Sports as a Unifying Factor and Epitome of Hope - Essay Example

Sports as a unifying factor and epitome of hope Sports is an integral part of the society of today and plays a very critical role in the lives of many people. Now more than ever, we find that sports are dominant in the news papers headlines and those involves or take part such as athletes turn out to be national heroes. However, from a social point of view, sports plays a very critical role in bringing people together from various social backgrounds in cheering their favorite teams. These can greatly help people in their tolerance and understanding of one another. Nevertheless, just as it brings people together so it can drift them apart, as it is usually shown by crowed violence during football matches. In this paper, we are going to discuss the importance of sports as presented in three different texts namely: The Best American Spots Writing 2010, edited by Peter Gammons, Friday Night Lights, by H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger, and Shoeless Joe, by W. P. Kinsella. The Best American Spots Writing 2010 This is a collection of twenty six pieces of articles that talk about sports and they include the inspiring tale by Thomas Lake about two softball players belonging to Pacific Northwest college who carried an opposing player around the bases after she had badly hurt herself whereby she hit her only career home run. In the text, there is also a disturbing examination or analysis of the brain trauma and the consequent dementia that is also suffered by the NFL players regularly. In the article ‘No-Stats All-Star,’ in an otherwise ordinary college softball match, Central Washington University’s Mallory Holtman did something that even made mature individuals or adults break down to tears. When Sara Tucholsky, a rival player hit a home run, (the career first of the player), she seriously hurt her foot rounding the first base. However, the rules of baseball maintain that the home run hitter round all the bases for it to be counted. More significantly, the player would be disqualified if he or she is helped back to her feet by any of his or her teammates. Mallory stepped into this sticky situation. She asked a colleague to assist her in carrying Sara around the bases in an exceptional act of sportsmanship, which educed a half-facetious proposal for marriage from a man, aged seventy four, a national awareness or knowledge of the sports’ human side, together with a YouTube-spiraled acknowledgement of unplanned and extraordinary act of this young man. From this, we can see how sports play a critical part in uniting people, whereby even the players themselves show compassions for each other. It is true that in most competitions, some players usually forgo their chances of winning if they see one or many of the opponents injured to help them out. For instance, in a football match, when someone is injured, in a sportsman spirit, it is always important to kick the ball off the pitch so that the injured party can be attended to by the team doctors. This is a demonstration of how people should always treat others in times of troubles. What the text is trying to tell us is that these people that we see taking part in sports or playing are just normal human beings; that is they are just like us with no special features. They just have feelings like us and can be hurt or injured as well and feel pain. Therefore, it is important that they are treated with a human heart. This teaches us that all people in the society are equal and none should be treated as a lesser being. In the lead-off piece of the anthology, “The Way It Should Be,” we find that the writer captures the moment in pitch excellent prose and, more significantly, puts the incident in its impact’s context. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger With passion and openness, H. G. Bissinger talks about a season in the life of a small town known as Odessa and demonstrates how ambitious and determined devotion and dedication to the team can greatly shape the community as well as inspires, and at times thwarts the youngsters who put on the Panther’s uniforms. Odessa is known to be a very small town on dreams, however, the Panthers help in keeping alive the dream and hopes of this tiny town. Racially and socially divided, its weak economy follows the perfidious boom-bust of the business of oil. During not-so-good times, we find that the rate of unemployment is always beyond control, or is unmanageable, but during good times, the rates of murder go up. From the month of September to December during every Friday night, when the Panthers of Permian High School play soccer, this dusty town found in the western parts of the state of Texas turns out to be a place where dreams become a reality. This actually shows how sports play a significant role in bringing the society together. Normally, the town is very quiet, but during sports days, the city becomes lively and people come together to cheer their lovely team and celebrate together. Their team brings joy, hope and happiness to them. It actually gives them a reason to smile. The writer actually brings out everything out just the way it is, and does not appear to hide anything. He tells us how just a high school football team can turn out to be the main rallying point or the major unifying factor of an otherwise secluded community that is found many miles away from the perceived large metropolitan region; a community that consists of residents who are extremely religious, fear and respect God, and not ashamed shaming the non-whites who are intolerant. The community holds the young team in high esteem and follows it to wherever it goes to play because according to them, it is perhaps among the little things that they are proud of as their very own and that make them happy, regardless of its caliber. The text also gives profiles of several of the star players of the team. Some of them live for every single moment that they get a chance of putting on the Panthers uniform, whereas others are conflicted at being compelled to play in such an unfavorable environment. Some of them are the lucky children of the richest residents of the town, bound for the Ivy-League schools, whereas others are from agonizing poverty and homes that are broken. Odessa is depicted as a whole town of broken dreams, overwhelmed by the slump in the industry of oil whereby the rate of unemployment and crime are very high. What remain to hold or bring the community together is the matches that are played by their lovely team at the Ratliff stadium, whereby it does not only fight for the pride of their school and team, but also for the pride of the whole people and community. Shoeless Joe, by W. P. Kinsella The text ‘Shoeless Joe,’ is set in calm rural Iowa and the telling is poetic lyrical and at times sentimental prose. It is a tale of the triumph of love and power of imagination. It is about hope and dreams and trust together with the attainment of long-buried desires. Nevertheless, the dominant thing all through the text is the consuming love of baseball of the character, which is depicted nearly as a religion, and is positively contrasted with the conventional Christianity’s spiritual dryness. The love that exists between Annie and Ray is not far from a perfect love as people can get, and if some people find that weird, it is due to the fact that is it not as common that it appears unrealistic (Fleitz 72). This is the kind of love that everyone dreams about. It is the kind of love that we feel all of us has. However, in reality, it is the ideal one. Although it is difficult to believe such love in many ways, in some very special and rare cases, it does. But the question is why does Ray believe and follow the voice that he hears? Why is he plowing under his con field, putting his firm at risk, his home and probably his entire family? This is because he has a belief that at times it is essential to respect the voices that are heard. He believes that Annie will understand, or even at least realize that he has no otherwise but to do what he has to do. Nonetheless, from the first that Shoeless Joe makes an appearance in the field, Ray begins dreaming. He has dreams of reuniting with his father at one time again. He hopes to see him in a way that he had never known him; energetic and playing the game that he loved so much. He is told by Shoeless Joe to ensure that the field is finished and made possible for all of the dishonored White Sox to appear and play again. He promises that that is the only way that they can consider to have his father play again. Work cited Fleitz, David. Shoeless: The Life And Times of Joe Jackson. McFarland & Company Publishers, 2001. Print. Read More