Later, Frankie agrees to train Maggie, but still maintains his distance by telling her that he will not be her manager. He even goes so far as to arrange for her to meet a manager, but Maggie insists on Frankie for the entirety of her boxing career, and after getting to know her better, Frankie concedes. Thus, Frankie begins to accept Maggie as he becomes more and more aware of her persistence and determination. His ability to accept her, then, some may argue, is built on her having masculine characteristics. If she were feminine at all, this critic would suppose, he would not accept her. However, this argument can be countered by simply suggesting that no characteristic is inherently feminine or masculine, but that each gender has equal ability to experience many characteristics.
After taking Maggie on as a student, Frankie seems to use methods that are primarily the same methods that he would use with male boxers. He allows her to get hurt, is tough with her training, and even allows her to convince him to temporarily fix her broken nose during a fight so that she can win. His treatment of her, however, is slightly different than it is with his other fighters. Though the viewer does not see Frankie's interaction with other fighters often, it is obvious that he gives them orders that they must obey. It is Frankie who decides when the fighters are ready to compete and Frankie who determines who their opponents will be. This is true with both Maggie and the male fighters that the viewer...
With Maggie, however, Frankie takes on the role not so much of a manager, but of a father figure. He tells her how to spend her money, and comments on her personal life. He also begins to allow her concessions, or the ability to make certain decisions, that he does not necessarily allow his male drivers. For instance, he takes her to see her family, stops at a diner she recommends, and allows her to make the decision of transportation for the final fight. It becomes obvious both before and after Maggie's injury, that Frankie is beginning to think of her like the daughter he lost.
After Maggie's spinal injury during her welterweight title fight, Frankie begins to spend every waking moment with Maggie. To most, the strength with which she views her injury, deals with Frankie and her family, and sees the situation as it is a testimony to women's ability to function in such situations. For others, however, the injury suggests that women should not be able to compete in sports as brutal as boxing. This opinion, however, seems to be a high stretch of the imagination. Maggie performs with strength and resilience in the fight, and her injury is caused by her opponent's strike after the bell. This only implies that men and women are capable of and prone to the same emotions and actions. Thus, Million Dollar Baby is an excellent thinker's film. Not simply concerned with the problem of assisted suicide, however, the film has a great deal of implications for diversity.
