Paper Example on Quincy & Monica: Love and Basketball Dreams

Introduction

Love and basketball is an American romantic drama movie produced in 2000 (Gina prince, 2000). The film explores the lives of Quincy and Monica, two close neighbors striving for a career in basketball. Quincy's father plays basketball for the Los Angeles Clippers and is fascinated by Monica's love for basketball though she is a girl (Gina prince, 2000). Both Monica and Quincy are team captains for their corresponding high school basketball teams. Quincy's chances of being a prospect to the National basketball association are high. Monica, on the other hand, faces some challenges both at home and with his teammates. Monica's mother is not supportive of her daughter's exploits in basketball and wants her to behave like a lady. The lack of support from her mother and his feelings for Quincy starts affecting his team performance leading her to throw tantrums while playing. As such, she is benched, but her team manages to reach the championship round. Unfortunately, her team losses the tournament, and she is devastated (Gina prince, 2000). Her sister Lena is instrumental in her recovery process. The movie love and basketball is relevant to study it sociologically as it offers real-life insight into the lives and experiences of athletes in our society.

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Sociological Themes of the Movie

Firstly, there is gender discrimination against women. Victorian domesticity aspect is seen in the movie. Victorian domesticity ideology entails the characterizing of different roles in the community in terms of gender. In this school of thought, there are specific jobs that are purely meant for men while others for women. In the movie, sports more so basketball is seen as meant for men; thus, any woman who indulges in it is not seen as feminine. Basketball is a rigorous contact sport; as such, it is not meant for women. Women here are supposed to behave like ladies and live sports to men. It means women are perceived to be weak and cannot be able to play the game.

Gender discrimination is shown when Monica’s mum Camille refuses to support her passion for basketball and tells her to behave like a lady. This indicates that discrimination against women's culture is deeply embedded in our society leading it to become a norm. Camille wants her daughter to follow the social pattern at the expense of her passion, though, as a mother, she is supposed to be supportive. Whenever Monica was playing in the streets with boys and became aggressive, she is told to act like a lady. But whenever a boy plays aggressively, he receives a pat from his teammates.

Secondly, we have power, which is the ability of a person to influence another person's character. In a family structure, it is the parents who are at the helm of the social fabric. As such, they have the power to influence the behavior of their children positively or negatively. In the movie Camille, Monica's mother has control over her, and she used it for discouragement. She wanted Monica to behave like what the community expects from her as a "lady."

Consequently, she shuns her passion for basketball. Quincy being the man in the relationship, has power over Monica. He expects Monica not to pursue her career in life and follow his love for him.

Lastly, we have gender inequality where men are accorded more chances to prosper in sport compared to women (Mervosh & Caron, 2019). Monica, while in college, had to clear college to get an opportunity to play. To make matters worse, the opportunity was not in the US. She had to live with her friends and family and travel to Barcelona. Quincy, on the other hand, was picked before he even finished college. The basketball team that drafted him was in the US. We are told that Monica was excellent, and it could mean that the women's national basketball association was not well developed or absent. Thus women and men are treated differently giving men more opportunities (Lisec & McDonald, 2012)

Effects of the Sociological Themes on the Plot

The sociological themes are the drivers of the plot; hence they confirm it. The discrimination that Monica's faces are the ones making her strive for greatness. When her mother discourages her, she continues playing basketball. She refuses to conform to the social stereotype of being a" lady." Without the support of parents, it is almost impossible for one to achieve his objectives in life. When playing basketball in the streets of Los Angeles, the comments men made about her aggressiveness while playing were enough to deter her. But Monica had the zeal to pursue her dreams from high school to college and even professionally. If Monica had quit, the story would have ended prematurely.

Power also drives the plot, as shown in the film. Monica's mother exerts pressure on her to quit basketball and be a lady, but she does not bend. She sticks to her gut and follows her passion. Monica was deeply in love with Quincy, but she did not let the power of love have control over her destiny. She breaks up with Quincy and continues to pursue her passion for basketball. Thus, her refusal to be swept away by the power of love and pressure from her mother has driven the movie's plot. Once Quincy had gotten into the national basket association, she could film quit school and be with Quincy.film monetary gain from Quincy career was enough to take care of her, but she did not budge.

The message portrayed by Love and Basketball

The message being spread by the film is how society is gender-biased with regards to sports. The community expects everyone to abide by the social norm that men are more masculine and, thus, can engage in more games than women. Sports can empower individuals socially and economically, but then why does society discriminate against women(Scheadler, & Wagstaff, 2018). Such stereotypes are detrimental to the emotional welfare of women. The movie is passing the message that women should not only be confined to the restrictions of family and love. They should be given a chance to pursue their dreams, no matter the sport. It can also relate to any other profession, which is male-dominated.

Claims the Movie makes about Sports in Contemporary Society.

Sports plays a pivotal role in our society. It is the source of income for individuals and a source of revenue for the government. It is a source of entertainment for millions all over the world. But as shown in the movie, it can also be a source of anguish between family members. Human beings are social, and family is essential for that purpose. Sports made the relationship between Monica and her mother to be sour. In today's society, a child would not understand why his parents are not supporting him or her, leaving the individual confused and stressed—leading to the athlete having poor mental fitness. This shown in the movie when Monica is angry while playing, which leads to her being given technical fouls.

Quincy's father wanted him to finish College before he could go pro, but Quincy wanted to be drafted as soon as possible. Consequently, there was tension between Quincy and his father. His father wanted him to have a career beyond basketball, and later we see he was right when he gets a severe injury and cannot play. In today's society, such cases are many where gifted students decide to head to professional sports straight out of high school. The media attention and the prospect of good endorsement deal cloud their judgment. They forget there is life after games, and it can happen in the blink of a second. Fathering their past academic college acts as a security in case of any eventualities.

References

Gina Prince, B. (Director). (2000).Love and Basketball [Film]. 40 Acres and a Mule Film works.

Lisec, J., & McDonald, M. (2012). Gender Inequality in the New Millennium: An Analysis of WNBA Representations in Sports Blogs. Journal of Sports Media, 7(2), 153-178. https://doi.org/10.1353/jsm.2012.0019

Mervosh, S., & Caron, C. (2019). 8 Times Women in Sports Fought for Equality. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/sports/women-sports-equality.html.

Scheadler, T., & Wagstaff, A. (2018). Exposure to Women’s Sports: Changing Attitudes toward Female Athletes. The Sport Journal. Retrieved 22 May 2020, from http://thesportjournal.org/article/exposure-to-womens-sports-changing-attitudes-toward-female-athletes/.