In the ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, I Hate Christian Laettner, the director explores why the talented, tall, amazing Duke player is arguably the most hated college basketball player to ever play. The documentary explores the 5 points of Laettner hate: privilege, white, bully, greatness, and looks. The 5 points help shape how people perceive Christian Laettner in the past and in the present. I believe that Laettner did have a certain privilege that many people disliked. I think that it is interesting that Laettner came from a lower, middle-class, blue collar family, but when people think of Duke student, as opposed to a UNC or NC State student, people associate Duke with “Ivy-League” interpretations and richer families. Laettner somewhat resembles …show more content…
I believe that Laettner had the privilege to be a talented white male that could play for Duke University, a great school with a great football program. However, I think Laettner definitely had a willingness and desire to show that he wasn’t some ordinary white student that can play basketball. He was willing to sink buckets, throw elbows, have explosiveness, etc., while he played basketball for Duke, and because he was so good at performing, he portrayed himself as more than your average player; because of that, I think people interpreted this portrayal as Laettner being entitled, which also translated into cockiness, rude, and hated. Because of this privilege, I think people portrayed all of the Duke players and students as people that didn’t understand how privileged they were …show more content…
Laettner knew he was handsome, and he lived the ultimate male college student’s fantasy by being very popular with the ladies on campus. He had this high social status just from his looks and his abilities on the court that many Duke players and students loved him. He was basically perceived as an icon at Duke. Meanwhile, people who hated him may have also thought about how attractive he is, but instead of loving him, they have resented him because he was “perfect”. I also think that it was funny that people tried calling him gay to throw him off, but that fueled him to shut up the haters by his performance. He would make crowds go silent because he would just perform so well. I think it is funny that his high social status influenced that rumor, but it was obvious that the perception didn’t match that
It would be the first interracial rivalry, but it wasn’t a bad rivalry. A third way this relates to popular culture is that nearing the end of each others career, both Magic and Larry were dealing with issues that would try to keep them off the court. With Larry, it was many injuries and with Magic, it was the fact that he had HIV and the questions that surrounded him when the news came out. With all these issues, it was their competitive friendship that pushed Larry throw chronic pains and illnesses to play. Same with Magic, at the time of the news that Magic had HIV, it was major news to the nation, especially since this was the first time a major sports icon had had a disease like this. No one knew what to do or what to think. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire because of other players refusing to play with someone with the HIV disease and the questions surrounding him, how much longer was he going to live? Are people going to think of him the same way
Affection, and value are how KU fans feel towards basketball and the document of the rules. Nevertheless, according to the article, “Sympathy for the Blue Devils: There’s No Place Like Home, “Swade’s belief that he’s on an almost biblical quest would be comical if he weren’t so obnoxious”(Bellamy 1). However, the author of this article is biased towards Duke. Describing Swade as obnoxious is one example of the bias Bellamy includes throughout his article. No facts are used to prove that Swade’s behavior is obnoxious whatsoever. In fact, Swade’s behavior shows how determined he was to bring the rules back to their rightful home. Obnoxious or not, Swade and other KU fans had sentimental feeling towards the document of rules that would have made innumerable amounts of KU fans disappointed if the rules were not placed safely back in Lawrence, Kansas. Correspondingly, the affectionate feelings KU had towards the rules and basketball tied together the reasoning to bring the rules back to their rightful home in Lawrence,
By forcing the reader to reconsider their thoughts, the author is essentially questioning the viability of such stigmas and showing that they are not always accurate. Additionally, by mentioning his enrollment in the University of Chicago, he recovering his credibility, which later allows him to continue questioning the reader’s thoughts without losing the audience’s trust. He does this at other moments too, such as when he refers to the essay “My Negro Problem - And Ours” written by Norman Podhoretz. He uses this not only as a counterpoint to argue against, but also as a means of showing the reader that he is aware of such problems also occurring outside of his own life, which again contributes to his ethos. By mentioning this essay and showing the reader that their fear of African Americans on the street is shared by many others in the city, he amplifies the reader’s view of the seriousness of the issue.
The article Higher Education by Gary Smith is about a basketball coach who changed the lives of a whole community. Perry Reese Jr. was a black basketball coach in Berlin, Ohio which used to be one of the most Amish settlements in America. Many in the town wrote him off because of their racist views. What they didn’t know was that one day he was going to be the man that created magic in that small community. He was not only a coach but someone who genuinely cared for all of these people, breaking the traditional views of segregation and life all together.
The first African American pro sports player, the former Brooklyn Dodger, Jackie Robinson, is the definition of the American Dream. He is the perfect example on what our country can bring to anyone that works hard enough for it. Jackie Robinson achieved amazing accomplishments during his time. Raised from a plantation in Georgia, Jackie Robinson was athletically gifted and was a stand out in high school and at UCLA where he did track, basketball, football, and baseball. On top of that Jackie Robinson went on to be the first African American in American pro sports and led to eventually all sports being filled with other races.
When he was playing baseball the leagues were separated from white and black. No african american had ever played in the white leagues of baseball until Jackie Robinson came around. The president of the the Brooklyn Dodgers took a chance on Jackie Robinson so he could integrate the major league baseball league. When jackie got there he had to promise not to fight back. With all of the words and actions they did he could not fight back or it would say something that he was violent and they would never have another african american play in the mlb. A bunch of fans from whites and blacks loved him, but a portion of whites didn't and they were the other teams and their coaches.The philadelphia phillies team and their manager Ben chapman shouted inappropriate derogatory terms at robinson from their dugouts. Jackie broke the color barrier by becoming the first african american to play in the mlb. All of the discrimination, racism, and pain that jackie endured was worth it for everyone. What he did that seemed like a simple tiny task was a massive thing. It integrated all sports for all
The movie Hoosiers was a great story that dealt with many of the topics covered in our readings for the week. The story is about a small-town Indiana basketball team that overcomes many challenges to win the state championship. The main character of the movie is Norman Dale, a passionate basketball coach that faces many obstacles in his attempt to teach his players about the benefits of working together as a team. The movie dealt with many team oriented topics such as team development, interdependence, group cohesiveness, intergroup problems, and confrontation.
“Earlier, when he was an eighteen-year-old sophomore at Creighton, Gibson and the rest of the college’s basketball team had gone to Oklahoma by train for a game against the University of Tulsa, and on the way Gibson was told that he wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep with his teammates there” (24, Angell). This proves similarities between Bobby Moch and Bob Gibson as both struggle to cope with discrimination. Therefore, Bobby Moch and Bob Gibson both successfully survive against discrimination and out-right
17th and 18th century American colonial life was not easy for women, they were overworked and underappreciated. Women were married young and quickly took on all the household responsibilities, including bearing children. Husbands, quite literally, owned their wives and because of this women had no control of their earnings, property, inheritance, or anything else (Portland State University, 2001). Though, despite all the hardships women had to go through, some overcame the challenges and still found a way to become strong women with remarkable talents. Two women who exemplify this are Henrietta Johnston, an amazing painter whose portraits were unadorned to the eye but were created using an exceptional type of medium for her time and Anne Bradstreet whose poetry showed the love she had for her husband and the intimate feelings of a colonial women (Academy of American Poets, n.d.; Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2016; Poetry Foundation, 2015; Sarudy, B. W., 2013). Johnston and Bradstreet both took on the typical domestic roles but still found a way to display their talents. Though, how did these roles effect the work they created?
There are men like Henri Pichot and Sheriff Guidry, who believe white men are superior. But the significant white man is Paul Bonin, who breaks away from the myth that white men are more superior over black men and treats Jefferson, Grant and the others like actual human beings, and not like they’re only three-fifths human like Sheriff Guidry says. (The Common Humanity…, Ed, Piacentino) Throughout the novel Paul has treated the black community with the same respect he would give any other man, which is quite different than any other white character. It shows a change in the humanity of white men and it shows a progressive step towards equality by allowing the reader to see the both sides of white men during this time.
“The Best That Never Was” is a 30 for 30 documentaries ESPN produced about the life and career of Marcus Dupree. Almost every topic we have discussed in class this semester came together in this documentary. It had everything from racism, eligibility to ethical behavior by everyone involved in sport including agents. I will focus on these three issues in particular because I feel they have the most direct correlation between the film and classroom discussions. I will follow these up with my opinions of the movie and some of the key players.
It was criticized for negative stereotyping. Louise Jefferson was like an old-south “Mammy”, and George, although rich, was always the butt of someone’s joke, whom no one really respected.
“Black” and “white’, are there two distinct styles of players in the NBA? Jeff Greenfield believes so. Greenfield believes the two most important traits that characterize “black” basketball is leaping ability and razzle-dazzle moves. When coaches see a white boy who can jump or who moves with extraordinary quickness, they say, “He should have been born black, he’s that good.” (Greenfield 212). This statement was used in the title to the hit film White Men Can’t Jump. Most of the legendary jumpers in the NBA were black. Such players include Willis Reed, Julius Erving, and Wilt Chamberlain. In today’s modern game
Many people believe Michael Jordan did his part of fighting racial battles for equality just like the great Civil Rights activist era.
Bill Garret—the forgotten pioneer who broke the color-barrier within college basketball and paved the way for so many black athletes to follow—fought a constant battle on and off the court against ignorance, racism and discrimination all too often. Bill grew up in an integrated community although racial segregation was “just the way things were” in this town. Nothing was ever said directly, the rules and social expectations had been set in place since before their time and nobody dared change it. Bill Garrett was the perfect example of just how hard you have to fight to change social barriers and norms. How hard you have to work and act in order to succeed in a system that sets you up to fail. Throughout Getting Open, we see Garrett’s transition