Sports Heroines on Film: A Critical Study of Cinematic Women Athletes, Coaches and Owners

It’s hard to find females in leading roles as athletes, coaches and owners in sports film story lines. With an abundance of male-focused stories, Hollywood continues to reinforce the association of athleticism with masculinity. Portrayals of women in prominent roles indicate social attitudes and values and—when looked at over time—also show what influence the women’s movement has had on cinematic representation and social understandings. This discussion of sports film heroines begins with …