I was watching TV with my little brother the other day and
he took it upon himself for me to find us a good movie. He’s a 6-year-old who has
probably watched every popular kid’s movie so as much pressure that I was
under, I resorted to my childhood. Luckily, I ran into The Sandlot by David
Mickey Evans. I could only remember great things about it and I thought it
could teach him a thing or two. However, after watching it and paying close
attention I was in for a surprise.
The Sandlot has many wonderful things to teach children such
as the value of friendship and persistence but it also has some questionable
scenes that are still relevant. It mirrors how kids in the 60’s can be
similarly influenced to kids in our current time period.
The Sandlot starts off by introducing Scotty Smalls and his
family moving in to the neighborhood. Smalls’ mother suggests he should go out,
make new friends and get into trouble just like any other kid his age would. That’s
when Benny “the Jet” Rodriguez takes him under his wing and introduces him to
the rest of the baseball buddies. Even though Smalls isn’t much of a baseball player
he is desperate to learn and practice the love for the game in order to make
the team. They play baseball everyday in a field behind several fenced homes. On
days it gets too hot they go the local pool to take a break and fantasize over
Wendy Peffercorn. She is the lifeguard and aside from being out of their league,
she is also way older than they are. Earlier in the movie when Yeah-Yeah and
Squints are outside of a store, Wendy is approaching them in slow motion.
Squints can’t help but to lock eyes with her and focus all of his attention on
her. The camera then proceeds to zoom in on her ass as she continues to walk across
the street and they emphasize the attention by Squints pulling out his glasses
to see clearer. This threw me off because as a little girl I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t register
how women’s bodies are heavily sexualized in movies regardless of the targeted
audience. Young boys are taught to glorify women for their attributes as
opposed to their personalities. Wendy could have been played by a much younger
girl but it would have been morally wrong to sexualize a little girl. However,
it is acceptable and desirable for boys to fantasize over women at a very young
age. When the roles are switched it only works in favor for boys.
Another scene that stuck out to me the most was when they all decide
to go to the carnival one night to celebrate their latest game victory. Before
they proceed to the mechanical rides one of them pulls out a bag of Big Chief which
he describes as, “the best”. Smalls is killing them because he has no clue what
it is or even worse, what to do with it. They all burst out laughing and
further explain that it is chewing tobacco. They also say all the pros do it
and gives a great deal of energy. Their love for baseball was so great they
wanted to be just like the men in the major leagues. I was shocked at the fact
that they actually allowed children to advertise a product that is illegal to
minors. This issue is still relevant in today’s society because in accordance
to Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers
Society approximately 33 percent of Major Leaguers use smokeless tobacco.
They
are trying to ban smokeless tobacco from all major league ticketed
events but some players are speaking out about it. They feel like their rights
are being taken from them but I believe they are professionals with an image to
uphold. Many children look up to them therefore they should take their habits
all the way home!
Overall, I had some explaining to do to my little brother but we both
enjoyed it very much. Even though, some parts in the film didn’t seem age appropriate
I can agree that most children are aware and exposed to similar things. It is
our duty to properly educate them but it serves as a reminder that children are
curious and will do things behind their parent’s backs. They have huge
imaginations and are always willing to try new things. This 60’s inspired
comedy did a great job at exploring the value of childhood. Some of the kids
moved away, others became working members in society, a sportscaster and Benny
a famous MLB player. The sandlot inspires children to enjoy the simple things
in life with great people and above all, follow your dreams.
Reference:
Images, K. D. (2016, April 5). A Surprisingly High Number of Major League Baseball Players Still Chew Tobacco. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/04/how-many-major-leaguers-use-smokeless-tobacco.html
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