I don’t know about you, but the 1990’s were a time of great importance in my life.  They were my childhood; a time when I learned up from down, right from left, and right from wrong. As much as my family and friends influenced my sense of morality, I tend to recall another vital driving force in my development: my collection of sports movies.

When I was a kid, my little brother and I spent many afternoons and weekends in front of the TV.  We would pop in a VHS and plop ourselves on the living room rug.  At the time, all we knew was that we enjoyed our assortment of good-hearted family flicks; we had no clue how much we would take away from the Mighty Ducks‘ saga that began in 1992 or Johnny K’s (grandson of Johnny Tsunami’s) arduous quest for acceptance in 1999.  However, I know now that these movies, along with many others, taught me some valuable life lessons that remain with me to this day.

Lesson 1: Hard work and perseverance pay off.  Underdogs CAN achieve greatness.

The Big Green, the Little Giants, the Jamaican Bobsled Team, the (Mighty) Ducks, Twins (Little Big League), and the Angels (in the Outfield).  Nobody expected these teams to win in their respectable films.  But, each gang of misfits was able to triumph over the naturally gifted, and they all did it through hard work and determination (and perhaps a little Emilio Estevez sprinkled around).   The teams came together because they all had heart, and that was enough to make them truly great.

Lesson 2: Never forget the value of your family and friends.  Remain humble and grounded no matter the heights you reach.

Sure, when young Billy Heywood (the boy wonder manager of Little Big League) was given the opportunity to lunch with Reggie Jackson, he didn’t think twice about the friends waiting for him back at home. He left Chuck and Joey high and dry, and alienated himself.  Billy eventually realized his friends didn’t want apologies in the form of autographed balls; they wanted their friend back.  As Billy made the mature decision to step down as the manager of the Minnesota Twins and return to his life as a kid, he proved that nothing was more important than sticking to your roots.

The Ducks learned that same lesson when they returned to the ice in D2: The Mighty Ducks.  Since they had proved their worth in part one of their chronicle, The Ducks were given the chance to represent the U.S. in the Junior Goodwill Games.  Not used to their new celebrity, the boys and Coach Gordon Bombay let it inflate their egos.  It took an embarrassing loss and a street hockey team to bring them back to reality.

After an attitude change, the once more humble squad came back through the brackets to redeem themselves and win the tournament. In the end, it was most important to remember that, ”when the wind blows hard and the sky is black — Ducks fly together!

Lesson 3: Hope, dream, and have a little faith.

When I feel insecure and uncertain, I turn to Angels in the Outfield.  I picture little J.P. turning to me and cracking a smile. “Hey! It could happen,” he exclaims, and I know everything will turn out all right in the end.

Really, anything can happen.  Just look at Rookie of the Year, Henry Rowengartner.  He thought his social life was over when he clumsily broke his arm in front of the girl he liked.  But, the incident landed him a pitching gig for the Chicago Cubs, and his jubilant spirit reenergized the team all the way through to a World Series Championship.

Henry had faith in his team, and they had faith in him.  Together, they were able to do something no one had thought possible (in the movie, of course — the Cubs are still terrible).

Lesson 4: Remain brave in the face of adversity.  Confidence is key in overcoming obstacles.

Cool Runnings changed whom I’m able to see when I look in the mirror.  Eye to eye with myself, “I see Pride! I see Power! I see a badass mother who don’t take no crap off of nobody!”  Yul Brenner (the Jamaican bobsledder, not the King of Siam) spoke those powerful words to his teammate when no one else believed their Jamaican bobsled team could compete in the Olympics. It paid off, as they were able to show the world that no amount of ridicule or hardship could overtake their dignity.

Climate change was also an issue Johnny K had to deal with.  For a young surfing champion, Hawaii was the perfect place to live; Vermont was not. And, being the new kid at Sky Academy wasn’t easy either. When his fellow “Skies” gave him trouble over his friendship with the “Urchins,” he turned to his legendary grandfather for advice.  After a consult, Johnny knew he could defeat his nemesis Brett in a race to desegregate the town mountain.

Even though he was new to snowboarding, Johnny trusted his skills.  Confidence had brought him glory in the past, and it would continue to in his future.

Lesson 5: Accept others for who they are and do not judge them based on preconceived notions.

According to legend, Mr. Mertle was the “meanest old man that ever lived.”  He lived next door to The Sandlot and he was the one who ordered “The Beast” to eat kids and criminals alike.  But, when the boys were actually forced to talk to him, they found out he wasn’t mean at all.  In fact, he got them out of the trouble they were in and they bonded over his old baseball stories.  Fooor-evvvv-er.

Reminiscing about my childhood brought a question to mind: What happened to this genre?  Family movies seem to have gone in a much different direction in the last decade.  Animated films pop up more and more frequently, and that could be attributed to technological advances in filmmaking itself.  But, that makes me ask whom real kids are supposed to look up to in these films: Spongebob Squarepants and Wall-E?

Even the non-animated films don’t seem the same.   Yes, The Rookie was made at the beginning of this decade, but that doesn’t count; Disney grandfathered Dennis Quaid in from his Parent Trap days.  So, it seems that Herbie Fully Loaded may be the only sports-related children’s movie to have come out lately.  While she was also a part of that great 1998 hit, Lindsay Lohan cannot even begin to compare to Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez as a role model.  She never gave us such pearls of wisdom as the ones Benny chose to live by, “There’s heroes and there’s legends.  Heroes get remembered but legends never die.  Follow your heart kid, and you’ll never go wrong.”

Katrina Gaudier is a senior at Drexel University. She is studying English and Philosophy and is expected to graduate in June of 2010.

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