Blog-Post #4: Hoop Dreams

Hoop Dreams

     The documentary, "Hoop Dreams" was a very inspiring and touching movie back in the day and is continuing to inspire its viewers as we speak. Throughout this film, we witness the complicated lives of two male teenagers, Arthur Agee and William Gates who are both very talented basketball players. Each player lives in the inner-city of Chicago, Illinois. All throughout their lives they have had to deal with many harships/struggles and doing this as young children was not easy. They had to deal with financial problems, family issues, etc. As stated before, both of theses boys were phenomenal at basketball. They were both recruited and given the opportunity to attend St. Joseph's where they would play on their outstanding basketball team. William was exceptionally good at basketball and considering he made varsity as a freshman explains how good he really was. Arthur was an amazing player as well, but he only made the junior varsity team. Although they were both successful in making a team at St. Joseph's, they each endured a great amount of set backs.
        Due to financial problems Arthur was not able to afford to go to school there, and he was forced to go back to his local high school (Marshall). At the time, it seemed to be the beginning of the end for Arthur because he felt that his dreams were being crushed. He lost all of his credits and was forced to start over. Nothing really mattered to him after that experience, and he just didn't really care about anything too much. In time, Arthur realized that even though he could not fulfill his dreams of going to St. Joseph's and becoming famous there, he could prove his talent at his current school. He ended up becoming one of Marshall High's biggest stars/players and improved his grades. After receiving a scholarship, Arthur first went to a junior college and then onto Arkansas State. William on the other hand, had an amazing freshman year at St. Joseph's. When he severely injured his knee during his junior year things seemed to go downhill from there. He was forced to sit out in several games, and lost the opportunity to showcase his talent to scouts. When William was just 17, he had a baby girl with his girlfriend Catherine. In my opinion William dealt with these hardships very responsibly and maturely. He did not let them hold him back however, and he was offered a scholarship to play at Marquette University. Like Arthur, William didn't get the best grades, so in order for him to go there he needed to get an 18 on his ACT test. He ended up overcoming his troubles and attending Marquette.
         "Hoop Dreams" has a very distinct and powerful theme that is shown all throughout the documentary. One of the main things it teaches it's viewers is to follow your dreams no matter what may get in your way. Determination and perseverance are two huge things that this movie encouraged it viewers to have. In order to succeed in life, you have to earn it and you most importantly have to want it. It taught us that you have to work hard to fulfill your dreams even through the struggles that you may face.  In the documentary we see many example of how both William and Arthur overcame their hardships and followed their dreams. Not having his dad in his life, missing out on a huge opportunity to remain attending St. Joseph's, and being in the presence of drugs and alcohol were all unfortunate things that Arthur had to cope with. Even though Arthur was going through rough times, he strove to make his dreams come true. William also had to deal with an absence of his father, severe knee injuries, and having at baby at a very young age. At first. he truly did struggle to find his way back to being the player he used to be after his injury. However, William knew what he had to do for himself and now for his family so he surmounted to his hardships and began persevering toward becoming a better player and student.  By and large, "Hoop Dreams" was a very inspiring and touching documentary that taught its viewers to always follow their dreams no matter what got in the way of that. 

The Impact of Sports on Life

The Impact of Sports on Life

     Professional sports, and sports in general, have changed the world in so many ways.  The article, "How Sports Transcends Culture" written by Angel Navado describes some of the various ways that sports have impacted and transformed our culture today. To begin with, sports encourage and allow fans to support the individuals/ players for their skill and ability, not for their culture or nationality. Sports have taken away some of the bias and stereotypes that our society uses to judge people without really knowing them or knowing what they can do. Additionally, sports have increased religious tolerance, which was and sometimes still is one of the biggest things our society struggles with. They have ultimately blurred the color lines/racial intolerance, teaching us to respect athletes and people of other races no matter what skin color they are. Lastly, sports influenced culture because they allowed athletes to learn and speak in many languages. If a team has one player that can speak the same language as the other team, it makes his/her dedication to the team and the game more important than a cultural barrier that can be as simple as a foreign language. By and large, when sports unite athletes, racial issues, cultural upbringings, and foreign languages do not matter. A new mold is ultimately created for society to pursue. 

     As we speak, sports are continuing to transform and impact our society/culture. Initially, athletic competitions help to build up the ethics and character of modern athletes. Playing sports can change who you are in so many ways. Your coaches and peers can teach you many lessons that help to build up your character and ultimately make you a better person. Those who have the opportunity of being a leader, have the power to uplift their players and potentially become their role models as well. Sports always bring people together no matter what cultural barrier may hold them back. They always have a positive influence on their patricipants and inspire them to be the best that they can be. For someone who has a low self esteem/low confidence, sports influence them to try things that they never would have imagined.

     In today's culture, sports have many positive and negative impacts. Many people love sports because they are a good way for them to have fun and enjoy themselves. Some people see it as a way to get away from everything and just focus on the game and having fun. People also enjoy sports because they aid them in remaining physically fit. For most people, being in shape makes them feel very good about themselves and is a sense of accomplishment and hard work. Along with a sense of accomplishment and hard work comes the positive impact of winning. Everyone who is competetive understands how it feels to win. Nobody likes losing especially after all of the hard work they have put in. Winning is such an incredible feeling. It proves to yourself and to your teammates that it was a well and hard-earned victory. As mentioned before, there are many ways in which sports impact our culture negatively. To start off, when playing sports participants can get seriously injured. When you are someone who is so passionate about that sport and can't play because of an injury it kills you. Not being able to what you love is so upsetting to the players that suffer from these unfortunate injuries. Another negative impact of sports is that they are very costly and expensive. But why is it that you need to pay money in order to do what you love? As you grow older, you improve immensely and sports become more and more competitive. The more you improve and earn your spot on a good team, the more it costs. There needs to financing for fields/complexes, uniforms, coaches, tournaments etc. In order for someone to be on a good team, all of those things come to mind and make it very expensive to play. On-field cheating is a very large problem with sports. The use of performance enhancing drugs, tampering of equipment, and recruitment violations are all huge issues that sports can cause. Lastly, unsportsmanlike conduct is another negative impact of sports. The competitive atmosphere can encourage athletes to fight, taunt, and be disrespectful toward one another. Sports can teach athletes to be disrespectful and sometimes even cocky. Athletes that are unsportsmanlike tend to be disliked by a lot of people. 

      Sports have impacted my life in so many ways. Ever since I was little all I would look forward to was going to my soccer games, kicking the ball around, and having the time of my life. Once you fall in love with a sport it becomes something you always want to do. I guess you could say that was what happened to me with soccer. To me, playing a sport is not just a hobby it is a lifestlye. Whenever I play, all of my worries or cares disappear and nothing else matters. Sports have taught me to always strive to be the best that I can be and never give up. If you really want something you have to work hard to earn it. Soccer has kept me in great shape over the years, and to me, doing what you love and having fun while getting excercise is unbelievable. Soccer has whole-heartedly changed my life and made me who I am today. It has taught me so many life lessons that I will never forget and will always be thankful for. 

Deflate Gate

Deflate Gate

     In the NFL, the deflate gate has been a huge and controversial issue ever since the AFC Championship game. During this game, the New England Patriots faced off against the Indianapolis Colts in what seemed to be an intense match in the beginning. However, the outcome of 45-7 was very surprising and contradicted many fans original beliefs. The huge range in points is where the deflate gate comes into the situation. But what really is the deflate gate? Many argue that the reason the patriots won by so many points was because they were playing with deflated footballs.  In my opinion, this inadequate accusation is completely unfair. I think it's all just a joke that makes people think the only reason the patriots were successful/ are successful is because they were playing with deflated balls. In reality, the patriots are an outstanding team who played a tremendous game. They whole-heartedly earned and deserved to win that game and all of the other games that they played during the season as well. It is simply pathetic and stupid to accuse a team of "cheating" just because they are good. Even before the game the balls were tested in a similar weather environment to Foxboro, so if anything the deflation could be caused by the cold and rainy conditions, not because they weren't "inflated properly". All in all, I think that these accusations were downright unneccessary. The overall skill of the victorious team wouldn't be affected by deflated footballs. 

     




   Super Bowl 49 was one of the most exciting and thrilling games I have ever seen. I have loved football ever since I was little, and I am a huge fan of the New England Patriots. This year's superbowl was a very nail biting and intense match. In the first half, I was so disappointed with the outcome and the way that the patriots were playing. Very early in the first half, Brady got intercepted and we lost a huge opportunity to score. Seattle's defense was not allowing LeGarette Blount (one of or best running backs) through the line and our running game was extremely weak. By the end of the first half the Patriots were down by 10 points. If you dont already know, the patriots tend to do a lot better in the second half. This year they led the record for the most points scored during the second half. I was very disappointed and angry with the score at halftime, but I knew that the patriots would come back and that Tom Brady was not ready to lose for his third time in a row. The patriots ended up coming back and scoring another two touchdowns giving them a lead of 28-24! There was only about 2 minutes left and Wilson threw a pass to his receiver, Jermaine Kearse. The ball was nearly intercepted and Kearse made in insane catch while falling to the ground. At this point there was around 20 seconds left. All I was thinking was, "Its over. that's it, that's the game". Little did I know that a few seconds later, Wilson would be intercepted by the one and only Malcom Butler.  It was one of the best and most memorable moments in super bowl history, Butler had just won the game for the patriots! My family and I were ecstatic when this happened and we just couldn't believe it! This game truly went down in history and I am so thankful that I was able to witness it. 

Super Bowl 49: Seahawks vs. Patriots

Super Bowl 49

      It's that time of year again football fans, it's time for the super bowl! In this year's super bowl the New England Partriots will be facing off against the Seattle Seahawks (the defending super bowl champions) in an intense and thrilling match. Super Bowl 49 has probably one of the best match ups yet. With Seattle having the best defense in the league and New England having one of the best offenses plus an excellent defense, it may end up being a close and nail-biting game. In their regular seasons, both the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks ended 1st place in their conferences with outstanding records of 12-4-0! Each team ended post-season playoff games with tied records of 14-4. The New England Patriots have won a total of three superbowls, all in a matter of four years, all titles won with their outstanding quaterback and future hall of famer, Tom Brady. In total, the patriots have made it to 8 super bowls, which in my eyes, is a huge and insane accomplishment. The seahawks, on the other hand, have only made it to two superbowls thus far. However, they were the defending champions of last year's superbowl, so it will be a very interesting and intense game to watch.
     I have always loved football and have been a patriots fan all of my life. For this year's superbowl I am obviously rooting for the patriots to win as I have supported them throughout the last 14-15 years and think they are an outstanding team. I am persoanlly so pumped for the game, I literally cannot wait! I think that the patriots will come out with a win for various reasons. Through the years, and this year especially, the patriots have worked so hard as a team to achieve this goal, and I think they really deserve to win. Tom Brady and  head coach, Bill Belichick, have worked together and succeeded in carrying this team to success. This year may be the last chance that Brady and Belichick have to win the super bowl together. With all the hype about the deflate-gate and other accusations, I believe it is making them strive harder to win and prove to everyone that they are not "cheaters". There has been a strong argument that if the patriots win the super bowl, Brady and Belichick will be considered the best coach-quaterback combination in history. In my eyes, they really already are, and I think that if they do win, it will prove to everyone that Brady and Belichick were and always will be a legendary duo. Super Bowl 49 is going to be one for the books, and I cannot wait to see the Patriots win it all!