The vamp, the homebody, and the upstart: Women and the language of baseball films

Abstract

If the notion of "baseball moves" seems like an oxymoron (Fuller, 1990), adding dimensions of gender and language might make them seem all the more so-especially if one considers that, in the more than 100 baseball films produced in the United States since Thomas Edison’s Ball Game of 1896, women have been stereotypically portrayed. According to sports historians Zucker and Babich (1987, p.23), they "Generally fit into one of three categories: The Vamp, who causes the hero’s downfall; The Homebody, who suffers with the athlete and wants him to quit; and The Upstart, who dares to enter the world of sports and is ridiculed for her efforts.".