Race In Sports

Chad Lawrence

Sports and Society

March 7, 2005

Sports is what has molded us into the people we are today. The world of sports is so unique, and people have different interest and fascinations. From being a child I can remember watching the Red Sox and Celtics with my father and becoming a die hard fan for those teams due to my family being serious fans. Not only did watching those games turn me into a good New England fan but it also gave me some good quality time with my father and brothers.

The movie we watched showed all the emotions that can come from sport. Whether it would be a gratifying moment with a win for your team, or a devastating moment with a loss. That is what makes you grow when you are a younger kid growing up. A kid who can handle a loss in his life with the same dignity as a win will become a better person in the future.

In class discussion we talked about how in today's age younger kids do not have the same interest to get involved in sports as they used to. It seems that today younger kids are more interested in playing video games, then to take part in a sport and learn the team aspect of life and how to get along with each other and work as a team. Learning in sports is something people do not understand unless you are a true athlete. In the game of baseball there is so much silent communication not everyone knows about. You have nine men on the field who have the same mind set and that is to do anything you can to win this game and help your teammates. If a kid can learn this at a young age and carry this on with him through life, he will become that much of a better worker when he is at the office or wherever they might be.

We also discussed the role of women in sports and that is a uniqueness in its self. Girls sports are becoming more of a interest to the public then it once had. This is in direct relation to the U.S Woman Soccer championship game over China. Mia hamm got girls real interested in soccer as well as fans. With the WNBA growing every year it has been in existence, that has gotten girls interested in playing basketball at a younger age, which then increases the amount of talent that is out there and lets girls discover that they are truly good at something, which might have never happened if not for the WNBA.

I recently just read an article on the most hated sports in the country. I was very surprised to see that the WNBA, Woman's soccer and Nascar were all on the list. It just goes to show that even with all the progress they have made, they have not progressed that much. What these sports have done though is get younger people interested who may not have been in the past.

In the last shot the book discussed the way out for some of the kids who live in Coney Island and that basketball is their way out and not education. That is what happens to a lot of inner city kids, they have