My athlete is Todd Marinovich, and I chose him because he played for USC, which is my favorite college team. Todd Marinovich was one of the most talented, and controversial athlete to ever play the game of football. From the time he was born, he was trained to be the perfect athlete from his father Marv Marinovich. Marv, was a former NFL and USC football player, as well as a renounced strength and conditioning coach, who attempted to engineer the greatest quarterback who ever lived in his son.
From the time Todd was born he was training to become the best quarterback alive. Under Marvʻs unique and intense training Todd Marinovich became one of the most physically fit, athletic, and technical player the game has ever seen. In fact, he was dubbed Robo quarterback in high school. Marv managed every aspect of Toddʻs life, whether it be school, training regiment, or even diet. He never went to McDonalds, never had a slice of birthday cake, and never drank soda. Todd was recruited by many schools in high school, but decided to attend Mater Dei, a quarterback driven school with close ties to USC. Todd seemed to have everything, the athleticism, the technique, the work ethic, except, he had one weakness, pressure. The sky was the limit with him, and he was widely publicized and had extremely high expectations, which got to him. In high school Todd began experimenting with drugs and alchol, trying to escape his life. Toddʻs new lifestyle began affecting his athletics. His performance level dropped as Todd got deeper and deeper into drugs. At school he was no longer referred to as Todd Marinovich, but rather Todd Marajuannavich. However, even with the recent drop in performance level, it didnʻt stop college schools recruiting him. He deci...
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...s taken ahead of Brett Farve. The NFL was aware of Toddʻs drug history and required him to send in frequent drug tests, which he passed by using a friends urine. The first few weeks of Marinovichʻs rookie year was exceptional. After two games he became the starting quarterback, and had stats of 67% for 1,489 yards with 12 touchdowns and 3 picks. However, that came to an end 3 weeks later when he had an abysmall performance against the Eagles, promoting Schroeder back into action. Marinovich never regained the starting job and was cut the following season. Todd Marinovich may have been the most athletic athlete the game has ever seen. He had perfect form, technique, best shape, stregngth, he seemed to have it all. Except, he lacked mental toughness, and allowed his athletic career to tumble in the practice, making him one of the biggest duds the sport has ever seen.
The student athlete is a term often used to describe a member of the student body at an institution as well as a member of one of the schools athletic teams. This is not a label that includes students who play recreational sports during their leisure time; this term is used for those students who split their time between athletics and academics.
The number of players abusing drugs in the NFL is increasing every year (www.cbs.sportsline.com). This is concerning because it seems like more and more players each year get caught either using drugs, or being involved in some kind of drug activity. The only drug being used that is on the decline is anabolic steroids. This decline is due to several players in the 1970's and 80's dying before they could see their kids make it to high school. The first player to publicly come clean about being addicted to drugs was Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. He was a Dallas Cowboys linebacker who played in three Super Bowls. He told the world about his addiction in 1981. He claims that a player using cocaine and marijuana was very uncommon at his rookie season. The more he played, the more drugs he began to take. He claims that since he came clean, the problems have been getting worse. More and more players keep doing drugs even after they hear of players having drug problems. If these...
College athletes are manipulated every day. Student athletes are working day in and day out to meet academic standards and to keep their level of play competitive. These athletes need to be rewarded and credited for their achievements. Not only are these athletes not being rewarded but they are also living with no money. Because the athletes are living off of no money they are very vulnerable to taking money from boosters and others that are willing to help them out. The problem with this is that the athletes are not only getting themselves in trouble but their athletic departments as well.
In Forbes Magazine, David DiSalvo’s article “College football steroid use is rampant and little is done about it” talks about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in college football and its rising use in football today. Everybody always bashes baseball and other sports for steroid use but nobody really cares if it’s used in football and many people are starting to question why. Another question that needs to be answered is how are these football players not getting caught by the many drug tests they are forced to take. In most cases it’s blatantly obvious that most of these players are on something. David’s article has opened many of the football fans eyes and people seek the truth behind all of this.
Choosing a vocation can be a daunting task. With the world ever-evolving, one may come across a new attractive career every year. In order to ensure optimal job satisfaction, it is vital to educate oneself about every alluring prospect prior to committing. Simple factors like the time commitment and salary can mean the difference between a content existence and a miserable one.
According to the Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review’s article on the female athlete triad, in the past forty years, American women have become increasingly involved in athletics as a result of laws allowing them to participate in sports. (Lebrun and Rumball) For instance, Cathy Rigby won eight Olympic gold medals in gymnastics during the ‘60’s and 70’s when these laws were just coming into effect. (Brunet) Nevertheless, there is an ugly hidden underbelly to the many benefits of women’s increased participation in sports. Many sports have very high standards for body image, which has led to the increasing prevalence of three “separate… but interrelated conditions” collectively known as the female athlete triad. (Lebrun and Rumball) Despite Cathy Rigby’s aforementioned success, an article by Dr. Michael Brunet reveals that she was severely affected by the most well-known of the female athlete triad: the eating disorder. This eventually caused her to suffer cardiac arrest twice. (Brunet) These effects are not limited to elite athletes, however; high school athletes are also affected by the triad, particularly those participating in sports “in which leanness is perceived to optimize performance” or which use “specific weight categories.” (Lebrun) The three components of the triad, osteoporosis, amenorrhea, and disordered eating, are increasingly becoming an unfortunate effect of distorted body image on sports.
When you think of an athlete, what comes to mind? The first things that probably come to mind are sports, entertainment, and physical abilities. If these are the first things you think of, then how would athletes significant? If you look at athletes from a different perspective, their significance can be seen. From this point of view one can see that athletes are significant because they provide role models, contribute to our business world, bring countries or groups of people together, and they provide sources of inspriration. Their prominence, which is enhanced by the media, can cause them to have a greater effect in these types of roles.
5 a.m.- Anthony Gill wakes up to his IPhone alarm knowing that he better eat something quick so he will not throw up last night’s ramen noodle dinner on the track. The coaches were still mad about some of the other players skipping class the previous day, so the entire team running was the solution. After hitting the showers and grabbing his books, he was off to class. Legs numb he sat through class and was ready to board the bus at 1 p.m. to take off for round one of the NCAA tournament. “March Madness generated upwards of a billion dollars in revenue in 2015”(Huma). “Also the program surpassed previous viewing records and was third watched event in T.V. history behind two super bowls”(Huma). All the athletes receive no monetary compensation.
If it were not for a young kid from the town of Newport News, Virginia, football as it is played today would not be the same. This kid would grow up to be one of the most controversial sports figures of all time. Michael Vick’s football career is one of the most intriguing of current sports figures because of how he revolutionized the game, how his play style was the first of its kind, and how his off the field decisions ruined his career. Vick’s strong arm paired with his agility and speed, made him a unique threat against defenses that forged a new style of play. Even though Vick had skills that were unrivaled by any other player at his position at the time, his highly promising career would be cut short by state dogfighting
There are many things that these athletes deserve to have and seems only right for them to have most of them. Anything they can get will be great progress. All of these options could work, but they will all take time. There are positives and negatives to everyone. The one thing each athlete needs is to feel secure if they get injured while playing the sport they love. They need to feel that since they went all out for their sport and their school has their back and will honor them for their hard work and not let them suffer with medical bills or losing a scholarship. An athlete is a one of a kind person so why shouldn’t we treat them like
are also many openings for trainers in the high school level. The down side to
For the past 12 years, I have had the privilege to cheer on many softball teams including my own and others from about my home town. Now that my time as a softball player is coming to an end due to age limits and injuries, I hope to be able to coach at the high school level, and possibly middle school as well. As I consider the game of softball to be a serious sport which requires personal commitment and dedication, my preference is to focus on developing my coaching skills in a high school setting. Softball programs are focused on producing highly skilled athletes and preparing them for the highest levels of competition. As a coach, I will strive to set the expectation levels around the key characteristics of being humble and trusting, while
There is currently a widespread opinion in society that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people are underrepresented in mainstream sport. Furthermore, sport is considered a field where sexual prejudice is palpable (Gill et al., 2006). Thus, many young LGBT individuals may not have access to LGBT sporting role models, defined as a person that someone observes, models behaviour, and in turn inspires and increases self-esteem (MacCallum & Beltman, 2002) and this may affect their participation in sport. This is a topic that has not been directly researched before, but this review will demonstrate the importance of role models for young LGBT people by examining past research on: LGBT peoples’ participation in sport, the
Athlets have been lookd up to as role models for as long as sports have exsted. There is just something attractive about the thought of being in good physical condition and being talented in sports. But, are athlets the kind of people that children should be looking up to for direction and guidance? Many children often look up to the professional athletes as role models. In fact, in 1995 Sports Illustrated for Kids did a survey for kids who were ages 7 through 12 about who their role model was. The majority of the kids answered that a professional athlete was who they most looked up to. Only four percent of the children answered that their role model was one of thir parents. Because of today?s media, athletes are constantly in the public eye. Everything they do on and off of the playing field. Some professional athletes speak a positive message through their fame by demonstrating constructive ideas such as teamwork and commitment while they are on the field. Even off of the playing field some athletes set a good example by visiting children in schools, going to hospitals, or even setting up foundations and organizations to help the ill and less fortunate people. However, other athletes are not as considerate to the fact that someone may be looking up to them, some athletes are not concerned about anything other than the sport they are getting paid to play and themselves. These athletes are the ones that propose questions over whether athletes should be considered role models or not. A role model can be defined as a person whose behavior, example or success is or can be emulated by others, especially young people. Who would want their child looking up to someone who has been convicted of domestic violence or has a drug addiction? It is an argument of opinion that cannot be settled.
A lot of times, sports seem like a contest of physical skill― a test to see who is the fastest or strongest, who has the best eye or the most endurance, who can jump the highest or can handle the ball the best. What a lot of people don’t know is that there is so much more to a sport than just the muscle and coordination. In order to excel in a sport, an athlete requires a lot of self-discipline, concentration, and self-confidence. It’s the mental factor that makes a difference. Former Olympic gold medal-winning decathlon runner Bruce Jenner once said, “You have to train your mind like you train your body” (Gregoire 1). Success or failure depends on the mental factors just as much as the physical ones. The training of the mind of an athlete is called sports psychology. The use of sports psychology has a huge impact upon an athlete’s performance. The mental skills of a sport are just as important as the physical skills. All professional athletes use sports psychology. “If they aren’t currently using it, it’s almost guaranteed they’ve used it in the past, even if they are unaware they have” (Davis, Stephens, The Exploratorium 129). It’s hard to find an experienced athlete who hasn’t used sports psychology, because without it, they probably wouldn’t be where they are. The use of sports psychology is a crucial step to becoming a successful athlete.