The Story
(Immediate spoilers to those of you who haven’t seen A League of Their Own.)
In the climactic scene of A League of Their Own, Dottie Henson (Geena Davis) is bowled over by her sister Kit (Lori Petty ), playing for the opposing team, at home plate. She drops the catch, allowing Kit’s team to win the game-- even though we’d all witnessed her holding firm to every ball, however miraculously it was caught, for the entirety of the movie.
I recently re-watched this classic film as part of a Family Movie night with my kids. The ending was just as I’d remembered it, with one major exception. I’d always interpreted the dropped catch as a choice Dottie made to allow her sister to finally win. In the very next shot, she stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her coach, Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) as they watch Kit celebrate with her team. Dottie looks happy for her sister. I’d always believed that Dottie dropped the catch on purpose.
But when I watched it this time, I realized I was wrong. Because right before Kit hits the ball, Dottie walks up to the plate and tells the pitcher, “High fast ones. She can’t hit ‘em, she can’t lay off ‘em.” Dottie doesn’t expect Kit to hit the ball at all. When Kit does, Dottie’s expression is panicked. She catches the ball. She waits for her sister at home plate. She’s ready to win.
Now let’s talk about Kit. Throughout the entire movie, Kit is portrayed as the unlucky kid sister. Dottie is beautiful, poised, and brilliant at baseball. Kit is less talented, more klutzy, pretty but not stunning. “When you’re there, it’s like I’m not there,” she says to Dottie. The entire movie, though ostensibly focused on Dottie, is about Kit’s wanting. Kit wants to leave her hometown. Kit wants to play for the league. Kit wants to shine.
Dottie has the talent, but Kit has the heart.
In the final match-up, heart wins. Kit legitimately bowls Dottie over at home plate, not because Dottie dropped the catch, but because Kit made her drop it. She wins, fair and square. Giving agency to Dottie in that moment is to rob Kit of her gift.
The movie begins and ends with Dottie looking back on her time in the league, as she travels to Cooperstown to celebrate the opening of the Professional Girl’s Baseball League wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Dottie is grieving for her husband, Bob (Bill Pullman), who had been serving in Italy during WWII throughout most of the 1943 portion of the movie. Bob, it’s clear, is the one who has her heart. She leaves the baseball league after the one season— tried to leave it early, in fact— so that she can go home with Bob and have children. “I don’t need this,” she says to Jimmy, even though he tells her, “You play like you love it.”
I was never a big fan of the 1990s section of the movie in the past. I thought it unnecessary. But this time, I saw what the movie wanted me to see. Dottie is regretful. She knew she had talent, but she didn’t have the heart— at least, not for baseball. Kit, having less talent but more heart, was the clear winner of this story. Kit won the game. Kit stayed in the league. And Kit comes in at the end with an entire baseball team’s worth of grandchildren. Dottie didn’t think she could have it all. She didn’t have the heart to try.
I have a lot of sympathy for Dottie. She’s the older sister; Kit, to some extent, is allowed some naiveté. But Dottie’s husband is in the war. And Dottie knows how this country treats women. The movie is full of put-downs to women, from the way Jimmy slaps the female team manager’s behind, to the crass comments made by the recruiter (Jon Lovitz), to the way the girls have to put on a show of femininity just to get viewers in the seats. Dottie is skeptical. And maybe this takes away a little of her heart. Maybe having heart is a privilege allowed by circumstance.
Still, there’s a lesson for us here. Being good at something isn’t enough. You gotta want it. And if you don’t want what you have…. what DO you want?
The Character Trait
When someone is said to "have heart," it means that they approach life with passion, sincerity, and a strong sense of purpose. Living with heart means having the courage to face challenges and take risks; the determination to persist toward meaningful goals; the resilience to overcome adversity and advance with a positive mindset; and demonstrate compassion for others on a similar journey.
Let’s Do Some Stuff Together
This week, contemplate where your heart lies. Is it in your job? Your children? A hobby? All of the above? Draw a literal heart shape and, inside it, write all the things you hold in your heart. Then post it somewhere you’ll see it regularly.
Here’s what my heart contains:
My immediate family (husband/kids)
My extended family
Teaching
Writing
Reading
Music
Want more?
If you’re a parent, watch A League of Their Own with your kids and have a conversation about Kit and Dottie. Whom do they resonate with?
If you’re a teacher, find out what your students are most passionate about. Where do their hearts lie?
If you’re a writer/creator, try writing or creating a pairing like Kit and Dottie to show the risks and rewards of leading with your heart.
How did this work for you? Leave a comment below, and you might be featured in next week’s newsletter!
Last Week’s Leftovers
Last week, I wrote about Ted Lasso and Dory the Fish, and the “Goldfish Mindset” that helps us stay present. Did you try the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise? I used it a few times over the week, and it brought me back into my body immediately.
Stuff You Might Like To Know
I’m currently reading Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson and Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke (yes, really!).
I’m listening to the “Instrumental holiday” playlist on Apple Music, and LOVING Chris Botti’s trumpet solos.
I’m watching ALL the Christmas movies: Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Vacation, Christmas in Connecticut, Holiday Inn (including a discussion of a problematic scene with my kids), and, my favorite, White Christmas.
Here’s to us, in all of our imperfect, striving goodness.
Keep hoping. Keep caring. Keep trying.