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I chose to further examine the film Hoosiers from week 13 of class. After reviewing the film I will compare it with chapter 13 of Major Problems. Hoosiers really caught my interest as a great underdog story and that is why I chose to further study the 1986 classic. I always had heard people talk about this movie but I had never seen it. In this paper I will discuss the historical period Hoosiers is set in, compare and contrast major themes from the week, and evaluate the film based on its effectiveness.

Hoosiers is a fictional movie that is actually based on real events in a small town in Indiana. It is based on a true story but does change some of the truths, as evidenced by the ESPN article. The message I gathered from the film was that anything is possible if you can work hard and accept change. The little town of Hickory was very set in its ways and uncooperative of the new basketball coach. Once the town and players learned to accept something different, the team flourished. The argument the film presents is to never count someone out. No matter how small a school or town is, hard work can trump talent and compete with the big boys. The message of acceptance resonates with the viewer and is most likely why Hoosiers is so highly regarded as a sports movie.

The historical period that Hoosiers is set in is 1952 rural Indiana. In this time period, people are more centralized around common goals and the entire town knows when someone moves in. There are no televisions and people have to work hard for everything they have. The theme of week 13 was sport and race. In Hoosiers, the only non-white people in the entire film are the players on the opposing team in the state title game. This is most likely indicative of how it might have been in 1950’s Indiana, as there were not as many black players in the rural areas. The time period created a very over the top sense of pride for local sports teams. This was evident in Hoosiers as the entire...