My favorite sports movie is probably "The Sandlot". The movie is a classic, and it certainly includes aspects of friendship and the idea of nerds or smaller, nonathletic kids getting something thought unattainable. The theme is a group of friends playing pick-up games of baseball and having to deal with conflict with other children and with "The Beast". They grow together as a group and it shows how struggles can bring friends together. The lonely boy Smalls finally fits in and feels accepted. The goofy nerd gets the hot lifeguard to smile at him with his little trick. Benny is the leader and becomes the superstar, and he is hailed as the perfect character in the story, heroic and talented. They face difficult odds in retrieving the signed ball from the dog, but they work together and do their best to reach their goal (although in a roundabout way). There is even the classic "magical negro" in the story, a blind man who owns the dog and helps the kids out when they work up the courage to ask. He offers them insight and assistance, and seems extremely wise even as poor and blind as he is.

You notice stereotypes in the story such as the skinny, lonely loser who doesn't play sports and is not very good at anything it seems other than school. He longs to fit in, but has to face the stereotypical group of jocks who are reluctant to accept him, but his assistance in their conflicts helps him gain their friendship. The boys have fun playing and hanging out, and they come closer than ever. Benny "The Jet" remains the seemingly perfect character who everyone longs to be. He is the most athletic of the group and is one of the kindest, most modest people in the story. He never shows the cockiness or arrogance of typical superstars, and is a genuine person who was willing to put himself in potential danger to help a new friend who was very desperate. He had nothing to gain, and this stereotypical perfect person is common in many sports movies. Klosterman mentions in his essay ideas of fake reality, and Benny many be one who illustrates this as he is a rare occurrence in the sports world.