Love and Basketball (2000)

The movie Love and Basketball (2000) focuses on the love and basketball careers of Monica and Quincy, two African-Americans. Acting as a microcosm from the impact of social, political, and economic institutions on women who choose to make sports a career, the film neatly underscores some of the most significant dilemmas faced by such women in a typically male dominated career. For example, Monica is considered a "tomboy" because of her athletic prowess and her dislike of things typically associated with females and romance like getting flowers from a boyfriend. In an early scene when Monica and Quincy are young, Quincy wants Monica to ride on the handlebars of his bike to school. She prefers to ride her own bike in what summarizes their lifelong pattern. When they are both stars on the male and female USC basketball team, Monica feels she is perceived negatively and penalized for aggression that would be granted accolades on the men's team. The pressures of being a female athlete are encapsulated by the film, including how such a choice by women impacts love and personal relationships. At one point Quincy crudely asks Monica, "If you concentrate on basketball so much, why you bonin' me? Why don't you bone Dick Vitale?" (Prince-Bythewood 2000). This analysis will address the impact of social, political, and economic institutions on women who participate in sports, primarily focusing on social institutions.

Ironically, women in the Colonial era participated in Americ

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ed nations which have an abundance of food and high priority placed on slimness as the model for attractiveness and interpersonal success, particularly among white middle-class girls and women" (468). In addition to eating disorders, many athletes turn to drugs or substances to help them gain or lose weight. For women, the use of such substances can have a significant impact on health, especially among female athletes suffering from eating disorders. Drugs and drugs testing have gained a more widespread presence in athletics on all levels, due to the increased use of drugs by athletes and society in general. From steroids to dangerous weight-loss supplements like ephedra, such drugs have resulted in the deaths of a number of male and female athletes who were otherwise in excellent condition. Once more, the media is viewed as helping perpetuate the notion that to achieve the top levels of performance, drugs may be required. According to Ayotte, "In the 1990s, media coverage of sports suggested that athletes could reach the top of their sport only if they used performance-enhancing drugs" (341). While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned the use of many such drugs and routinely tests athletes, the use of such

Category: Film - L