Blog Entry 6

Sometimes I would go out to play pick up basketball or football, and a bead of sweat will form on my forehead, or a persistent fly will buzz next to my ear or into my eyes, and suddenly the field (or court) transforms. I see clay, I feel the summer heat pounding down around me with only the meager shade provided by my hat protecting my face. I recall the often unbearable temperatures and humidity, and the constant presence of flies, gnats and wasps, and one would surely think that the memories would not be so pleasant. Somehow these things make me happy, though. Long practices every day of the week that we didn't have a game, and dealing with the pain and annoyance of repeated drills just made us feel like we were that much better, that we were getting tougher and couldn't lose. One or two sets of parents may be present to watch, there are no butterflies or pregame jitters, but rather just you trying to push through mental and physical exhaustion to get all of the necessary work in. This all comes back to me in vivid clarity every time I swat a bug away or I become aware of the Florida heat bearing down on me. Baseball was a part of my life, something that was not easy to let go of, and I can't help but drift into a bout of nostalgia whenever I see, hear, or feel baseball in the air. Yeah it was miserable sometimes, knowing that a long practice on a hot day was following school, and that while other kids were heading home and getting some food, my teammates and I stayed to get some work in and listen to a scouting report before the next game. Sometimes it can be difficult to explain why athletes enjoy sports so much, but it was just a part of who I was, a part of the group I belonged to and a way of life that certainly affected who I am today.

Every Friday, especially on the day of a big game against a local rival, football players wear their jerseys proudly and get everyone hyped for the lights to come on at 7 o clock. That's something I always found peculiar. They were loud, outgoing and made sure absolutely EVERYONE knew their was a game that day. But not us. Baseball players were quiet on game days. If it weren't for the morning announcements relaying information of sporting events, or the occasional day when we wore our game jerseys to school, nobody would even know we were playing. We drew pretty large crowds, but only because our success was not unnoticed by local sports papers and students. We may not have been the best team around, but we were highly competitive and played with the attitude that we couldn't lose. Of course we did, but we were always told to either have a short memory, or let the pain of defeat motivate you. I guess sports are different that way, or at least the athletes are. Football players at our school seemed to need the support of the students, to feed on the fans and want bigger and bigger crowds. Sure, as baseball players we wanted to be noticed and heralded, but we had an "us against the world" mentality. We felt individually, and as a team, like we were hot stuff, and we played that way. The greatest of athletes need a certain level of cockiness to combat the expected modesty, and we didn't lack any of that. We felt alone, and we liked it that way. Baseball was our passion, and we didn't need anyone else.

Blog Entry 5




Klosterman's essay is discussing his theory on how the Celtics-Lakers rivalry can seem to represent all aspects of our lives, including racial, political and ideological disputes. He realizes how ridiculous this idea sounds, but he insists that it is not just a fabrication of his own imagination, but rather that the primarily white Celtics teams led by Larry Bird and the dominant black Lakers teams led by the iconic Magic Johnson relate to all of society's issues and differences. He mentions how race plays such a key role in our minds, and in our lifestyles, as well as in our decisions on who to follow. He compares the Celtics to Republicans, stating that white people looked to the team in hopes of having  a sport's team of mostly white athletes, and that the players seemed to have the power. The Lakers, on the other hand, seemed to represent Democrats, with a powerful figurehead leading the way. He claims that the fans of each team are set in a certain mindset, or lifestyle and that their choices must all be similar. The poem by Jones relays an image of a team ending practice with sprints, in which the winner of each sprint gets to leave victorious, and the rest stay for more. He makes note of the way in which some boys hold off until they feel they can beat the other exhausted players, and also of the different ways each of the players runs. He discusses the desire to stop, the way in which it affects each person who fails to win the race. He longs to win, but falls hopelessly short each time. He compares it to a battle, as his coach would tell them to "battle" on.

Both Klosterman and Jones seem to unveil how sports and our community or our lifestyle can join to form a culture. Klosterman's depiction of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry and how it can relate to every aspect of life conveys his ideas that sports may not be something created by the community, but rather something that defines our lives. Perhaps he means to bring up the idea that sports are not just recreation, but maybe they are used to show our deeply-rooted feelings about society and about each other. Elements of race, politics, and social ideas are present in sports, and Klosterman brings this to light. He states that maybe it isn't something we accept, but instead something that we don't realize. Fans did not understand, and still may not, why they felt an affiliation to a particular team, or what social pressures influenced their decisions. Jones looks at how children go through grueling practices, putting much effort in for only a moment of glory and satisfaction, which brings one to question our motives. He mentions monks in Asia burning alive just for peace, which I believe he mentions to bring up the fact that sports are a part of our culture, our history, something that we have always done because we feel the need to "battle" and reign supreme over others. We have a desire to win and feel victorious, and we pit ourselves against each other in competition for this result. Maybe it is innate in human nature, and as we age this desire for victory lessens, or maybe it is present throughout our whole life and simply manifests itself in different ways. Perhaps sports can relate to every aspect of life, and perhaps they are not just an addition to our community and our lifestyle, but an essential part of defining ourselves. We feel the need to compete, and affiliate with a group or team, and such decisions affect how our lives unfold.

Blog Entry 4

Dear Tim Tebow,

I'm writing this letter to suggest that you thank Jeff Demps. He is one of the countless players who even gave you a shot at being anything other than mediocre, assuming of course that you call yourself anything but mediocre. Honestly, you should've stuck with baseball. I know you were a good baseball player and had a chance at a good career...why give that up for crappy football? Sure, you won a Heisman and championships at Florida, but cmon...you won games because of the talent and speed around you and you won the Heisman because people like your personality and...well, because of the speed and talent around you. Many of the players you played with in college are leading successful lives in the NFL, and I would argue heavily against anyone who says your run of games with the Broncos was "spectacular". To be honest, I think you get more media attention due to the hype surrounding you and because most people want you to do well. You're deeply religious, and you say the right things when the cameras are pointed toward you, so I'm not going to hate on you as a person (although crying after a loss and being given the name "Tim Tearbow" and coach "Urban Cryer" is certainly not manly in the eyes of most. Seriously, how can you expect to lead a team when you cry after a loss? Pick your team up for goodness sake...).

Your passer rating was significantly lower than the average for an NFL quarterback even in your won games...your success in the fourth quarter can be attributed more to Denver's defense stepping up or a sense of urgency that always brings out the best in a player. Sure, you can run the ball, but so can Cam Newton, who impressed in his rookie season. Maybe it's because he can actually throw the ball...quarterbacks are supposed to lead and be consistent throughout the game, not just in one quarter. That comeback, "clutch" mentality may have worked when you were surrounded by the best athletes in the collegiate game, but it won't work when you're up against professionals. Work on your passing game, take a seat and enjoy some Jet's games even when they suck, and maybe a spot will open up for you when Sanchez chokes games away or they trade you to a team with no QB. Maybe while you're in NYC you can hit up a church on Sunday and pray (oh God please make me better!) and head over to a Giant's game and sit with the Manning family...maybe you'll learn a thing or two. Anyways, I hope divine intervention does more for you than the worthless talent you have....it got you this far, and it's your only chance.

Blog Entry 3

This reading was very interesting to me as it really forces you to consider the varying levels of interest and participation in sports, and the ways in which these levels have changed over time. For example, it is clear that women have become more interested in ports than they used to, partially due to the introduction of legislation such as Title IX, but also due to the success and growth of women's sports, and therefore increased use of females in advertising. The author makes clear the difference between participation athletes and high-performance athletes. Some people are only meant to play to a certain level, and I can relate. My dad was a baseball player, and played for FSU while he attended college here. He coached me from a young age, and I have always loved baseball because of it. However, my athletic skills simply are not on par with Division I collegiate athletes. My devotion and passion is there, but the talent for this level is lacking. I realized this, and I had to overcome the thought of it. On the other hand, some simply don't have the desire to commit to the pressure and expectations of sports at an elite level. They only wish to play for recreation, and that is just the way it is.

A lot of the material in this passage could be used for our papers, as it covers a broad range of topics including general information about each. It appears that the line between elite athletes and participation athletes can be blurred by varying talent levels and devotion to the sport. This may be an issue worth noting in the paper. Also, mention of race, social class and gender in sports may be crucial to showing the ways in which sports have changed over time, or the ways in which each sport differ. Age is even a factor worth discussing, as there is certainly a movement away from intense, physical team sports and toward lower-stress, individual sports. There are so many factors influencing both the athletes and the spectators interest in sports that it will be easy to consider how our own experiences are unique and discuss them. 

Blog Entry 2

In "Three Man Weave", the author recalls a memory in which he witnessed a team of Native Americans, significantly favored to lose the game against their juco opponent, win a basketball game with only three players on the court. They had no size, no true offense, and started the game with only five players on the roster. The final seconds were played with three. Yet, somehow they won, and that shocked the author, but such little publicity hid this remarkable event from the world. Nobody knew of it, and few cared about this seemingly unimportant basketball game.

The poem seems to be about a memory in which the author remembers the coming of football each October in his hometown, recalling how it affects the attitude of the people and how kids clash against each other during the football games. He realizes that football is what they all have in common, and that no matter what their own lives have in store for them, they relish the game.

It seems that sports bring these people together, from all of their different backgrounds they come to watch the same competition, or to compete. They share the same goals of winning and having a good time playing the sport they love, and it is clear that the racial differences and different house-life of the people in a given place mean nothing when it comes to a game. Some say they use sports to "escape" their lives, and this seems to be an accurate way to describe it. They all play with one goal, one universal idea of winning. Both pieces rely on the recall of a memory, and they are seemingly both nostalgic. This is important to all of us and to these writers, as we love sport for the way it makes us feel, the way it allows us to dedicate ourselves to one common goal. The memories of sports, either good or bad, stick with us and drive us to strengthen our love for the game. Both pieces also show us how sports affect small communities, or a repressed culture. it shows us that cultures or communities will utilize sports to feel that they are on equal grounds, to feel like they have opportunities. Communities have hopes and dreams, and these pieces convey how sports are used to achieve such hopes and dreams, or to escape reality.

Such stories have always brought one specific question to mind: are repressed cultures or small communities more sport-oriented for a reason? In all professional sports, there are stories of athletes coming from underprivileged homes and who had rough childhoods, and yet they are now some of the best athletes in the world in their sport. Why is this seemingly so common? I believe these areas or these cultures feel that sports allow them to compete with the world on a level playing field, and that their drive to succeed and to be the best is higher than the motivation of privileged athletes. They may not know from a young age that they can use sports to escape financial hardships, but they do use athletics to escape their hard lives mentally.

I feel that my personal experiences are vastly different, as sports began as recreation for me and developed into a passion, and this may be a point that I make in my paper. I may describe how it is weird to consider that other children played sports because it was the only option to them, the only thing they wanted to do because they felt that their lives were otherwise meaningless. Sure, I love sports, but I can't honestly say that i ever believed my life held no meaning without it. I do feel that many communities or cultures feel this way, and it may be worth stating in my paper how this impacts our differences. Using memories of events to make universal statements, suggestions, or to raise questions may be something I do in my paper to emphasize how sports can be more than just recreation.