Bull Durham

Bull Durham is a 1988 American movie about love and baseball. It is based upon the minor league experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton. Bull Durham stars Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. It depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor league baseball team in Durham, North Carolina. Also featured are Robert Wuhl and Max Patkin, the "Clown Prince of Baseball."

Cultural Impact

Bull Durham became a minor hit when released, and has since been considered one of the best, if not the best, sports movie ever made. It became a major career moment for the lead cast members. Costner especially would later play baseball players and fans in other movies, especially Field of Dreams. After Durham came out Hollywood began releasing more sports, and especially baseball, movies after the genre had slipped from view.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many quotes and scenes have become popular, including the scene where the team's manager berates the players as 'lollygaggers' in the shower, the scene where Crash creates a 'rain-out' so his teammates can have a day off a grueling road trip, and the pitching mound scene where the entire team gathers to discuss how to fix all the curses and bad luck they're having, as well as figuring out what to get a fellow teammate for his impending wedding.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most of all, it revived interest in minor league baseball, which had been stagnating in small-town areas for decades, to where minor league teams achieve decent attendance and are even subject to relocation/bidding wars between communities. The Durham Bulls team itself in real-life has become one of the most famous minor league teams in the United States (topped only by the Birmingham Barons during the years Michael Jordan tried baseball), and has moved from A (Single-A rookie) level to AAA (players who are one call away from 'The Show') status, complete with a larger stadium built in the 1990s to accommodate the growing crowds and the shift to AAA as a minor league affiliate to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (during the film's time period, the Bulls were with the Atlanta Braves).

Related Topics:
Birmingham Barons - Michael Jordan - Stadium - Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Atlanta Braves

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~