As our class has been watching the movie, "Sugar", a variety of themes keep jumping out at me. The two major themes that continue to resonate with me are "the American Dream" and "the Ruthless Nature of Professional Sports." In the movie, Sugar not only works incredibly hard to get recruited in America and play professional baseball, but he also is challenged by the pressure to continue proving his skills with the sobering awareness of stiff competition and talented players from his own country ready to take his spot.
In the beginning of the movie, Sugar is playing baseball at a training camp in the Dominican Republic with the dream of one day making it to the "States". A scene that stuck out to me from the movie was when Sugar came back to visit his family from the training camp and all the little boys in the neighborhood rushed to see if he had any bats and baseballs to play with. All of the little boys seemed to look up to Sugar and sort of aspired to be in his position. I think that baseball in the movie is more than just a simple sport or past-time to Dominican culture. Baseball is more like a ticket out of poverty and destitution, especially for young men growing up in the Dominican Republic. In the scene where Sugar is had a conversation with his girlfriend about what he would do if he got recruited to the United States, he talked about his desire to have a nice Cadillac and send money to his family, so that they could live in better conditions. For Sugar, "the American Dream" is fulfilling his desire to become a successful baseball player and giving himself and his family the stability and luxuries they have always dreamed of. Sugar's conception of the American Dream draws a parallel to Rocky Balboa's conception of the American Dream in the sense that they both consist of the idea that hard-work and persistence are they keys to success in America.
As the movies progresses, Sugar performs so well at the training camp in Arizona that he is recruited to play for the Iowa Swing baseball team. At the beginning of his stay in Iowa, Sugar struggles with acclimating to living with a white, religious family and familiarizing himself with the language and culture of the United States. In the scene where Sugar is having trouble ordering food at the restaurant, the waitress brings out three different types of eggs and teaches Sugar the word for each one. Despite her kindness, Sugar's vulnerability is as clear as day and it is obvious that his disconnection with the English language is a tremendous burden. The movie highlights a budding relationship between Sugar and Anne, the young girl whose family is housing Sugar. Although Anne is able to connect with Sugar better than anyone in her family, he still can't truly fit in to her circle of friends and enjoy the same activities.
Not only is Sugar affected by the immense challenges of adapting to American culture, but he quickly realizes the cut-throat nature of professional sports as well. He got his first taste when his good friend and mentor was cut from the team because he wasn't playing well as a result of a leg injury. Sugar believed his friend's release was unfair and that he deserved a second chance. But soon Sugar realizes that there are rarely second chances in baseball. Subsequently, Sugar's other good friend from home is recruited to the team and quickly moves ahead of Sugar in terms of skill . I think it was ironic how Sugar advised his friend when he arrived to "not take himself too seriously because it's just a game." Eventually, the cheers for Sugar turn into boos, and Sugar finds himself desperately trying to reignite the flame that got him to where he was.
Our class stopped at the scene where Sugar was being reprimanded for destroying the training area as the pressure became too overbearing. I am looking forward to seeing if Sugar will be able to regain his momentum or eventually be released from the team. Can Sugar find his way in the "Land of Opportunity"?
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