Pat Summerall: Mastery In Sports

Pat Tillman carried many characteristics that made him who he was, but his selflessness was the most apparent characteristic about him. Tillman’s selflessness become apparent when he threw away a multi-million dollar contract in the NFL just to serve for his country in the army. This type of commitment for the country is hard to find in other people. Another example that shows Tillman’s selflessness was after a football game when he was asked what his thoughts were on the game. He replied saying, “I didn’t play particularly well. The team played great.” This shows how Tillman really wasn’t playing for the fame, or publicity, and credited his team before himself. One last example of how selfless Tillman was selfless was when he never took interviews with news reporters after he made the decision to join the army. This shows how Tillman never wanted any attention after his decision, and just

Football was and is a very popular sport in America and has always been a favorite. Erik Fisher plays football because he is great at the sport, hence page 27, “Dad had brought Erik to meet Coach Warner earlier in the summer. Dad had knelt down and held the ball for Erik to drill fifty-yard field goals, one after another, while according to Dad, the Coach’s jaw had dropped lower and lower.” But, Erik played football primarily for and because of the fame. He had never cared about whether he had to hurt someone in order reach the top of the “Erik Fisher Football Dream”. On September 5 (pages 50-94), when Mike Costello dies of lightning, Paul finds Erik and Arthur laughing about how Mike’s hair was singed off. Paul was disgusted. Though Erik and Arthur didn’t kill Mike, their laughter reflects their inner evil and selfish selves. Paul then reflects on his own self and decides to walk a path of truth, unlike Erik. In continuation, Ray Lewis had once said, “Don't walk through life just playing football. Don't walk through life just being an athlete. Athletics will fade. Character and integrity and really making an impact on someone's life, that's the ultimate vision, that's the ultimate goal-bottom line.” Erik never had any character or integrity, whether he played sports or not. On the other hand, Paul did have character and integrity. Paul noticed Erik’s evil actions to get higher and higher up the Erik Fisher Football

Tom Brady was able to go from being an underdog to a champion, become the greatest quarterback to ever live, get past allegations, and become an influence in the 21st century. He was unwanted his whole life, but made his way up to the NFL. Everyone was skeptical of his abilities and if he really cheated, but through all of that he persevered. This is why Tom Brady was an influence in the 21st century not just for athletes but

In the article Athletes and Education, Neil Petrie argues, that some colleges let student athletes get little to some amount of homework or projects in classes, while other students have to

Walter Payton, running back for the dominant 1985 Chicago Bears team that went 15-1 and won the Superbowl, is one of the best running backs in NFL history. Walter Payton was also known for his philanthropy off the field, earning him the nickname “Sweetness”. There is now an award given out every year called the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which recognizes players for their charitable contributions off the field as well as their excellence on the field. The last recipient of this award was Thomas Davis, a Carolina Panthers linebacker. Walter “Sweetness” Payton died in 1999 of cancer. He was one of the most influential athletes in history, not just due to his ability on the field, but also because of his persona. Stats, influence on the game, and persona off the field are how a player’s influence should be measured. The three most influential quarterbacks of the last twenty five years of the twentieth century are Warren Moon, Joe Montana, and Jim Kelly.

No matter the circumstance, people will always be able to learn something to improve their lifestyle. It might be dire and serious, or light-hearted and fun. Whatever the case, the experience people gain from that situation is what aids to develop their persona. In “What Football Taught Me” by Donald Murray and “Suicide’s Forgotten Victims” by Lisa Keiski, both writers learn life lessons from their experiences. Despite emotional and physical exhaustion, Murray and Keiski learned life lessons through society, authority figures, and self-awareness.

The most outstanding quality about Pat Tillman, was his strong work ethic. He never gave up. If he felt exhausted at the end of a football practice, that didn’t matter to him. After a hard practice, most kids would go straight home and take a cold shower; but not ole Tillman. He would stay after practice and keep practicing or run an extra mile, just to push himself to becoming a better athlete. He also proved this through the way he set his goals. He told himself he was

For a lot of kids, it’s not until it’s all said and done, and they look back on it several years later, that they realize the difference the sport made in their lives. They are proud of playing the game. Have you ever met anybody who accomplished playing four years of high school football, and at the end of that run said, ‘Man, I wish I wouldn’t have played’? It doesn’t get said. Football players aren’t perfect. Nobody is. But millions of former players, one by one, can recount the life-altering principles they learned from football. They know the value of football is the values in football.That’s why high school football – and particularly high school coaches – play such a vital role in our society. Our football coaches are on the front lines of the battle for the hearts and minds of the boys in our society.

Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.

“ Don’t walk through life just playing football. Don't walk through life just being a athlete. Athletics will fade. Character and integrity and really making an impact on someone’s life.”

“Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of professional football. You are judged by winning, and he’s won more games than any other quarterback who has ever played. But I will remember him just as well for being such a fierce competitor and outstanding leader. He was the face of the Packers and a great credit to our game. It was an honor to coach against him.”(Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos Head Coach) Brett’s passion for the game, and winning history, together earned him the respect of the entire football nation. I am going to give you a summary of this incredible athlete’s life, covering both the ups and downs of his bumpy road to success. I am using factual

Jim Thorpe is a super hero of sports. He is a man who has a love for sports. He has played many sports, and is a true hero in the sports world. He was not only amazing at track and football, but he was also very good at swimming, lacrosse, basketball, wrestling, golf, and tennis. He was born May 28, 1887, and was born near a town called Prague in Oklahoma. His father was a farmer, and his name was Hiram Thorpe. His mother was a Potawatomi Indian named Mary James. Thorpes Native American name was Wa­Tho­Huk, which means “bright path.” He started off very young with great athletic abilities. This showed when he learned to ride horses and swim at the age of 3. Jim loved the outdoors as a boy, especially hunting. Jim had a twin brother, and they were very close. His brother was named Charlie. In 1904 Thorpe and his brother started school in Carlisle Industrial School in Pennsylvania. Whenever they were in school Charlie enjoyed it, but Jim did not. He wasn’t very good so Charlie had to help him through. At the age of 9 Charlie got sick and ended up dying. Thorpe was heartbroken he wanted to quit school. He even ended up running twenty­three miles’ home to his parents. Whenever he first started his athletic career at his school he played football and track. In 1907 he proved his amazing abilities whenever he jumped over a high jump pole 5 feet 9 inches. At first Thorpe was never given the opportunity to try out for the team. Whenever he walked by the varsity players practicing

The duo of Fred Blitenikoff and “Bullet” Bob Hayes, were an unknown gift to any gunslinger quarterback. Both these men would eventually see their names in the Hall of Fame but couldn’t be any different. Bob Hayes was a track star from Florida A&M with an exciting summer story to tell his fellow teammates. Before Bullet Bob was winning Super Bowls in Dallas with Staubach, he was in Tokyo winning the 1964 Olympic Gold Medal for the United States in the 100 meter and the 4 x 100 meter. The highly recruited track star had very little football experience but some teams wanted to test his speed as a wideout. On the opposite side, was the son of a hard-working family of Russian immigrants named Fred Biletnikoff. The young Biletnikoff was born poor and watched his family fight to survive the toughness of the world and learned at a very young age to always strive to fight to survive. His high school life exemplified that more than anything as a four sport athlete and the honor as a scholarship to Florida State University. There, he continued to dedicate his life on the gridiron and even in his social life as a member of the Lambdu Alpha Chi Fraternity. Hayes and Biletnikoff would both go on to Hall of Fame careers and the riches of championships but the gold was just get started at this

Tom Brady is widely considered to be one of the best athletes of today’s day and age, and thought of by many as possibly the best quarterback in NFL history. Numerous factors have led to his overall success in football over the past 20 or so years, but nothing has been as important as his own implicit personality structures. Brady has dealt with a lot of negative feedback ever since he started playing football; people telling him he wasn’t good enough to play or that he wasn’t tough enough to be a quarterback in the NFL. His whole career has been a balancing act of proving people wrong by continuing to surpass what was thought to be humanly possible on the field. He has clearly surpassed expectations on and off the field, because of this success it is acceptable to ask the question of how his personality has helped lead to his success in the NFL. Furthermore, Brady is clearly a person high in conscientiousness and self-control, therefore another question that could be debated is how would he cope with not being able to play the game he loves.

Greatness in sports is a status that only very few reach, however to be labeled the greatest athlete of all time is for that one soul individual who excels at all aspects of the game and exceeds every other player in that sport. In my exploratory essay I established what makes an athlete the greatest athlete of all time. In the following paragraph I am going to summarize what makes an athlete the greatest athlete of all time. For the sake of the argument to follow I am going to stick with just the NFL. When I look at the NFL one name comes to mind when thinking about the greatest NFL player of all time. His name is Tom Brady. Tom Brady is the greatest of all time.