Introduction
Social issues such as systemic racism and discrimination penetrate deeply into all layers of social activity, including education and sports. In a system predominantly ruled by white males, Black youth face a large set of obstacles preventing them from succeeding in competing with their white counterparts. The issue is especially evident in the fields of sports and education, where insufficient academic progress prevents Black male students from reaching their full athletic potential.
Plot Summary
The film The Blind Side is based on the real-life story of American football player Michael Oher. The film shows how support from Tuohy’s white family contributed to Oher’s success as a professional sportsman. From the age of seven, Oher changed many foster families after he was taken from his mother, who struggled with drug addiction. Tuohy provided Oher with the necessary conditions to improve his progress at school, giving him access to play football. However, the film only partially touches on critical social issues and themes, contributing to the audience’s misperception of the problems of racism and discrimination in education and sports.
Structural Racism
Firstly, considering the issue of structural racism, the film emphasizes Tuohy’s charity and good intentions towards Oher without focusing on the role of the wealthy white population in the endorsement of racial discrimination in the country. Thus, although the film conveys Oher’s gratitude to the Tuohy family, it creates an unnecessarily strong contrast between wealthy white people and the disadvantaged Black community (Hancock, 2009). Furthermore, the film features harmful stereotypes about the criminal and violent tendencies of Black men. Moreover, the film’s emphasis on Oher’s protective instincts questions the intelligence of all Black men, contributing to the further development of negative racial stereotypes.
Racial Stereotypes
Next, continuing the theme of negative racial stereotypes about the mental capacity of Black people, the film does not address the social problem of the quality of education for minority students. The level of education in schools does not allow teachers to study the basics with individual students. In Oher’s case, consultations with a tutor provided by Tuohy gave him the guidance he needed for learning. However, the film positions the situation so that it appears that the expensive services of a good tutor made Oher smarter than he initially was.
Social Barriers
Lastly, the film does not address the issue of a social barrier that Black students can only overcome through athletic achievements. According to Singer (2019), there are many stories in which Black boys were forced to play sports early to become professional athletes and support their families in the future. In such cases where a young Black student’s family seeks social mobility through their athletic performance, there is a high possibility that the individual will become exploited by their family and coaches in the future. Thus, sports and racism issues are closely connected because for many minority families, a professional career in sports presents the sole opportunity for social mobility. However, the film overlooks this issue, prioritizing the influence of the Tuohy family on Oher’s choice of college in the plot.
Conclusion
Therefore, the critical analysis of connections between the themes of gender, racism, and sports in The Blind Side led to the conclusion that the film creates an erroneous impression about critical social problems. The film prioritizes the display of the Tuohy family’s charity. It contrasts it with the lives of disadvantaged families from racial minorities without addressing the issue of structural racism in American society. Furthermore, the film features negative stereotypes about Black people’s intelligence without focusing on the issue of racial discrimination in the education system. Lastly, the film spreads the negative perception of sporting achievements as the only means of social mobility for racial minorities.
References
Hancock, J. L. (2009). The Blind Side [Film]. Alcon Entertainment.
Singer, J. N. (2019). Race, sports, and education: Improving opportunities and outcomes for Black male college athletes.Harvard Education Press.