“A League of Their Own” is the greatest sports film of all time

In 1944, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League completed its inaugural season in Racine, Wisconsin, home of the Racine Belles. By immortalizing the league’s legacy in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own,” director Penny Marshall (“Riding in Cars with Boys”) creates one of the greatest sports films of all time. Set against the backdrop of the American heartland, the film focuses on two sisters who left their family farm in Oregon to play in the first professional women’s baseball league as members of the Rockford Peaches. The film introduces audiences to the idealized American dream by celebrating the athletes’ tremendous achievements while acknowledging the league’s historic racism and disrespectful treatment of players

The essence of “A League of Their Own” is not “Women can play sports too” – that is superficial and should be widely understood. What brings the film to life is the relationship between sisters Dottie (Geena Davis, “Thelma & Louise”) and Kit (Lori Petty, “Point Break”) and the rest of their teammates. As they compete for playing time and positions, they find themselves in this unique situation together, facing not only the other teams, but also sexism from the public and uncertainty about the future of the league. Although they are a unit on the field, they each have their own personality and goals.

Dottie, content to wait at home for her husband to come home from the war, is just trying to get permission to do so, too, from Kit, her sister who is desperate to get out of her Oregon farm town. But as the season progresses, it becomes clear that Dottie has a real passion for the sport and her teammates. Kit has only ever wanted to prove that she is more than just Dottie’s sister, but as she struggles to establish herself in the League, she turns her frustration on her sister. They clash on and off the field, as sisters do, even though they would do anything for each other. It’s the perfect centerpiece for a film about sisterhood in women’s athletics. They fight hard in competition, but when they leave the field they will always have each other’s back.

Each character has conflicting interests that lead them to make difficult decisions and make inevitable mistakes, but none are belittled from the director’s perspective because of their decisions. The athletes may have been forced to play in clothes and take etiquette classes, but from Marshall’s perspective, they can be messy, tough and aggressive while remaining emotional and sensitive. So often women are asked to sacrifice their femininity in order to be seen as tough or strong, but the actors in this film are female And hard. You don’t choose both and you don’t have to. It’s a stark contrast to the players’ reality, as spectators abuse them and the league markets them as objects to be gawked at rather than athletes to be in awe of.

“A League of Their Own” gives its players space for recognition while criticizing the league’s exclusion of women of color. Black athletes such as Toni Stone, Mamie Johnson and Connie Morgan played professional baseball during this time, although not for the AAGPBL because black women were banned from the league due to racist policies. In one scene, a black woman throws an out-of-play ball back into play. Dottie, whose trick is to catch throws without a mitt and without reaction, shakes out her hand for the first time after catching the throw. Although there is only one moment in the film, it honors the many women of color who were phenomenal athletes but were excluded from competition because of their race. While there is more story to tell about these unsung heroines of women’s sports, the scene allows viewers to understand how inequities in women’s athletics cannot be resolved until all women have access to the same opportunities and resources, which the AAGPBL didn’t do offer.

In the United States, the popularity of women’s sports is increasing as champions such as Simone Biles, Serena Williams, Katie Ledecky, Mallory Swanson and A’ja Wilson continue to prove themselves. Like the players in the film and the real Racine Belles and Rockford Peaches, these women are athletes. They compete, lead, and do what they love, even as they are continually underestimated by sports systems and the American public. A League of Their Own shows us that these athletes don’t have to be the best of the best to deserve our attention (though that rarely stops them from delivering groundbreaking performances every time they take their respective stages). They are people with stories, talent and work ethic, which makes them fun to watch. Women’s athletics represent the heart, hard work and leadership that America should champion, whether in the heart of America or in the pursuit of American pastimes. From Racine, Wisconsin, to CPKC Stadium, women’s sports have grown and will continue to grow as young girls across the country see themselves as athletes thanks to these women. They give everything to their sport so that the next generation is valued for who they are: All-American athletes.

Daily Arts writer Gaby Cummings can be reached at [email protected].

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