By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The citywide celebration of the 30th anniversary of “A League of Their Own,” coupled with the local premier of the new Amazon Prime series by the same name, drew reporters here from across the country.
On Friday, Sports Illustrated published its piece on the festivities as its daily cover story on si.com. Emma Baccellieri’s article examines why people here and across the country are still fond of the movie and the team, and it pays a certain reverence to the old Beyer Stadium where the Peaches once played.
“The ballpark’s significance is rooted in the past. But it does not feel like a relic,” Baccellieri wrote. “It feels — crucially and beautifully — like a baseball field.”
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A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN hit theaters 30 years ago, and its legacy is as strong as ever.@emmabaccellieri went to Beyer Stadium, home of the real-life Rockford Peaches, to better understand why the film still matters so much to so many people https://t.co/EGsXIFA0AJ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 15, 2022
Baccellieri talked to people who came here July 2 for the festivities at the ballpark. Among those she talked to was Cathy Headley, an associate professor of kinesiology at Rockford University who was in college when the movie came out.
“You don’t connect to the history until you really see it,” Headley told Sports Illustrated. “It just felt like a blessing to be able to see.”
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You can read the full Sports Illustrated article HERE.
The new “A League of Their Own” series debuts on Amazon Prime on Aug. 12.
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This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas