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Impact of parents on youth sports
Impact of parents on youth sports
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In Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers”, Malcolm attempts to explain the “Matthew effect” by way of allegory about the Canadian Hockey league. The Matthew effect as stated is derived from the religious writings of the gospel of Matthew. In the gospel, Jesus speaks about the parables of the talents, saying “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath”. In Gladwell’s story he attempts to explain how some children have a greater advantage over other kids based upon there age when trying out for acceptance into the league. His story speaks about children being born earlier in the year around January through March as having greater ability and advantage
I found Gladwell’s first chapter of Outliers entitled “The Matthew Effect” to be both interesting, confusing, and perhaps somewhat lopsided. Based on Matthew 25:2, Gladwell simply explains, “It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given to the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success.” (Gladwell 2008, pg. 30) The Matthew Effect seems to extend special advantages and opportunities to some simply based on their date of birth.
As a result, Malcolm Gladwell used it as a starting point of his book “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.” Gladwell’s book tells the story of people, whom as David, overcome difficult situations, Goliath, and become successful, even though all the odds were against them. Therefore, Chapter 2 of Gladwell’s book studies the effects of smaller and bigger classes in countries all around the world,
Once in a while, it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to. Gladwell believes that cultural legacies are powerful forces. Cultural legacies are the customs of a family or a group of people, that is inherited through the generations. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, Cultural legacies is something that’s been passed down for generations to generations. It depends on what type of legacies was passed that will affect a person. If a good legacy was passed down, someone can keep that legacy going by trying hard at keeping the legacies going. If a bad legacy was passed down; I believe that cultural legacies can be altered or changed, by good working habits, determination, and a positive mindset to succeed. Culture can affect either positively or negatively, but we have the power to turn our cultural
When looking into the history of our culture, there are many subtopics that fall under the word, “history.” Topics such as arts and literature, food, and media fall into place. Among these topics reside sports. Since the beginning of time, sports have persisted as an activity intertwined with the daily life of people. Whether it is a pick-up game of football in the backyard, or catching an evening game at the local stadium, sports have become the national pastime. According to Marcus Jansen of the Sign Post, more specifically, baseball is America’s national pastime, competing with other sports (Jansen 1). Providing the entertainment that Americans pay top dollar for, live the role models, superstars, and celebrities that put on a jersey as their job. As said in an article by Lucas Reilly, Americans spend close to $25.4 billion dollars on professional sports (Reilly 4). The people that many children want to be when they grow up are not the firefighters or astronauts told about in bed time stories. These dream jobs or fantasies have become swinging a bat or tossing a football in front of millions of screaming fans. When asked why so many dream of having such job, the majority will respond with a salary related answer. In today’s day and age, the average athlete is paid more than our own president. The cold hard facts show that in professional sports, the circulation of money is endless. Certain teams in professional baseball and football are worth over millions of dollars. Consequently, the teams who are worth more are able to spend more. The issue that arises with this philosophy is virtually how much more? League managers, team owners and other sports officials have sought out a solution to the surfacing problem. Is it fair to let...
Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist writing for The New Yorker; he often deals with popular modern life theories and ethical issues. The essay was published in The New Yorker magazine, September 2013, so the issue of the essay is an ongoing and controversial incongruity ethical dilemma among sports industry. The magazine is nationwide read especially in the U.S. metropolitans. The contents are mostly about American literary and cultural landscape, reportage, and including short stories. The target audience of the magazine is originally educated to elite readers, also the essay intended audience would not be much different from the magazine’s, specifically, the sports circles and sports spectators among middle to upper-class people.
I think Gladwell’s book is an interesting science. I am not sure I know enough to say it is good science yet, but the Medicine Hat Tigers example he used is surely a convincing argument for good science. Gladwell cleverly redirected the reader’s attention to the birthdays of the Tigers rosters, something a Psychologist (Roger Barnsley) had done some time ago also pointed out by Gladwell in his book. But what Gladwell did that could be construed as good science is replace the players’ names with their birthdays to highlight when the more successful players on the team were born, January, February, March and April to be exact. This is good science if the discovery’s technique was used to draft players in all sports going forward as seems to be the indication in Gladwell’s book.
Bernard Malamud emerged as a crucial and contemporary innovator of sports literature. Sports literature as defined by Kevin Baker’s introduction, are stories “drawing upon the natural drama of any sporting contest, and imparting life lessons freely along the way” (viii). Malamud’s debut novel The Natural, is a grim and “antiheroic tale” of a baseball player Roy Hobbs “whose ambitions and desires are constantly thwarted” (vii). Through his novel The Natural, Malamud emerges as a prestigious figure of sports literature through his combination of mythology and baseball, in order to create memorable works in this literary tradition. Malamud in his novel The Natural “draws heavily upon this genre, then stands it on its head” (viii). Baker draws
Terrence and Jordin Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, in Canada’s arctic region. They were like other Inuit children in Rankin Inlet in many respects: They were brought up to respect the customs of their people and they enjoyed the resources the land around them provided- they learned to hunt and fish for food like the others. However, the brothers were also different from their peers in one main respect- they were blessed with a love for the game of hockey, and also with extraordinary amounts of talent which would enable them to leave their native community to pursue the dream of professional hockey. While the brothers were growing up they were inseparable; however, after leaving Rankin Inlet to pursue the professional game their respective careers took strikingly different paths. Jordin’s journey took him to the top- he was drafted into the National Hockey League and signed a lucrative contract with the Nashville Predators. However, Terrence’s road to the professional ranks was filled with hardship and tragedy, ultimately resulting in his suicide in August of 2002. The contrasting paths taken by the brothers is an illustration of how professional sporting careers can have varying impacts on the lives of Native American and Canadian athletes and their communities. In the following few paragraphs I will outline the history of Native Americans and Canadians in sports. I will examine how successful Native athletes are able to help their communities, both financially and by serving as role models for younger Natives. Also, I will argue that their still exist barriers and challenges to Native athletes that do not confront other athletes. For example, Native athletes are often placed under increased scrutiny because of their positions as role models. I will conclude by commenting on how Native athletes fit into pro sports today, and speculate on what can be done to increase the amount of success enjoyed by Natives.
The following is a case study analysis on SPORTPLAY. The case involves a man by the name of Chis who is the Executive Director of the Provincial Arts Board (PAB). Until recently PAB was receiving government funding but when PAB failed to satisfy three of the five standards for government funding, PAB fell victim to government funding cutbacks. These cutbacks led Executive Director Chris to begin searching for non-traditional types of funding. Chris ultimately came up with the idea to connect with sports communities that he knew were always in the need of financial assistance. His initial thought was that if he could legalize gambling on sporting events that he could alleviate both parties’ financial issues. With some luck and after four months of hard work Chris was able to get roughly 33 associations that consisted of sport and art. Even several politicians jumped around this idea because saw the potential in replacing all government support for elite sports and the art community (INSERT CITATION).
...heme of maturation in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is conveyed through the characters of Scout and Jem, in conjunction with the assistance of their virtuous father Atticus Finch. Early in the novel, Atticus ascertains himself as a major facilitator in the maturation process of Scout and Jem by incessantly providing mature solutions to his children’s predicaments. Moreover, Scout, a major benefactor of the Boo Radley incident and Atticus’ wisdom, has helped her develop into a very tolerant and mature individual. Undeniably, Jem’s remarkable development into a broadminded and compassionate character can be directly attributed to Atticus’ kindness and Jem’s exposure to the Tom Robinson trial. In synopsis, it is evident that the individuals and social circumstances that surround an individual play a major role in defining the type of individual one will become.
Professional sports were beginning to be organized in the 1850s. At this point, their salaries, although they were still higher than the average person’s, were not too outrageous. In the 1880s and 90s, baseball players in particular were making on average about $1,750 annually. Even though this was three times the salary of an industrial worker of the time, they were not happy with this amount of money and felt they should be earning more (Baseball n.d.). In the 1970s, the worlds of professional sports took a drastic turn. According to an article by J.L. Carnagie, “Two words described sports in the 1970s: big business. Owners and athletes in major professional team sports knew there was money to be made in their games, and they went after it.” (Carnagie, n.d.) Athletes, especially, realized how competitive teams were becoming, and they were well aware that talent was in high demand. In the beginning of 1980s, the best athletes were demanding even more money; and the majority of the time, they got what they wanted. By end of the 1980s, many athletes were making over a million dollars (Carnagie, n.d.) These increasing salaries were very ironic because when professional sports began they were intended to be a showcase of players’ talent and athletic ability. Professional sports leagues were also supposed to be similar to the Olympics in that they would be free of politics and influence of society. However, by the 80s, they had become all about the star athletes and how much money they could make. By this point, professional sports had evolved into an industry that was focused on entertainment and money, rather than the sports actually being played (Carnagie, n.d.).
Hoffman, Shirl J.. Sport and Religion. Champaign, ILHuman Kinetics Publishers: Human Kinetics Publishers, 1992. Print
this is quoted to Plutarch and pertains to societies as well. This idea of grouping people based on their wealth plays a key role in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by, Harper Lee. It recounts the story of two preteens, Jem and Scout, growing up in a prejudice old southern town during the great depression. They have become accustomed to the towns habits, like the normally honorable work of the Cunninghams as well as the dreadful deeds of the Ewells. The children have role models in their lives like Aunt Alexandra as well as Calpurnia, a black nanny like figure. Atticus, their father, is presented with the most strenuous and thorny case of his life representing Thom Robinson, a black man, accused of rape by a white woman. All in all the narrative consists of the difficulties of these kids as they struggle through the idea of discrimination, inequality, as well as an array of other issues. Economic class affects the events in the novel by dominating characters judgement, dividing the community, and preserving as well as sustaining blemishes through generations.
Charles Prebish draws the conclusion that religion and sport are not just parallel, but they are a complete identity. He comes to this conclusion because he feels that there is more to the religious terminology that other authors suggested. Prebish says that fifty or more terms and phrases can expand the terminology, with little investigation. He also feels that most of the other authors share the vocabulary for both religion and sport, but have different meanings for each. He says in many cases there is no difference in meaning that each term carries for the two traditions. Prebish also gives us an example of two people, an athletic marathoner and the faithful churchgoer. The churchgoer seeks the glorious experience of God, while the marathoner pursues the “perfect run”, which in some cases can be an equally profound and religious experience. Prebish gives more examples of the identical similarities between religion and sport: sacred food, chants, personnel, seasonal rituals, etc. Although Prebish gives these examples of how identical these similarities are, I think the main point in his argument is that he is convinced through his work with athletes that it is possible to experience ultimate reality through sport, and that it happens regularly.
Instead of trying to change sports through their religious beliefs and morals, they [Christian athletes] rather seem to choose to live the paradox. The only situation, which seems to create a real problem, is when game