Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2012 March 9

= March 9 =

Women and professional sports organizations
Has there ever been a woman in the NFL, NBA, NHL, or Major League Baseball and if not, is there some express rule disallowing it, like they way the Olympics have mens and womens events? Lanytei (talk) 00:10, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Manon Rhéaume played in two preseason games for the Tampa Bay Lightning. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:19, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * I googled the topic for major league baseball, and the general consensus seems to be that while there is no rule, there is virtually no chance. Where are used in men's sports (as with the goaltender, or the woman who played in Mike Veeck's independent Northern League), generally it's a publicity stunt. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:55, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Not in a North American league, but Hayley Wickenheiser played some professional league games in Sweden and Finland. Adam Bishop (talk) 09:15, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * In 1995, Sal Rees caused controversy for applying for the 1995 AFL Draft. The draft was later amended to disallow women from taking part. - From Victorian Women's Football League. I know this isn't American, but I thought you might find it interesting.
 * Most insurance companies refuse to insure adult female athletes playing contact sports against male opponents. It's considered too dangerous, injury-wise. As such, NFL would probably be out of the question. In non-contact or limited-contact sports, it's different. Netball (which is limited-contact) has mixed competitions, although it's mostly a female game. I could imagine a rare exceptionally talented female Cricket or Baseball player being admitted to a (otherwise) male competition. Don't know if it's ever happened at the high levels, though. I could also imagine a talented woman being a goalkeeper in soccer, as it mostly requires reflexes rather than strength. Not sure what FIFA rules say, but I doubt a woman would be allowed in a male team in international competition. They do play practice games against each other sometimes, though (I gather).
 * This list might be interesting. Of the ten, seven are Tennis players. There's one figure-skater, racing driver, and golf player. Previously, there's been a surfer (Stephanie Gilmore), and (at great effort) two basketball players. They only made it by playing in two different competitions, from what I remember.
 * As to Tennis (a non-contact sport, obviously), see Battle of the Sexes (tennis). It becomes obvious quite quickly why, in general, it doesn't work very well.
 * Women beat men at flexibility, so they'd have a significant advantage at Gymnastics, potentially, if they were allowed to compete against each other. Their well-known weak spot is generally upper-body strength.
 * Interestingly, when I did practical self-defence training (mixed classes), the instructor insisted the girls learn to "take down a guy". He said that if the girls only train against other females, it reduces the effectiveness (as the likely rapist or assailant they'd face in the real world would be male). In that context, I'd say it makes very good sense. 58.111.224.202 (talk) 13:27, 10 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Ann Meyers signed a contract with, and practiced with, the Indiana Pacers of the NBA, but she never appeared in any games. -- Jayron  32  04:26, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Question about morals (messages) in the movies 42nd Street (1933), and Cavalcade (1933)
Is there a moral (message) in "42nd Street" and "Cavalcade" (this is the "Cavalcade" I'm referring to, not the 2005 film: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Z4mW9jlD7kY/)? If yes, what is it? And the theme was that love can make even the toughest being soft. Just like the theme of Romeo and Juliet is that love conquers all deep at the heart. And I'm interested in 1933, because that's a golden year (for film, at least). :) 98.234.170.206 (talk) 05:05, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * For example, the moral of The Tortoise and the Hare is "Slow and steady wins the race". And the moral (theme) of King Kong is "No matter how tough you are, love can make you soft". 98.234.170.206 (talk) 02:13, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Very funny. The theme of King Kong was something about beauty killing the beast. So, what's with this obsession with 1933? :) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:04, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Who says that was the theme? I've usually read that the real "theme" of King Kong was racism. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 12:36, 9 March 2012 (UTC)
 * 42nd Street (musical) is arguably about how anybody can be a star in the wonderful theater system of the wonderful USA as long as they don't give up, keep on smiling etc: it's similar to the Horatio Alger success story that's a key part of the American dream. I've not seen Cavalcade (1933 film), but it seems to be about the virtues of the British middle class and how you should keep your chin up and hold on and be cheerful and accept your position as part of an orderly social system.  Both films would seem to have messages for the Great Depression.  I'm sure if you find a book on 1930s commercial cinema you'll get better information, because this is the sort of thing film historians love to write about. --Colapeninsula (talk) 15:10, 9 March 2012 (UTC)