By Teagan Warren
As the kid who resonated with the t-shirt, “I just hope both teams are having fun,” I was excited to watch a show that depicted each character compassionately, even the annoying ones we tend to resent.
In Disney Pixar’s first original series, the creators explore the inner world of eight different characters, all connecting to one children’s softball team.
When learning of the premise, I was concerned that I wouldn’t enjoy the show because, as I hinted above, I do not enjoy competitive sports much. Films and series about sports also come across as generic to me. Nevertheless, I was thrilled by the idea of a show that demonstrated differing perspectives. Entering the house of someone else’s mind is one of the crucial purposes of stories, and this series specializes in it.
Coming into the show, I was prepared for the story to take place in one softball game. However, each character’s backstory was shown, whether it was two years beforehand or one week before the championship game. The makers did an excellent job of not repeating the same events through the eyes of different characters to the point of creating a bore to watch.
The art varied with each viewpoint in an extremely engaging manner. Each character had his or her own symbolic item. For example, Laurie is the anxious daughter of the coach, and she bears the burden of what she sees as her father’s expectations. Feeling unworthy, she smiles through insecurity and sincerely cheers on her teammates. Her symbolic item becomes…a sweat ball…that grows as her anxious thoughts increase. Rochelle, her closest friend, wears an imaginary shoulder-padded power suit. This feisty girl bears the burden of being an adult, since her mother neglects her duties to her two children.
Yet, this single mother who seems egotistical has more to her than is seen through Rochelle’s eyes. Vanessa uses social media as a coping mechanism, as her followers praise her when she feels downtrodden. When she struggles, she posts about her honest challenges, and her followers lift her up. She genuinely worries for her children, and in possibly the most heartwarming scene from the series, Vanessa finds Rochelle at a gas station phone, and they embrace. The undulating ground Rochelle saw when she got caught in a dangerous situation abates as she sees her mother. I greatly appreciated how the story of mother and daughter were back-to-back.
Speaking of back-to-back stories, the choice to place Laurie’s story at the beginning and her father’s at the end surprised me. Still, it makes sense considering that the coach unites all the team members, parents and umpire in a unique way. The last episode felt messy in its attempt to unify all the characters’ stories while also telling the coach’s story. Considering the story gave a look at the internal world, some elements in the show, particularly this last episode, were too absurd. For example, Coach Dan turning into a balloon was too fantastical, even if it was used for imagery for the viewer and did not take place before the other characters’ eyes. The show offers a mostly happy ending for each character. Some characters reach this upbeat conclusion at the end of their episode and others by the last episode.
Since this is a family-aimed series, I will warn of some content. As can happen when storytellers write in depth characters, certain aspects pose problems for some families. Laurie’s parents are divorced, and her mom is interested in Tarot cards and crystals. Kai was intended to be a transgender character, but Disney announced before the series was released that they had removed a transgender character. However, elements of Kai’s story still hint at transgender or non-binary leanings, even if not explicitly mentioned.
Ultimately, each character’s story connects to insecurity, whether internally or externally. Gentle, sweet Laurie wants to do well in softball and not disappoint others. Blue has trouble letting people get close to him and is portrayed to the audience with armor. Rochelle, an excellent athlete, worries she cannot afford to play next year, so she violates her principles and pretends she is strong enough to bear the weight on her own. Spunky Vanessa wants to be a good mom but believes she fails. Imaginative young Ira wants a friend and goes against his conscience to get some. The seemingly cocky jokester Yuwen wants to show Taylor his authentic self, but fears losing her and handles his insecurity with unkindness. Star player Kai cannot seem to please her competitive father, despite her best efforts. Coach Dan dreads that he may lose his team to Kai’s dad.
Most deeply, I connected with Laurie’s struggle. In high school, I dealt with a lot of anxiety regarding sports, as I incessantly worried about my performance, greatly diminishing my enjoyment. I felt the hurt of Laurie as she saw all the stickers on her teammates’ helmets for their accomplishments. At this moment, I thought of Max Lucado’s You Are Special. In this book, Punchinello worries about how others see him in the star sticker-obsessed society, gold stars for those who find approval and gray dots for those who do the opposite. Punchinello meets his maker, the woodcarver, who explains to him that only his opinion matters. Coming to know his worth, stickers fall off Punchinello. Like how Kai and Laurie realize their fathers unconditionally love them despite their perceptions, I also am trying to learn that my Heavenly Father’s opinion of me as a redeemed child is all that matters.
“Win or Lose” is now streaming on Disney+
Teagan Warren is a junior psychology major who enjoys eating birthday cake-flavored foods, daydreaming and collecting “trash” (as her mom classifies it) that she really will use in the future.
Images courtesy of Pixar Animation Studios
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