Written
Analysis #5
For this class I chose to examine the influence of sports
on today’s youth and the value we place on success in the world of athletics. This topic is of interest to me since my son
is a high school senior who has been playing basketball since he was in second
grade. We live in a small town and
rarely have students that play beyond their high school careers. I have seen first-hand the positive and
negative effects of the expectations of greatness from an athlete at such a
young age.
Applying pop culture theories to this topic mostly
involves the ideas of heroism, icons, youth, and myths. Heroism and icons go hand in hand with the
influences of past players of notoriety since the beginning of the sport. Young athletes look up to these individuals
as heroes rather than celebrities; attempting to dress, act and look like them
from clothing to hair styles.
My journal analysis addressed the theory that hard work
pays off in the world of sports. The
American Dream myth parallels this idea that if you have natural talent or
practice relentlessly and dedicate your free time to improving your skill in a
certain sport, you will succeed and possibly become the next Kobe Bryant. This is only true for a few select individuals.
I had never really thought about differentiating between
heroes and celebrities. This section was
particularly educational since it gave me pause and encouraged me to examine
what separates these two types of individuals.
Studying this aspect further frustrated me to think that we allow and
encourage our children to hold players to the same level of esteem as Mother
Teresa. I am not devaluing the work that
the athletes put into their careers or the charitable contributions they make
throughout their careers. I could never
accomplish what they have in my lifetime.
I have long held the belief that we should pay our educators and medical
personal a higher wage than a professional football player because they are the
real heroes that save and shape our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment