsen). Statements like the previous are very important in realizing how Rocky has formed his identity and how it changes depending on his surroundings. Using Michael Hecht’s definition of identity, “the multilayered ways that individuals […] socially construct themselves” (Hecht and
Coakley, J. J. (2007). Sports in society: issues & controversies (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
The movie we watched showed all the emotions that can come from sport. Whether it would be a gratifying moment with a win for your team, or a devastating moment with a loss. That is what makes you grow when you are a younger kid growing up. A kid who can handle a loss in his life with the same dignity as a win will become a better person in the future.
Sport has not always been covered in such feverish enthusiasm, now with coverage on television, radio, and internet. The real emergence of sport into everyday life began after World War II, when new heroes were needed to dazzle and inspire. With the close of the war, sports stars became the new heroes, accomplishing daring feats and pushing the limits. The general public began to want more from the athletes; they wanted a better look into the athletes' lives and more media coverage of events such as boxing matches and basketball games. Without the excitement from the war and heroic war figures, sports stars became widely more popular and the business of sport marketing took off. Post war sport and figures such as Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain and Mickey Mantle, "filled the gap" (Whannel 44) in terms of heroic figures. Audiences craved the heroic warlike figure with brute strength and quickness as well as interesting personalities. Thus we understand more the desire to market athletes, that "Audiences ...
Americans have become addicted to gaining quick rewards of satisfaction through sports and action because they want to be entertained thoroughly without needing to ponder any hidden meaning so it doesn’t take away from the pure entertainment of the action. In his time, Bradbury was fearful of the way that the television’s empty shows were in invading every home in America. The culture in the novel demands for “everything (to be boiled) down to the rag, the snap ending” (Bradbury 52), leaving nothing for the viewer to ponder; they would rather enjoy themselves “a solid entertainment” (Bradbury 58). The same is true in today’s movies and shows, in which most must contain many action scenes in order to keep the viewer’s attention, and the meaning and symbols must be clearly spelled out for them. This is also why Bradbury includes sports as being the main focus of schools in his story, since th...
During the late 80’s, Phil Alden Robinson developed a sensational story that revolved around a real life account of a sport tragedy. The viewers were immersed in a touching account of how sport, a social interest, can play a powerful role in human bonding; thus becoming a very spiritual component of life. It in itself has a profound effect on the societies’ spiritual experiences; and just like religion can respectfully be considered a form of spirituality for a modern society, as exemplified in Robinson’s movie ‘Field of Dreams’. This story resonates far beyond the power of dreams, its appeal lies in a vision of a perfect sport and the love for which can inadvertently resolve issues no matter how grand. The plot at first presents itself as a complex; or maybe even a strange series of events, but somehow its scenes string themselves into a moral about redemption and deep interpersonal bonds.
Sports have become one of the most dominant elements in society. Today sports are an integral part of lifestyle, entertainment and leisure. Sports have become an outlet for success and prestige. The recurring emphasis on sports appears in both Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and August Wilson’s Fences. While Death of a Salesman portrays sports as a means to popularity and subsequent success, Fences portrays sports negatively, discouraging sports, in spite of an unmistakable talent.
Throughout the years, sports have played two roles in society. They have acted as a stage for historical events as well as a mirror for American History. Athletics acted as a mirror for critical chapters in American History, such as the Great Depression. In other aspects of history, sports have become the stage. These events include issues of gender roles in society.
Sports are an important aspect of society. They help people to strive to reach certain goals and join people together, but they also can divide people and turn a fun game into the main purpose of someone’s life. Taking sports games too seriously can be harmful to both the athlete and the spectator. The attitude of always winning at any cost in sports has managed to distract us from other important parts of our lives, such as health and education. This importance of the value of sports can heavily influence the way that we see ourselves as both the spectator and the athlete by creating a positive self image and distilling confidence and discipline within the player, or by embedding self doubt and inversion.
“Sports are for fun, but they also offer benefits and lessons that carry over into all aspects of life”. This well-known anonymous quotation conveys the message that sport is the game which has some rules and custom. It is not only for fun and entertainment, but there are also some benefits of playing sports and which gives some important lessons for life. Every kind of physical sports is healthy because it involves running, jumping, stretching, mind skills and much more. There are so many sports available in the world nowadays, but we can categorize them by the numbers of players, the three main categories are individual sport, dual sport and team sport.
The majority of viewers are never able to witness these events first hand, which is where television comes into play. Without television, the people who are able to view sporting events would be restricted by the size of the arena. However, television allows sporting events to be broadcasted to millions even billions of people allowing them to experience the events and feel more connected to the teams they so dedicatedly support. Without television, people would not have as much access to sports, and therefore the ability of sports to unite people and nations would not be nearly as successful. Sporting events are one of the biggest media spectacles in world culture. Douglas Kellner writes “media spectacles are those phenomena of media culture that embody contemporary society’s basic values, sever to initiate individuals into a way of life, and dramatize its controversies and straggles, as well as its modes of conflict resolution” (108). The movie Invictus depicts how Nelson Mandela used sports, in particular rugby, as a means...
Success goes hand in hand with failure. “You win some, you lose some” is a famous quote which epitomises one of the main core’s of life as these two components are apart of every human being’s daily life. In the same way, they are a part of every sporting event. In life everyone strives for success, yet not always do we attain success instantly, often it requires many failures before success can be achieved. Humphrey asserts that sport ‘brings out the worst in people’, and yes, it is within failure where the worst is brought out of people as many people hate the feeling of failure. However, no matter what one fails at, they will always express their bad side, for example: when one fails at their job, when one fails their license and so on. Sports is the best opportunity for people to learn the benefits and necessity of failure, thus allowing their outlook on failure to be change which in turn corrects the behaviour that comes with failure. Sports also allows one to feel the sense of accomplishment that emanates with success. It therefore teaches the sportsmen how to cope better wit...