Month: October 2018

This memoir is well written and I can really tell how the author cares for the sport.  The author should have given more detail about the first and last game, and at the least the last game.  He gives a good image of the second game, talking about the penalty kicks and the nerves he was feeling.  He mentions that he thought his team better but never provided an example and if he did, I think the author could have provided evidence as to why he believes his team was better Thanatos the other team.  Other than that and a few minor writing mistakes, the author provides a clear picture of a soccer tournament he played in when he was younger and truly shows how important the sport was to him.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/what-the-hell-happened-to-darius-miles

In this article, former NBA star Darius Miles talks about his crazy life, from the beginning of his rough upbringing in east St. Louis, his time in the nba during which he dealt with death and mental issues, to his downfall and recovery.  The author and his editor tell of times where they were in East St. Louis and the dangers he faced in the streets, both as an adult and child.  He talks about interactions with nba legends like Shawn Kemp, Alonzo Mounrning and more.  In the end he tells of his issues with deooression and addiction and his best friend helped him move to Florida where he is healthy and sober.  The author gives a very real and honest account of his life, talking about his lowest points in life suffering depression and addiction.  Although the author does use vulgar language and slang, the images and overall story of his life were fascinating and that’s why I would give it a star rating of 8.5 out of 10.

In this article, Amanda Ripley delivers a fair and strong argument on why high schools should get rid of sports and the benefits of doing so.  She argues that schools should focus funding on teachers, supplies, and new equipment.  A school district, Singleton, the author states improved their acamdeics greatly once getting rid of sports from their curriculum.  Although a controversial topic, Ripley delivers a fair and strong argument as to why sports should consider getting rid of high school sports.

This article reaches out to people who believe the school system in America is good and fair, not the underfunded and unfair reality of American schools. With America falling in academic scores, getting rid of sports might hurt at first, but work out in the long run. The Ripley says “I can rattle off the many benefits of high-school sports: exercise, lessons in sportsmanship and perseverance, school spirit, and just plain fun,” (Ripley) but throughout the article, she makes an argument that there is “too much emphasis on sports.” (Ripley) She states that in other countries around the world, high schools focus more on academic success, unlike some schools in America, “Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else.”(Ripley) To make an argument, she did her own study with foreign exchange students and found “in cooperation with an international exchange organization called AFS, nine out of 10 foreign students who had lived in the U.S. said that kids here cared more about sports than their peers back home did.”(Ripley). The author also found that more high school students played then took advanced placement exams like the SAT and ACT. The author then goes on to say that they believe one reason for sports becoming a large part of American school culture is that white Anglosaxon males were responsible for it “The ruling elite feared that all this schooling would make Anglo-Saxon boys soft and weak, in contrast to their brawny, newly immigrated peers.” (Ripley)
The author goes on to mention one specific school district in America, Singleton. They cancelled their sports programs and focused on a more academic focused school. The average of students passing classes was 80% greatly improving from the 50% the year prior. Students and some teachers left the school, but those who stayed said it was a lot easier doing a club sport and focusing on school compared to how it was before.

Another reason to cut high school sports Ripley argues is that its to expensive and the money could be put to better use. It costs more for a school to have a sports team then it does for them to have a class. All the budgets and funds going to high school sports is profound, unimaginable even. To maintain a field for the year would most likely cost a school above ten thousand dollars, at the least. Academics should get the most funding in schools but sadly that’s not the case, as  “schools will spend more money on athletics than they will on academics” (Niedospial)  For example the high school I went to made multiple big decisions while I went there.  They turned the old library into a full art room with new equipment and supplies, allowing the art program at the school to continue, rather than expanding the weight room for athletics.  Another decision I agree with them was building new and essential science labs which will help and allow some students for years learn and expirement in school.  When it comes to school academics come first always, and that’s why I agree with Ripley.

Ripley, Amanda. “The Case Against High-School Sports.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Feb. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/
the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/.

 

Niedospial, Laurel. “If Schools Want to Succeed, Get Rid of Competitive Sports Programs.” POPSUGAR       Tech, 28 Aug. 2017, www.popsugar.com/moms/Why-High-Schools-Should-Get-Rid-Sports-43894372.

After reading my peer review, I thought back to what was an important moment for me that happens in baseball, and I thought back to the time when I first started to be happy again. I told the story of the time I first felt truly accepted in high school, and revised my conclusion.  I chose this specific game because I feel as if it wasn’t a turnping point for me in high school, a turn into the right direction.  I also tried to show the impact that this sport had on me mentioning how it helped relieve stress and my anger, and make close friends and help with my self confidence.

Sports have always been an escape for me whether it was with troubles with my family or troubles in school I always knew I could do like a basketball or baseball to help alleviate the pain and stress of everyday life. I started watching and playing sports at the same I learned how to walk. I grew up with baseball, it had been a steady in presence in my life, and still is. I still have my old Derek Jeter jersey that I used to wear all the time when I was a kid. My life, like everyone else’s, has had many ups and downs to it, but throughout my life, sports have been there for me at the darkest times. Sports was the one thing that helped me. It helped me escape the pain I had felt. I had felt betrayed, angry and sad. I even wanted to quit baseball in high school. I didn’t really like my time at the school I was attending and wanted to do as little possible there. Thankfully, my mother made me tryout.
When the baseball season had started, I was not even looking forward to it. I was still upset with my family situation, and spent a lot of time getting frustrated and angry rather than dealing with it the right way. When we first started practices, I only knew a couple of kids on the team. We only had spent a week at practice with each other, and I had already felt better. I was becoming friends with my teammates, I was using my frustration to help improve my game and use it as motivation. During the middle of the season, I remember one specific game. I had had a particularly bad time the days leading up to the game, between family stuff and school I was really stressed and I was letting it get to me. I had become short tempered and stressed out. The game things changed for me, we were were losing, and I was up next to hit. I was nervous and was thinking negatively about the situation. My coach, who had helped me out in more ways than just baseball, came over to me and said “Hey man, we believe in you, you got this,” which took me back at first. I had never been an a very good player, in fact I was a substitution in the game, not even a starter. But my coach pulling me to the side and telling me that he believed in gave me confidence and helped release the stress I’d felt of the situation. I went up to the batters box and took a deep breath.  I made eye contact with the pitcher is a big 6 foot tall south paw who threw hard. I looked at first pitch zoom by me, strike one.  Another fastball, strike two.  The pitcher got overconfideent and I could tell, he was smirking and shaking off the catchers signs so he could try to strike me out.  I took a deep breath, choked up on the bat and got set in the batters box.  This time I knew it was coming, the pitcher delivered a fastball to the lower outside of the plate and I manage to get the barrel of the bat on the ball.  The ball shot it’s way to the right field gap and I started sprinting down the baseline.  As I’m running I hear a loud “ugh!” from my bench so I look up and that’s when I saw the right fielder standup up and holding the baseball, showing the umpire that he made the divining play to catch the ball.  Game over.  Onviously I was upset but my coach was already at first and told me that he was proud, and that if the ball was three more inches left it would have been at least a double.  That didn’t make me feel much better but i realize that I did give it my best and that I just got unlucky. Though I got out and my team ended up losing, rather than being ridiculed for coming up short by my teammates, my teammates rather encouraged me and told me not to let it drag me down. It made me feel better about losing that my friends weren’t mad, and made me more comfortable with them. The team had given me a second home. I made many friends on that team that I’m still close to today and without them, I wouldn’t know where I would be today. I know it sounds weird that a sport can have such an impact on ones life but it did. It made me feel like I belonged somewhere, and that I was part of something that I had felt I never been a part of before.
Now, years later and I look back at my childhood playing baseball, I appreciate it so much for all the amazing things it has given me. It has given me some of the greatest mentors in my life including coaches and teammates. It has given me friends and helped me become more sociable. It also helped me become more self accountable and helped improve my work ethic. In short, without baseball, and without my high school team and coaches, I would not have turned into the person I am today, and for that I will forever be thankful to the game.

 

Everyone is going through something

By: Kevin Love

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something

Kevin Love starts of by talking about how he’s an introvert and how that led to him being stressed and eventually having a panic attack. He mentions how he “ had to be a man, because that’s he he was always taught. He talks about how he had a panic attack in the game and how he was so confused and went to the hospital to get checked. He was worried about people finding out, then wondered why was he. He then got help from a therapist but didn’t expect much, but was able to get a lot off his chest from talking about his pain after the loss of his grandmother. He says he wrote the article to bring attention to mental health. Like the title says, and the theme that’s mentioned multiple times throughout the article “everyone is going through something.” Which is true. You never know what could be going on in someone’s life that makes them a certain way. He wants people to feel normal that mental health is a serious thing and that we should seek help if needed.  This article is really 8mprotant especially today because Kevin Love is a major public figure and is bringing attention to a very serious issue which is mental health.

Blog title: Thank you, New York

by: Derek Jeter

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/derek-jeter-thank-you-new-york

In this article, Derek jeter, a captain of the New York Yankees and one of the best to play the game of baseball, thanks the city of New York and gives his goodbye to them.  He starts off by talking about his youth living in a small town and out in the Midwest, and how he didn’t know how he’d adapt to everything about being a yankee.  The city, the pressure and the spotlight that he was cast into.  He said the people made it worth it, their acceptance of him made it easy for him.  His hard work and love for the team, fans and city made it possible.  He then thanks the city again for giving him this opportunity and that the city and team would be with him forever.

This article was a thank you letter by Derek Jeter an all time great and childhood hero of many, including myself.  His hard work and dedication to the city and franchise was more than you could ever ask of a player, and he was thanking them for the oppurtuniy, which shows his humility and kindness.

Sports have always been an escape for me whether it was with troubles with my family or troubles in school I always knew I could do like a basketball or baseball to help alleviate the pain and stress of everyday life. I started watching and playing sports at the same I learned how to walk. I grew up with baseball, it has been a steady in presence in my life, and still is. I even still have my old Derek Jeter jersey that I used to wear all the time when I was a kid. My life, like everyone else’s, has had many ups and downs to it, but throughout my life, sports have been there for me at the darkest times. Sports, baseball specifically, has been the one constant factor that never changed and it kept a sense of balance in my life in the toughest times. It helped me through my parents divorce, fights with friends and family, and whatever hardships came with life. Whenever I would take the pitchers mound or get ready to do a set, I would forget about everything. The stress of school, the confusion and anger of a parents divorce, anything that could’ve been possibly upsetting me at the time I just forgot. Wether it was the next pitch I threw or the next set I did, I’d take a deep breath and I would tell myself in my head “just take it one after the other”, and that’s the way I live my life now, one task after the other. It helped me organize my life, improve my school work, and improve my health. Baseball especially had helped me in ways that are irreplaceable. It’s helped me through my toughest times, helped me make some of my closest friends that I would’ve never met without sports in my life, and become a better version of myself, one that I can I say I am comfortable and proud of.

The first time sports really acted as an safe haven for me from every day life, was when I was seven and my parents were going through a divorce. Times were very tough and even though at times I felt like I had nobody to talk to, playing baseball was there and helped take my mind off of the pain of the real world and it provided me with a place to be myself, alleviate my anger, and give my mind a break. It helped again when in high school my relationship with my father just ceased existing. It was a difficult time for me. High school was daunting enough for me already, coming from a small school and not knowing anybody did not help either. I was not a good student at first, had only a few friends, and had to deal with the same senseless drama too many kids have to deal with in high school. But with baseball and weightlifting though, it helped me make friends and do better on and off the field, and I don’t know where I would be today without both of those things in my life. It made me felt that I belonged somewhere, a part of something that I had felt I never been a part of before. Day by day things with my family improved, but without baseball and lifting during this time, I do not know how I could have coped with everything. They allowed me to escape from the madness of everyday life.

My senior year I remember specifically out of all four years of my high school career. It felt like the world was slowly pilling things on top of me and there was nothing there that could help. I was frustrated with myself, school and nearly everything. I decided to put my frustration into good use and used it as motivation for baseball, so that for once finally, I could good about something that I did. I worked hard in the offseason before the season and it was my most successful season. One of the best things to happen to me during the season had nothing to do with the actual sport, but actually the friends I made on the team. I had made great friendships that without baseball, I would’ve never met them. My hard work in the offseason has carried over, and although there are bumps along this long road we call life, I can confidently say that because of sports and specifically baseball, I have become more organized, healthier and happy, and it’s a big part of the reason why I’m happy as who I am today.