Speech Title:
The Hometown Hero
Public Figure: Mike Alstott
General Purpose: To inform + To persuade= To praise
Specific Purpose: To praise Mike Alstott to my classmates as a role model and hero to the Tampa Bay area.
Thesis: Mike Alstott is a true warrior, a role model, and an example of a hometown hero.
I. Introduction:
A. He hasn’t stood in the face of danger for his country. He hasn’t started a new religion. He’s not a Mother Teresa and he doesn’t have his own talk show. In fact, he’s just your everyday kind of guy. And oh yeah, he’s one of the top-rated most valuable players on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. His name is Mike Alstott, and he’s worth a lot more than what you see at first glance. (attention getter)
B. Living in the Tampa Bay area, I’m sure you’ve heard of him, and you’ve probably caught a few games, but do you really know who he is? (common ground)
C. Mike Alstott is a true warrior, a role model, and an example of a hometown hero. (thesis)
D. I’m going to show you how Mike is not only a hero on the football team but a great asset to the Tampa Bay area. (preview)
No matter what it is, Mike puts his heart and soul into everything he does. For 9 years, straight out of college at Purdue, Mike Alstott has been a major part of the Buccaneers football team. Easily one of the most motivated players on the team, he has played in 102 games resulting in 59 career touchdowns. He is ranked second on his team of all-time with over 4,600 rushing yards. He has been to the pro-bowl 6 times. However, with all of these successes comes many injuries. In 2003 he missed 12 games due to a serious neck injury. Even after undergoing surgery, and the rest of his career being questionable, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be back on the field. Now, I don’t know about you but after a life-threatening injury, the last thing I would want to do would be to throw myself back on the field to do it all over again. This quote sums up the Mike Alstott philosophy: “I have never backed down from any carry, any time,” said Alstott. “I would carry it 50 times a game and I’ve always said that.” Pure and simple, Mike loves football and he loves his community. Nothing could get in the way of him fulfilling his duty and doing what he loves.
Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Sculley Bradley, Richard Beatty, and E. Hudson Long Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962.
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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.
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DeMyers, Sandra. "Intro to the Hero's Journey." Loyno.edu. Northshore High School, 21 June 2000. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Hughes, Kristen E. "I Will Be My Own Hero." Encounters: Essays for Exploration and Inquiry. Ed. Pat C. Hoy II and Robert DiYanni. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 50-54.
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Kleinfeld, Judith. "McCandless: Hero or Dumb Jerk." McCandless: Hero or Dumb Jerk. N.p., 20 July 2001. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
A. Listening to their story might give you a better understanding of what kind of lives these people endure.