Blog Post #8

The Short Game

Summary:     
       In Josh Greenbaum's hilarious, intense, and informative sports documentary, "The Short Game" he argues that little kids are sometimes being pressured more than they should be, while also learning essential life lessons along the way. In this film, there are child sensations from all around the world competing in an intense match to become the all time golf world champion. Even between the young ages of 6 and 8, this tournament is crazy competitive and requires a huge amount of patience and skill. Throughout the film, we see many examples of how the kids are being pressured to the point where it becomes too much. For someone that is that young, all of the competitiveness and pressure can really be a lot to deal with. Some may even argue that it is taking away from their fun-filled and enjoyable childhood. However, enduring this struggle and dealing with the stress ultimately teaches the kids to persevere and stay determined even through rough patches that they may face. It also teaches them to be responsible and to never give up on something they truly believe in. Furthermore, the kids are learning to overcome adversity/cultural barriers which is an essential asset for them as they move forward. All things considered, Greenbaum's main goal of this documentary was to expose the idea that youth athletics are becoming wildly competitive and pressuring to the point where young kids are losing site of their entire childhood.

Analysis:
     Personally, I believe these kids are in fact losing sight of certain areas in their childhood due to the competitiveness and pressure of golf. On the contrary, I strongly believe that they play golf solely for the love and devotion to the game. Each and every one of them learn several important life lessons that may continue to aid them in their long journey through life. They all work extremely hard to achieve their goals while having a blast as they do so. For instance, one sees that hard work and devotion that both Alexa Pano and Allan Kournikova put into becoming the next world champions. Along the way, we also see that Alexa and Allan are best friends and love to have fun/goof around with each other whenever they possibly can.  Therefore, I conclude that these 6-8 year old prodigies play golf at such a high level because they want to prove to themselves and others that anything is possible if you work hard to achieve it and truly love the game. 

Rhetorical Precis:
       Forthcoming, stressful,  and comical all at the same time, Josh Greenbaum's documentary, "The Short Game" (2012) demonstrates the pressures of being a youth athlete in a competitive sport. Greenbaum also displays the idea that sometimes the pressure from parents and just the game itself is causing them to lose sight of their childhood. Although it is ambitious and at times nerve-racking, the kids still manage to play and enjoy the sport they love. Throughout the movie, Greenbaum uses many montages of the kids having fun together, upbeat/uplifting music, and a lot of funny anecdotes from the kids. He does this to exhibit the kids enjoying themselves while also being serious and focused on becoming the best in the world. On top of that, he shows how kids from all different backgrounds from all around the world are overcoming adversity and breaking those cultural barriers. In order to expose how pressuring the sport/event can be, Greenbaum shows clips of the kids getting frustrated at themselves, giving their parents attitude, and at times giving up. Along the way, the kids learn from their mistakes and realize that you always have to keep trying and stay determined to be the best. 
     One sees many examples of unethical actions against these young kids from both parents and officials. The parents sometimes convince the kids that golf has to be over everything because it is the most important thing, ultimately steering them away from their childhood. At the very young age of 8, Jed Dy, experienced a huge penalty that ruined his chances in the tournament for juste being a few minutes late. For someone who is that young, many argue that it is unjust and not right. Greenbaum seems to direct his audience to anyone who may be concerned with the lives of childhood athletes and how it could potentially ruin their childhood. He seems to maintain a very happy and exciting, but also informative and realistic tone about the situation at hand. By and large, the main purpose of this documentary was to expose the idea that youth sports are becoming very competitive and filled with pressure that's causing children to lose sight of their childhood.