The first men to ever play basketball were a bit skeptical of the game to begin with, and basketball was seen as just “[a]nother new game” (Fox 15). However, author Larry Fox says, “The game was an immediate success … Word of the game began to spread around the campus. Before long the secretaries found themselves playing in front of an audience of fellow students”…
“Ex-Basketball Player,” by John Updike is the poem that struck me this week. It is about a man who once had great potential but never followed through with it. Flick Webb is the focus of this poem; he was a basketball star in high school quite some time ago, but nowadays he merely pumps gas at a local station.…
In Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem, "Slam, Dunk & Hook," he reflects on playing basketball in the south during the 50s or 60s. On the surface the poem simply describes a lively game, but through figurative language and…
Michael Jordan, a basketball superstar, once said: “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” We all are destined for something great. There are people destined to be an Olympian. There are people who are destined to win an Oscar or to star in blockbuster movies. But there are people whose steps lead to the making of basketball legends.…
Never look your defender in the eye. Some say basketball is an easy game, but if it were, everyone would be playing it.…
The author is trying to get at a person who had a passion for the sport basketball, which he failed at doing at first but kept on trying and eventually succeeded. In the reading, it shows us the there was no one around. He talks about the different experiences he has had with basketball and how it has changed him. Some of the experiences that he includes is that he saw some of the good basketball players made poor choices off the court, which led them to death. He feels he has learned from those mistakes that being good at can give you many other distractions off the court. character that he had to make it a goal to go division 1 for basketball. If he did not meet the goal of going division 1, one then he would at least know that he gave it…
The movie Hoop Dreams traced a poor young talented African American named Arthur Agee from grade eight to college. Arthur hoped to play professional basketball in the future to help his family to escape poverty. Despite the fact that his family background and the neighborhood he lived in, disadvantaged him to pursue his goal in many ways. Firstly, Arthur is determined to play professional basketball, in order to help out his family. Secondly, his ability to adapt difficult circumstances played a significant role toward his success in basketball. Thirdly, his education value hoping that playing basketball could lead him to a college education. For Author playing basketball, it is not only a fun activity for him, but it also acted as a tool to…
As the team of ‘negro’ players begins to gain popularity, the dissent in the dominantly white society escalates rapidly. Hostile crowds receive the team as they travel across the country playing basketball. These crowds throw things at them, vandalize their motel rooms with blood smeared…
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, sports began to widely popularize America; the analysis of sports in the topics of gender, race, and Americanism reflect broader American society. Through the study of American sports during the historical era of the late 1800s to the early 1900s, one can gain insight on the difference in standards for men and women, the fight between white supremacy and equal rights for blacks, and the process of defining the American identity.…
In his 1999 Article, “He Likes Women More Than He Likes Drinks and That Is Quite Unusual,” Randy McBee argues that Social Clubs and other commercial leisure rose in the 1920’s due to more free time within the working class. Although around in the 1890’s, Social Clubs and other forms of commercial leisure did not reach popularity until traditional Victorian values began to fade. As these activities became more popular, homosocial and heterosocial behaviors within American society began to change. Social clubs and saloons became prominent places where Americans could experience music and experiment with their sexuality. Meanwhile, McBee argues sports such as boxing and baseball appeal to modern ideas of masculinity and counter traditional societies view on homosocial bonding. For example, the Twenties became perfectly normal for men to buy each other beers or participate in bar brawls to prove their masculinity; something which would be looked down upon in the Victorian period because of the traditional belief in “self-restraint.” Additionally, it became common for groups of men to purchase small recreational rooms together for all activities non-Victorian. Like most aspects of 1920’s society, these social activities succeeded in uniting various social groups; but were not without protestors who disliked the effect which “modern” leisure had on traditional America. Although some feared this new liberation degraded society, it proved to be a continual facet of 1920’s…
Eric Liu grew up doubting his own identity. Early on he had trouble dealing with the problems of being an Asian-American. Growing up in a white suburban neighborhood Liu constantly felt out of place in. The suburbs that he grew up in caused him to struggle with his individuality. Who and what was he? How did he fit in the “big picture” as an American? He grew up with a family that allowed him to choose what he wanted to be never forcing any culture on him. Because of this freedom to choose, Eric in turn could not figure out for himself how he should act in a modern United States society as a minority. Liu’s group of collective essay’s deals with the entire process of what it means to be a white American. In giving a brief summary of “The Accidental Asian” and then critiquing the major theme of identity, a final analysis will be made on whether the overall essence of his work accurately deals with the modern Asian American struggle.…
ootball was always my favorite sport in life. The huge players and the heart stopping hits, left me in awe ,that overall made my face light up with excitement.I begged my parents to let me play but they never let me.…
I joined MYB in 5th grade. I wanted more of a competition league after coming from Upward basketball. The first year my team was horrible and everyone went their separate ways after the season. I joined Dave Buffenbarger’s team the following year hoping for a better outcome. A lot of the girls on that team were some of my close friends, and some were not. This was not a problem as we quickly became close. MYB gave me the chance to make new friends through their league and become even closer with my old friends. With a few players always coming and going after each season, I ended up playing for Dave up until my senior year. Being on Dave’s team for so long gave me the chance to grow close to my teammates. Being with my team for many years and…
Sports are cultural practices that differ from place to place and time to time. How they are defined, organized, and integrated into social life varies from group to group. To understand sports we must view them as social phenomena (Coakley & Donnelly, 2004). Viewing sports as a social phenomena means that one must realize that are many topics to be questioned and viewed upon with an open mind.…
Basketball is a game I started very recently. In fact, I was hardly interested in it. The complexity of the game always made me feel like I’d never enjoy being a part of it. However, the game took me by surprise. A lot of my close friends were part of the team and they were so passionate about it. Very recently, in the beginning of 12th grade, my friends coerced me to attend practice. Waking up early morning and running to the gym was literally the worst part of my day.…