Dean Cain says men shouldn't compete in women's sports; releases heartwarming film on girls' soccer team
Friday marks the nationwide release of family-friendly sports film "Little Angels", a triumphant story of a team of athletes and an unyielding coach, written, directed and produced by actor Dean Cain.
"Little Angels" unfolds the story of Jake Rogers, a Division I college football coach, played by Cain, with $5 million and a take-it-or-leave-it chance for redemption on the line. A male-centric statement hurdles the lead into a reflective arc and, when writing the script, the red-card comment "soccer is for girls," was definitive, according to Cain.
"It's always a joke I make," Cain told Fox News Digital.
"Soccer is the world's game and I make fun of soccer because I played as an American football player and that's just what we do. We make fun of soccer. We make fun of rugby."
In 1988, after his collegiate football career at Princeton, Cain was signed to the Buffalo Bills as a rookie. His professional NFL career came to a halt when he injured his knee.
While the on-air declaration that soccer is for girls kicks off Rogers' journey to softening in "Little Angels", the topic of men in women's sports is not a cornerstone of the film. However, Cain is firm in his position that, after a certain age, boys and girls should not compete together.
"I'm a huge, huge supporter of women's athletics," Cain told Fox News Digital. "I don't think men or boys have any business once they're past the age of 7 or 10 competing together."
"When you get to those higher levels, I don't think that men should be competing with women, period, end of story," Cain said. "Many of my ex-girlfriends have been professional athletes, and I really have tremendous respect for women's sports. I think it's hugely important to have women be able to compete against women and do that."
The benchmark theme of "Little Angels" is purpose and perspective and reserves the plot for a heartwarming tale of teamwork and family.
"There's a lot of me in that character," Cain said of Rogers.
Despite public perception, Rogers cannot be defended from his offside remark about female athletes.
"College football coaches get looked at sometimes like they're a deity of something, like they're a God of some kind," Cain said.
Rogers is met with an ultimatum: coach a team of 12-year-old girls or lose $5 million.
Films like "A League of Their Own," "The Mighty Ducks" and even the true underdog story of "Dodgeball" echo a similar sentiment and evoke childhood memories across generations.
The timeless tale in each of these movies follows a team of misfits bonded together by both their love of the game and a defeated coach who finds inspiration through group aspirations. This narrative conjures wistful affection in a way that other genres outside sports dramas cannot.
"Take a guy who is flawed in a situation where he doesn't want to be," Cain said. "Through human experience and being with these young ladies and other people, he teaches them teamwork and the value of team and family."
The movie, starring Lou Ferrigno, Bryan Callen and Swedish actress Helena Mattson, began casting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"You hope that you get them together and they have chemistry," he said of the athletes. "They are the heart of the story."
"The young actresses were phenomenal," Cain said of a cast including Alex Jayne Go and "Role Models" actress Alexandra Stamler. Cain's niece and goddaughter also star in the film as athletes.
"I've been called Superman forever and that's great. I love it," Cain said. "If people call me Coach Jake after this, 'Hey Coach Jake,' that's a warm fuzzy for me. It's a big-time warm and fuzzy."
Cain is working on four films this year, including a golf-centered movie that he is co-directing with his son.
The world premiere of "Little Angels" was featured at the International Christian Film Festival (ICFF) in May. There, Cain was awarded with the ICFF Lifetime Achievement Award, though he feels he is just getting started.
"Little Angels" hits theaters nationwide on Friday, June 6, 2025.
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