The last thing I want to see when my husband and kids join in little giantThe classic underdog story from 1994 about a defender named Becky. Well, to be precise, “Becky “Fridge” O’Shea”. She’s a force to be reckoned with on and off the football field at Pee Wee, and she’s (*gasp*) a girl.
As a mother of four sons and then a daughter, for nearly a decade I fought back every time someone told them not to throw or scream like a girl, every time they skipped a WNBA game in favor of watching one , this has always been my personal mission.
But, like many classic shows, it seems like I learned more in two hours of movie night than I did in the 9, 8, 6 and 4 years of their lives. I often rewatch that movie (because of my fascination with it) and deconstruct the plot and Becky’s character to find out why.
That’s why this film is a forward-thinking work of feminist art—and one that has stood the test of time, whereas so many gender-based stories don’t.
She has a secret love, and She puts down bullies.
Wait what? Girls want to be seen as attractive, beautiful, and popular, but also want to appear serious a few minutes later? Betsy has a huge crush on Junior, who says he’s more of the “cheerleader” type… and that trying to practice kissing with her is gross. My sons saw her heartbreak and rejection. They also saw her covering a bully with dirt from a cart after pushing him into a lake. Writing a one-dimensional badass character is par for the course. But one sensitive, multifaceted young woman shows that breaking into a man’s world doesn’t stop you from expressing your femininity.
She tries to be someone she’s not… until she can’t.
When my sons watched Betsy try to be a boy’s cheerleader, their faces said it all – they felt uncomfortable seeing Betsy in a cheerleading dress. My kids felt a sense of relief when she rushed back onto the court in her dress, resuming her rightful role as a defender, defending her team. Even Kevin O’Shea, the opposing team’s coach and her own uncle, declared, “That’s my niece Becky. She’s pissed.” When her crush finally emerges (even without the cheerleading skirt), we watch The only way out is to be true to yourself.
She inspires other women *and* men to be better.
Betsy changes her father, and by the end of the film, inspired by Betsy’s bravery, the father pursues his crush. She’s also the reason the cheerleading coach and Kevin’s wife show up at the end – cheering for Becky’s team despite her husband’s shock and protests. When her uncle cuts her and other misfits, she urges her father to form a rival team. My sons watched with wide eyes as Becky not only played a “boys sport” but took the lead in building an entire team from scratch (and then beat the perennial champ).
She is not just in a “token” position. She is a defender.
Thirty years later, we’ve seen examples of women serving as high school kickers, but few girls have been directly involved in combat. Betsy is not a kicker; She is a defender. This immediately gained the respect of my team and taught them the ultimate lesson: Girls don’t have to be half-participants when entering boys’ “territory”—they can be the stars of the team.
Classes moved off-site.
My son wanted a Caitlin Clark jersey shortly after seeing this movie. Another son started teaching my 1.5 year old daughter how to throw a football. A third asked why women weren’t in the NFL and later asked why a woman wasn’t president of the United States. I want to thank Becky O’Shea for raising these questions.
