Much like women of the Yishuv prior to the establishment of the state of Israel, legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Head Summitt grew up working difficult manual labor jobs alongside the men in her community due to economic hardships and the rural geography of where she was raised. Although young Pat witnessed no difference between the physical expectations of both genders while working on the farm, she did experience a stark contrast in terms of cultural norms when it came to playing girls’ and women’s sports in school and society at large.
Set against this historical and cultural backdrop, Coach Pat Summitt: A Legacy of Love tells the story of a young woman from west Tennessee, USA who later became a the winningest American basketball coach of all time and a young woman, Khoshi, from northern Iraq who dreamed of playing basketball for her country and becoming the first woman coach in Kurdistan. Although separated by more than 50 years in age, thousands of miles, and a myriad of socio-political differences, Coach Summitt and Khoshi’s paths crossed thanks to the game they both loved so much.
Told through the eyes and voices of young American girls’ basketball players, this short documentary reveals the power of sport to connect individuals, inspire communities, and promote peace between nations. In this conference session, we will compare and contrast the history of women’s basketball in the U.S., Israel, and northern Iraq; discuss the untapped potential of women’s sports to promote peace, diplomacy, and gender equity; and analyze the power of storytelling as an effective strategy to influence minds and hearts in pursuit of justice for all people regardless of our differences and despite our similarities.