The early 90s classic, A League of Their Own has had fans debating one pivotal scene between sisters Dottie and Kit for three decades now. Released in 1992, the film is beloved for its ensemble cast and tough-girl comedy built around the story of two sisters and the creation of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). However, the most important scene in the film has left viewers wondering for years.
Set in 1943, tells the true story of the beginnings of women's professional baseball. As is shown in the movie, women were recruited from all over the country, including the real-life Dottie (Dorothy “Kammie” Kamenshek), named Dottie Hinson in the film. A League of Their Own fictionalizes from there, giving Dottie a younger sister, Kit, who spends most of her time in the shadow of her gorgeous and talented big sister. The rivalry between them grows over the course of the film until Kit suffers the ultimate blow and is traded to the Racine Belles. When the sisters go to the World Series on different teams, Kit is determined to finally outshine Dottie and viciously plows her sister down while Dottie is guarding home plate, ball in hand.
The 30-year debate spawns from the moment when Dottie (played by season 11 alumna, Geena Davis) is knocked to the ground and drops the ball allowing the Belles to take the title. Some viewers have long contended that big sister Dottie drops the ball on purpose, letting Kit win the game, while others argue that she drops it on accident as a result of the impact with Kit. And while Dottie loves her sister, it completely invalidates her character to suggest that she would purposefully drop the ball at the end of A League of Their Own. As a result, it seems likely that the ball drop really was the result of the impact with Kit, rather than a deliberate move.
Did Dottie Drop The Ball On Purpose In A League of Their Own?
From the very beginning of A League of Their Own, Dottie has never gone easy on her sister—or on anyone for that matter. She is self-assured and extremely talented but, above all else, loyal. When the Peaches’ real manager, Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks) is drunkenly incapable, Dottie steps up. Likewise, when Kit’s temper flares and she acts out, Dottie never shies away from telling it like it is (a perfect example of this is when Dottie tells Kit to “lay off the high ones”). But Dottie’s loyalty is exactly why the question remains: Who is Dottie most loyal to by the end of the movie – her sister or her team?
The answer is both. When Kit steps up to the plate in game seven of the World Series, Dottie tells the Peaches’ pitcher to throw "high fastballs. [Kit] can't hit 'em, can't lay off 'em." In this moment, Dottie, with a face full of resolution, is continuing her history of tough love for her sister. That Kit (played by Lori Petty who recently starred in the dystopian series Station Eleven) hits one of the high fastballs does not change Dottie’s resolution both that she is still a Rockford Peach and her loyalty is to her team and that Kit must win in her own right or it is not winning at all. Thus, while many still argue that Dottie intentionally drops the ball at the end of A League of Their Own, the true poetry of the film is that Dottie does not drop the ball on purpose: She remains loyal to her team and her sister. And when Kit finally wins, she wins for real—not because Dottie handed her victory.
