Mar 24, 2008 02:07
Case Study: {Double Teamed}
A more contemporary poprtrayl of women and sports is the Disney Channel Original Movie {Double Teamed}, released in 2002. The film is based on the true story of WNBA players Heidi and Heather Burge. The plot is simple enough: set in the 1980s in California, it follows the development of the girls as basketball players after they transfer to a sports-oriented high school at the insistence of their father. The school itself, called Paolo Verdes, is a school where the majority of its student population consists of upper middle class and upper class backgrounds, which contrasts with the girls' middle class background. This is evident throughout the movie. In one part of the movie, the girls' basketball team goes to New York on an invitational tournament over the Christmas break. The girls have to raise money to go to New York and they do this by taking up odd jobs, cleaning boats at the marina, and singing and dancing at a boardwalk. On the other hand, their teammates are able to afford to go on the trip first class. In another part of the movie, the Burges move from their comfortable house to a run-down motel because they must live within the district of the school in order to attend and there are no houses that are available within the family income to be purchased. These examples reflect how class divisions and income affect an athelete's development.
Because of the school's strong athletics program, the girls' father enrolls them in the hopes of giving them an opportunity to get sports scholarships. This also reflects the