Brittani’s Team Pick:
Following an appearance in the Little League World Series, 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis and her 70 mph fastball remain in the spotlight as baseball’s latest phenomenon. A documentary called Throw Like A Girl reveals Davis’s entrance into organized sports and the mechanics that led her to become the first female pitcher to ever win a game at the Little League World Series. The Spike Lee directed film (and the shortened version that runs as a one minute Chevrolet ad) doesn’t stop there. While everyone in her life reports that she’s handling the attention well, it’s her demeanor rather than their insistence which makes this obvious. To me this seems possible not because she’s buying into everyone telling her that she’s great but because she just KNOWS.
One of the things I’ve taken noticed when female sports figures like Davis (often women of color) pop up is how their confidence becomes the focus. We’re made to believe it’s weird that despite clearly being excellent at what they do, women should feel insecure about their skills, underplay their achievements, or be overly thankful that people are willing to acknowledge them. It’s inspiring to see Davis so clearly stand by her opinions of herself and Lee not try to back her into coming off as incredulous of her own abilities. The south-Philly-repping Davis comes across as unshakeable, smart, and very much a kid that is playing sports because she loves it and has fun. This documentary will make you cry and you should definitely watch it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q_PF3YyZsQ
