“When I grow up I’m gonna be [insert Brady, Odell, Lebron, Curry, Kobe, etc.] and if not I’m gonna be a gangster.” This was said every time my six year old campers got any type of ball into their tiny hands. It was at this summer camp in downtown New Bedford, MA I began to realize the power sports has on all of us: athletes and non-athletes, city and suburb kids, rich and poor, girls and boys. Sports was my pathway to seeing that we are all more than we think and impact others around us more than we could ever conceive. It taught me to look at people beyond their GPA, jobs, their stats, bank accounts, and essays.
My campers came in decked out in Jordan gear, wearing their favorite Lebrons, in hats, t-shirts, and jerseys of their favorite teams and players. They aspire to be exactly like their favorite athletes, and when I realized that I thought of the potential there was in this admiration. In these low-income, urban cities in particular children’s minds are more often than not only focused on two paths, professional sports or being in a gang, and to any parent of course they rather see their child make it to the league. However, despite the fact that the reality of making it pro
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Let us give them great athletes on and off the court and fields, ones who teach great work ethic, giving back to their community, speaking up for a cause bigger than themselves, etc.. Let us highlight players’ healthy relationships rather than just assault cases, so these boys can aspire to be great fathers, husbands, sons, etc. like Steph Curry and Dwyane Wade. Let us support Colin Kaepernick so specifically young men of color know their voices, bodies, and lives matter. Let us highlight the work of athletes like Lebron James both on the court and off, so kids want to be able to give back to their community like him as much as they want to play like him, and so they will know they can do more than just “shut up and
Abstract: Society is affected every day by many different kinds of sports. These sports often govern society's way of life. People all over the nation turn their TVs to sporting events, such as golf, during the weekends. Scott Stossel states that "more than six million Americans enjoy watching golf on the weekends." Parents use sports as a teaching tool for their children. Kids learn teamwork and discipline from team sports programs and sports have also helped many students with their grades. Kids who want to compete in school sports are taught to keep their grades up or they won't be able to play, but the greedy coaches and schools often look around grades to keep their "star athletes" in the games. Adults have
Most African American that want to make it to the National Football League (NFL) or the National basketball League (NBA), do not realize there is a slim chance to none of actually going into a professional sport. Gates writes “African American youngster has about as much of becoming a professional athlete as he or she does of winning the lottery” (1). Not many African American youngsters know that there are “12 times more black lawyers than black athletes” or there are only 1200 blacks who play in a professional sport (1). There are 12 times more black professionals that are in the communities accommodating to the needs of those who need the assistance with either legal or health issues. The youth can achieve greatness in today’s society by getting a degree and forming a foundation to make enough to be financially stable.
Youth sports in general is being reshaped because of how competitive americans are becoming. Every aspect of kids’ sports has become hypercompetitive hyper organized, and all consuming. The craziness in the culture of kids sports has led to the realization the world has changed. An estimated 40 million young adults are participating in a variety of organized sports For those 40 million apart of organized sports they have to give an almost total commitment to playing and being apart of the team (Ferguson). Sports are considered to be a shared cultural experience between many children, and they can
The role of the family value system in influencing Black male athletes appears to be less important than that of White male athletes. Although the Black community makes up 12% of the collegiate population, only 3% of those have a Ph.D. and only 6.7% have a Bachelors degree, (Hu, 2004:1). The value system in African American families appears to be focused more on immediate gratification, rather than education, which seems to be a bigger value in White families. Basketball players White vs. Black have some goals to meeting in order to become successful in the sport of basketball. There are some influences that make some of the White and Black
Sports was a part of my life growing up - whether it was attending games with my family to support the Huskies at Rentschler Field or Wolfpack hockey games at the Hartford Civic Center or even being part of a basketball team since before middle school, I have grown to love the atmosphere that sport brings. Whether it was assisting my Mom coach in our town’s T-Ball league or working with the disabled or even with the students at Wish Elementary School, through sports, I have been able to build a solid sense of a wider community. It is not just about the game itself but it is about what happens in-between and after. It is the indescribable bonds that form between
Black student-athletes are taught to value sports over academics at a young age because it is seen as the “only way out”. Black student-athletes are heralded for their athletic prowess from middle school up, so they begin to focus less on their education and more on their sport. Unfortunately, so do the teachers. Black student-athletes are more often than not just given passes, as schools value what their athletic abilities could do for them over the academic success of the athlete. Even normal black students can be seen the same way just because of the perception that they might be an athlete. The sad truth is that the athletes that don’t make it to the professional level are left without the education needed to be successful.
This shows these athletes would do better off with the professional help of the NBA. A major part of my action plan is to provide these athletes with the option to either attend a college or university for one year and then enter into the NBA draft or become drafted straight out of high school with the understanding that they will have to play for that specific teams developmental league for one year before joining the actually team itself. Ultimately, this plan would allow athletes to receive the financial benefits needed in the short term while still developing and preparing themselves for years in the NBA.
The history of sports goes back since ancient times. It has been a useful way for people to explore nature and their environment. Sports include different activities and games such as football, soccer, basketball, and etc. to express their skills and talents. Also, sports are a way to relax and have fun; but are sports all our African Americans rely on? The dream to become future sports stars. The reason why Gates begins his essay with an anecdote is to show and compare how many african-american athletes were at work today and how little the chances of African-Americans becoming athletes are compared to being a lawyer, dentist, or even a doctor. African-Americans assume that they are born athletes and it’s because the school system doesn’t
In our society sports are a very important social construction. As sports continue to grow, they are becoming more integrated into the major spheres of social life. Sports have become an entity, due to the fact that they not only create entertainment and jobs; sports have become a huge platform for various causes. Sports are extremely important to our society and have very powerful influences. Though experiences vary from person to person, most people have some sort of experience with sports. I personally have experienced sports more from the spectator and participant stance, and have been impacted from each perspective a great deal. Compared to sophomore safety, Jamal Adams my sports experience has been very different from impact and perspective.
During childhood, many young Americans (most prominently young boys) idolize the stars of their favorite sports teams. According to Epstein, “The model of the type may be the professional athlete.” (par.25). This seems to be the biggest problem that Epstein addresses relating to the obsession with youth culture. Since it is true that many young males aspire to become professional athletes once they become old enough, the vast majority who does not complete their goal still follow their favorite team. The professional athletes they admire live in utter excess, living with careers that require little effort more than perfecting plays and passes to entertain the masses. This relaxed lifestyle allows them to spend their (almost entirely) disposable incomes on whatever they want. The professionals who have made it seem to have kept the “stay young” mindset. The others who watch the stars remember how they could be living that life if they worked harder on
During my childhood, I played many sports I absolutely adored, and those sports taught me many lessons I will never forget. Sports were how I made the most of my friends and how I relieved most of my stress. I believe sports can have noteworthy influence in other areas of life. In Kevin Kniffin’s article, “High School Athletes Gain Lifetime Benefits”, Kniffin explains how research shows people who played sports go on to get better jobs and better pay by using the life lessons they were taught from sports.
There is no doubt that sports are one of the biggest aspects of a young child 's life. It is readily available to them and is entertaining. A lot of young people have their favorite player, or their favorite team and are constantly watching and following their lead. They are trying to step up into the shoes of their role model and become as good as their hero. This means that the athlete must set the correct path for the young people to follow. They must be set the right moral guidelines. Kids are going to grow up and try to be just like these athletes and it is the responsibility of that athlete to give them the correct image to strive for.
1990s Sports The buzzer goes off the whole gym is silent then the hear everyone yelling Michael Jordan made the winning basket . Michael Jordan was one the best players in the NBA who played for the Bulls in the 1990’s. Another great player at this time was Magic Johnson who played for the Lakers. Tiger woods was a well known golfer in the 1990’s.
During the 80’s, the period of which these individuals played, the NBA desperately needed a new spark, and the NBA got just what it needed. Larry Bird’s Celtics during the 1979-80 season made a dramatic improvement “from a 29-53 record the year before to 61-21”(Magic Johnson and). While Bird is making an extraordinary turnaround for his Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, during his rookie season, won a NBA championship for the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the Los Angeles Lakers seventh NBA championship victory. Their success helped the NBA, but their identities off the court supersedes the game of basketball. The years previous to the Magic-Bird rivalry were ever changing. The NBA changed from a fundamental, half-court game with all-white players, to a quick pace, athletically acrobatic game with mainly black players. Few old-school former white people, such as Jerry West and Pete Maravich, could participate and compete in this new form of basketball. This different style of basketball significantly swayed many viewers, white fans, from attending the NBA games. White fans felt that the game was very egocentric and didn’t involve all the players. Also, the white fans didn’t
Since the creation of man, sports have had a tremendous role in the way people live their lives. From the time we are born, until our elderly age, most of us are involved in some way with sports. Whether it is a scrimmage game of soccer at recess in elementary school, playing on the varsity athletic team or simply watching the Olympics or sporting events on television, sports have an influential role in our everyday lives. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations that an estimated twenty-six million children ages six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program (Smith & Smoll, 1997). Well structured sport programs can provide youths with