Most citizens in a community could care less if their school was struggling academically as long as their sports teams went undefeated or had a winning season. American societies have been raised to be competitive and that winning, especially in sports, is very important. They have come to accept that scholarly achievements take a back seat to achievements in the sports world. Using appeals to logos and pathos, as well as fact and value claims, Daniel Bowen and Collin Hitt offer opposing views from Amanda Ripley supporting either the positive or negative effects sports have on test scores and academic accomplishments. In Amanda Ripley’s article “The Case Against High School Sports,” she argues that sports are becoming an unnecessary distraction, causing American students to fall behind other countries in math (and all other subjects) in the classroom.
Kids should always have fun, but competition is what makes it fun. Now children receive participation trophies just so they are not left out. I remember when I was younger and I played baseball my dad would help coach the team. He would always yell at me and tell me to try harder. In my childish mind then I would get frustrated because I thought I was giving it my all.
All great coaches have learned what they know from other coaches and players. Don't keep the attitude that you know everything and are the greatest coach to ever walk the earth. Be humble and eager to learn from others. This is how to become a better coach. Like players, coaches should "be coachable".
Americans think differently from Chinese people because we have more independence than them. In the book the Brave Dragons, the team had to go through these difficult and extensive training sessions that were supposed to get them better. Derek Jeter is an example, in his career he had to become a better player because he was doing too many mistakes. To get better he went to a training camp where he practice his catching skills and also his batting skills. When we talk about the different paradigm between the American and the Chinese, Derek Jeter accomplishment apply to the American paradigm because Jeter loved baseball since he was a little boy and always knew he was going to join the New York Yankees.
I set a goal to try-out for and make a competitive, inter-state travel baseball team. Going into the tryouts, I realized that I was not one of the overall best players that were competing for the 12-man roster. However I understood that with enough hard work, I could use my specialties to my advantage and surpass some of the other players to at least make the first cut. After the first cut came and went, and I was still competing, I then knew that I could go the rest of the way. Throughout the rest of the tryouts, I stuck with the uphill struggle and continued to perform at my best level.
But this fact doesn't discourage the thousands that try to make it. Even players from other countries come to the MLB to play with the pros. Baseball players always say once they get to the pros they want more. They want a world series title for their team which is something only a few get to experience. There are many variable needed in the equation to making a good ball player.
Since the early 1930's, people in the world of sports have been seeking an easy way to achieve success without putting in all the hard work required to make distant dreams realities. Young athletes and children look up to their peers and elders, and professional athletes. If one person finds success doing something a certain way, it is bound to be followed by others. Impatient athletes from all over have been searching for a competitive boost that will help them achieve their goals much sooner. Once the idea of injecting steroids into your body became a little more frequent, it began to catch on, and more athletes started taking them.
Cantor Rabinowitz’s my way or the highway approach to religion caused Jakie’s extreme reaction of running away. Most people who grow up under such circumstances do not run away, but they do often rebel wildly, once they reach adulthood. In the end our beloved main character Jakie Rabinowitz is able balance his own personal desires and his families religious desires. Unfortunately, this does not often happen in the real world. This fairytale ending is easily accepted by many, not because they believe it is feasible, but because they wish it was.
Some people who are feeling inadequate then see that person and begin to think they can never possibly be that thus giving up on that “thing”. Competition is there to improve us and if you don’t think that you can do a trait better then the next guy, success is obsolete. Competition is the only way for success in our society. Competition brings some kind of success to everyone in some aspect. We have to compete in school, physical activity, and the social realm to keep improving our world.
Finding motivation I told the team “Ignore the negative thoughts and comments. People who are not on the field with us don’t have the same mental strength to be playing and making a difference to ourselves and the school.” My team persevered and while our baseball may not have finished the season with the strongest scores we finished, heads up high looking towards our next season. It has been a distinct honor to serve as takes the team captain. Through leadership experiences I gained the power and motivation to serve well as a second coach to my team and evolve into the confident student I am today. Baseball great Mickey Mantle once said, "It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing all your life."