Beyond the Scoreboard: Five Films Exploring the Values of Sport
The Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at UAB, at the proposal of Professor Ludovico Longhi, presents a film cycle that explores how sport, on the big screen, transcends competition to become a metaphor for personal growth, identity, and dignity. Screenings will take place at the UAB Cinema Hall on selected Wednesdays at 12 noon, between October 8 and December 10. Admission is free, but limited to the hall’s seating capacity.
Sport, often associated with results and rankings, can be much more than mere competition. With the cycle Beyond the Scoreboard (Cinema, Sport and Values), a cinematic perspective is offered that reveals sport as a stage for personal conflict, social struggle, and the search for meaning.
The initiative, led by Professor Ludovico Longhi and the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising, brings together five films that offer powerful and diverse narratives.
In The Natural (Barry Levinson, 1984), baseball becomes myth and moral dilemma; A League of Their Own (Penny Marshall, 1992) opens the playing field to female empowerment; 42 (Brian Helgeland, 2013) sheds light on the fight against racial discrimination; Hoosiers (David Anspaugh, 1986) shows how a humble team can symbolize community strength; and Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson, 1981) turns the race into a quest for identity, faith, and personal integrity. Together, these films invite us to see sport as a metaphor for life and a mirror of the values that sustain it.
This cycle not only celebrates sports cinema but also encourages reflection on the values behind every goal, every race, and every throw. Sporting glory becomes a metaphor for life, and success, more than a medal, is about staying true to one’s principles.
Screenings will take place at the UAB Cinema Hall on selected Wednesdays at 12 noon, between October 8 and December 10. Admission is free, but limited to the hall’s seating capacity. You can check the screening dates on this page.