Hoosiers attempts to reconstruct the "Milan Miracle" of 1954 in which the Milan Indians, a school of 161 students, defeated Muncie Central, with an enrollment of over 2,000 students, for the Indiana boys' state basketball championship. Hoosiers is also a classic American movie which portrays the culture of that time greatly. However, many of these cultural aspects, both material and non-material, have changed in the past 50 years.
Milan's victory was a classic story in which the underdog, through hard work and high spirits, defeats the seemingly invincible adversary. This plot line, although created 20 or so years ago, is still seen in movies today. The theme of the movie itself fits in with today's non-material culture, but that is the only thing in the movie that still does. One of the utmost important factors in the movie, besides basketball, is racial differences. When Muncie Central's basketball team reaches the court, all of the African American players, which is the whole team, are seen as tough giants next to the scrawny Milan Caucasians.
Pie chart of religions of African Americans
Film Production
English: 1954 Indiana High School Basketball Champ...This points out that at the time, African Americans were discriminated against, though possibly not in a completely negative way, as they were supposedly known to all be the best at playing basketball. This is also shown as Muncie Central's basketball team is making jump shots, while Milan's is barely keeping up with them as they run up and down the court. Today, African Americans are less seen this way in our minds. When someone pictures an African American, they may think of their doctor, neighbor, or teacher, and not just a basketball star from a poor area. This is due to the fact that there is now more racial equality and less prejudice in people's minds.
Another non-material change through the years is family...