As a woman who grew up in Massillon, I can honestly say that I never felt that women were not encouraged to strive for success. In fact, just the opposite. By "success," I don't mean "marrying one of the football players and live the life of a miners wife," either. I was always encouraged by my teachers and coaches to strive to be the best I can, and was given many opportunities to do so. Is Massillon perfect? Hardly. No town is. However, I can say that education was stressed along with the sports. I went through the Massillon school system for all except for a few years, and those few years I was in a private school. I actually came BACK to the Massillon school system for the specific classes that I could take there that were related to my college major (that the private school didn't have, by the way). Also, I worked in the high school as a private contractor for a couple of years and I can honestly say that the teachers I was lucky enough to work with were HUGE on stressing the importance of education, honor, and also discipline. Boys and girls were both encouraged to do their best.
As for the boys: yes, it's true that not every boy is athletically inclined. It's also true that there is a huge amount of pressure for them to play football, and honestly, I know very few who didn't play at some point, even if just junior high. I personally feel there is too much pressure in that area, but that doesn't mean that there are not other options for non-athletes to do great things in the town (and beyond).
Anyway, the point is, I'm sorry that you got such a bad impression of how women are treated there. I never experienced that myself. I currently live out of state, but I will always have a special spot in my heart for the town, it's people and the encouragement that they have always given me (and still continue to do).
P.S. One thing I am proud of is that Massillon also has a rich history and tradition in the arts fields, which is something you don't see everywhere, and it is encouraged. They are well known for it in Ohio, particularly the music program. As a matter of fact, would you believe that my senior year, 5 of the 10 boys in our showchoir (of all things) were football players? They were also all in theater. That's not something you see in every school district. Just an aside, because it's something I'm very proud of. :-)
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bootblack987
9 years ago
Thanks for your post, dpsanima. I had similar feelings to that of the OP. I did feel the movie was objective in showing football and Massillon from different perspectives, but they do have less than two hours to provide a LOT of information. I enjoyed hearing more about Massillon and how it has more to offer than what we got to see in the movie.
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