The Sandlot
The Sandlot is probably one of the most beloved sports movies of all time. "Since its release on both VHS and DVD, the film has become a cult favorite," (IMDb). Although it didn't have the best equipment, actors, or effects, it is still a classic, and there are many that watch this movie and it brings back nostalgic memories of their days at their very own sandlot. However, this film is much deeper than the comical nature of the script. It tells of a band of brothers, very different from each other, brought together by the one thing they had in common: their love for baseball. Although it may seem that the kids are just, well, kids, you can see the family-like nature of their relationship. When one of the boys gets into trouble, the other eight are there to back him up. When one of the boys gets into it with another team, all of the other guys are there to defend him. And even though they may have risked their lives to get that priceless Babe Ruth ball back from the other side of the fence, they would have done it for any other ball had Smalls cared about it that much.
This is an amazing example of some of the most important benefits of team sports. These kids keep busy following Mrs. Smalls' advice to her son to "run around, scrape your knees, get dirty. Climb trees, hop fences. Get into trouble, for crying out loud." They get more than their fair share of physical activity over the summer, but there's more to it than that. The common misconception with any team sports is that most people think that they are "just a game." However, this could not be farther from the truth. It is indeed a game, but it is so much more than that. These boys built a life-long friendship, as do lots of teammates in any other sports. They work together as a unit, they all respect each other, they all learn certain traits and develop certain qualities that Smalls would have missed out on had he not joined the rest of the gang at the sandlot all summer. Smalls even admits througout the movie through his narration how different his life would be had he not spent his summers at the sandlot.
These boys were more than just a team. They were a family. This is apparent in the ending, when the main character, Smalls, narrates how although all of the guys may have left from the sandlot, he still kept in touch with them. You can hear the emotion in Smalls' voice when he tells of everything that happened to each of the boys, and how he wishes he could go back to the simpler days.
This is an amazing example of some of the most important benefits of team sports. These kids keep busy following Mrs. Smalls' advice to her son to "run around, scrape your knees, get dirty. Climb trees, hop fences. Get into trouble, for crying out loud." They get more than their fair share of physical activity over the summer, but there's more to it than that. The common misconception with any team sports is that most people think that they are "just a game." However, this could not be farther from the truth. It is indeed a game, but it is so much more than that. These boys built a life-long friendship, as do lots of teammates in any other sports. They work together as a unit, they all respect each other, they all learn certain traits and develop certain qualities that Smalls would have missed out on had he not joined the rest of the gang at the sandlot all summer. Smalls even admits througout the movie through his narration how different his life would be had he not spent his summers at the sandlot.
These boys were more than just a team. They were a family. This is apparent in the ending, when the main character, Smalls, narrates how although all of the guys may have left from the sandlot, he still kept in touch with them. You can hear the emotion in Smalls' voice when he tells of everything that happened to each of the boys, and how he wishes he could go back to the simpler days.