David Robinson watches the final seconds tick off the clock of the 2003 NBA finals. It was his second championship, and his last as he retired the following summer. He had a stellar career, putting up huge numbers and making a few appearances in the Olympics. Even through all of the fame he received from being a star basketball player, he remained humble, donating millions of dollars to charity. His arsenal of different dunks and post moves were definitely missed on the basketball court, but nowhere near as much as his leadership ability. After all, it wasn’t jump shot that he taught to all of his teammates, nor was it his crossover that he shared with his wife, and it certainly was not the proper rebounding form that he felt would be most important to pass on to his son, David Jr. Of course not. Beyond the championships and the double-doubles was his leadership, and that is what would define him as a father, a basketball player, and a United States Navy Veteran.
That is correct. Robinson is a veteran, and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy: a total institution. He is just one of the many that graduated from a total institution and contributed greatly to both the military and society. Often these places are labeled as savage, abusive, and only detrimental to it’s students. This could not be farther from the truth. If Robinson was a character in Pat Conroy’s book The Lords of Discipline, he would have been a great example of the “whole-man.” The values that are distilled in the enrollees of these institutions are vital to society and are difficult to replicate in another setting. Such values are outlined in films such as A Few Good Men and Annapolis. Although total institutions have harsh tactics that can be construed a...
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...w. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. (A Few Good Men)
Colonel Jessep was a power-crazed madman, but that takes nothing away from the legitimacy of his words. The reality is that decisions made by these authority figures, while callous and arbitrary at times, are only made with the intent of enhancing the military. At the same time, the responsibility that Jessep and Cole had were the same. The objective of the Marine Corps and the Naval Academy is the same. All total institutions are vital in preparing soldiers for war.
Your dreams of being someone may not turn out the way you think they will. The documentary Hoop Dreams is a story about two boys from the ghetto that want to play in the NBA. Arthur ¨Man”Agee goes to Marshalls and William Gates goes to St. Joseph’s which are both situated in Illinois, where their dreams of becoming a pro basketball player vanished. Both of the boys face obstacles that are outside of themselves. Arthur´s family struggled with money, education, and pressure from others hurts him. Also, William struggled with balancing his family with basketball, the pressure from others, and education.
After leaving UCLA his senior year, Robinson enlisted in the US Army during World War II. He trained with the segregated U.S. 761st Tank Battalion. Initially refused entry to Officer Candidate School, he fought for it and eventually was accepted, graduating as a first lieutenant. While training at Fort Hood, Texas, Robinson refused to go to the back of a bus. He was court-martialed for insubordination, and therefore never shipped out to Europe with his unit. He received an honorable discharge in 1944, after being acquitted of all charges at the court-martial.
Pete Maravich was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. His spectacular moves and awesome footwork helped him to get better everyday. His incredible passes and being able to control the court caused his teammates to like him even more. “His playground moves, circus shots, and hotdog passes were considered outrageous during his era” (NBA Encyclopedia Playoff Edition). His love for basketball was instilled by his father Peter “Press” Maravich.
Both of their passions in the beginning of the documentary came from simply their love of the game. Overtime, both began to realize the serious side to basketball. Starting with Coach Pingatore harsh coaching skills. He pushed William so vigorously that he ended up obtaining a severe knee injury, and was out almost an entire season. William’s knee was definitely a constant setback for him. There were innumerable times in the documentary when he was playing and his knee would give out. The frustration of not having the same capabilities made William desire to conclude his basketball career. William not only faced pressure from his coach, but as well as his family. The family was relying on him to achieve basketball professionally, and support the family financially. The leading reason why he began to give up was due to the fact that there were such high expectations for him, and he didn’t want to let anyone down. I remember a situation in the documentary when he was talking about how people back home were talking about when he would play professionally to not forget anybody, but he expressed that he hopes they don’t forget him when he doesn’t
Although many youngsters fail in the NBA, there are a few high school players who have had, or do have a successful career in the NBA. Some of these are, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant, Tracey McGrady, and this year’s most valu...
Robinson, Mark D. Ph. D. “Every Black Kid Should Strive to Be a Professional Athlete”.
Jackie Robinson’s career escalated into the big leagues due to a guy named Branch Ricky taking a chance on him. Ricky knew that it would be hard for him to do, but he knew what Jackie was capable of, he knew that Jackie wouldn’t retaliate to all the threats he got in the news, by both fans and teammates alike. Branch Ricky knew that it was going to be a challenge for a young, black athlete to do, but Jackie promised, to Ricky and himself, that he wouldn’t fight back. Jackie’s own teammates, of the
It is not very often that one person can change someone else’s life by telling a story of his or her own. Michael “Air” Jordan makes that happen. Michael played an important role in changing how people viewed great basketball and strong, hard-working athletes. Michael’s life explains to the world, how with just a little drive, great achievements can be made.
When war strikes, who do you want leading you, who would you trust to carry out the message? A Message to Garcia, though it is only a short essay, encompasses values that have been pounded into Marines since day one of recruit training. This essay is the story of how Rowan, a young Lieutenant, carries a message to Garcia when the Spanish-American war broke out.
Applying this theory into the movie, Col. Jessup ordering the code red and later ordering Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson that Private santiago is not to be transferred and be killed is authorization and then later Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson ordering Dawson and Downey to kill private santiago because he ignored the chain of command is routinization and then the action of the two marines killing Private Santiago is dehumanization. In the movie the two marines were always referring to the people of higher position as sir and it's understandable that they do that because of respect but in the movie, Lt. Sam Weinberg told Kaffe that if Downey did not look that strict he would seem like he actually have a family and this is an example of dehumanization. The Soldiers who commit crime of obedience are dehumanized. They look like objects to the rest of the world and the victims that they are harming. In one of the court scene CPI. Barens said “well I guess I just follow the crown at chow time, sir” This is exactly what Solomon Asch was talked about in his article. People choose to go with other people's judgment even if it is as clear as it can be wrong. There is a huge similarity if not the same exact point made in the “The My Lai” and Few Good Men movie. In the article The Core of
It was not until the year 2002 that the NBA was able to find someone to match Jordan’s dazzling acrobatic style of play. His name is Lebron James. Lebron, who plays shooting guard and small forward, stands at an athletic six-eight. James, however, never played in the NCAA. He was drafted straight out of high school in the 2003-04 season, by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James is already on the road to success by achieving co-rookie of the year, and he appeared in the Olympics. James is expected to be a champion, but he may not have what it takes to become a real champion such as Michael Jordan was. Before Jordan or James can be categorized as a champion, they have to be able to handle pressure, fame, and maintain a positive relationship with their team. When comparing Jordan and James’ clutch capabilities, or their ab...
The NBA is well known for the number of amazing professional athletes it has had over the years. Some of the most gifted and talented individuals come through the NBA and one of the better-known superstars is none other than Kobe Bryant. For years people have wondered what makes Bryant so successful. The main contributors that lead to Kobe Bryant’s success is his hard work and dedication, his mindset, his natural ability’s and talent, and the people that have helped him throughout his life. Kobe Bryant was very successful in the NBA because of the amount of hard work he has put in, the people in his life, his relentless determination and his god given natural abilities.
As a 5’9” sophomore in high school in Wilmington, North Carolina, he tried out for his school’s basketball team but wasn’t good enough, neither tall enough, to make it. He then practiced throughout the year and came back as a 6’3” junior to try out. With his improved skills and After graduating from high school, he accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina. In his first season at Carolina, he became the second Tarheel player to start in every game as a freshman and was named Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year (1982). At the end of his freshman year, he made the game-winning shot against Georgetown University for the championship of the NCAA. The Sporting News named him college player of the year in 1983 and in 1984. He left North Caro...
I myself am the owner of two pairs of Jordan shoes, which I consider to be my favorite shoes, although I certainly realize that Jordan's merchandise is way too expensive and I along with the rest of the basketball fanatics am being suckered in to paying large sums of money for an image. Ever since I started my journey as a basketball player, Michael Jordan has been an idol and a role model for me to follow in my quest to reach my own goals as an athlete. I have devoured all the information about this man I could possibly attain and have been inspired by his life as a basketball player as well as a role model off the court. Many people characterize Michael Jordan as a typical athlete, who was successful within his sport, but because of his personal flaws and his self-destructive competitiveness never managed to exceed the level of other very competent and well known athle...
Robert D. Kaplan’s article “The Coming Anarchy," is best summarized by the following quote, which identifies the different factors that he evaluates throughout his article, “To understand the events of the next fifty years, then, one must understand environmental scarcity, cultural and racial clash, geographic destiny, and the transformation of war.” (Kaplan, 1994) This is the framework that he uses to make his supporting arguments and thus this summary will be broken down into these four main parts.