In "Hidden Intellectualism," Gerald Graff argues that events in society can be interpret as microcosms of American ideals and flaws. For instance, sports has been a part of civilization for centuries, transforming into much more than just a competition. It has become a symbol of a country's culture, ethics, and hope. Perhaps no other sport lead itself to this kind of symbolism more than boxing. For the purity of boxing relates with the nature of a blank canvas; variables such as a field, team, and equipments will not affect the outcome. Only the confrontation between two men with only their perseverance to decide their fate. As a result, athletes in this ring can easily be seen as a symbolic representation of something larger.
Famous fighters such as Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson appear throughout history, influencing the views of society and shaping what it is today. In the article "What's in a Name? Muhammad Ali and the Politics of Cultural Identity," Amir Saeed discusses Ali's influence towards non-white communities and allowing himself to become a catalyst for other civil rights movement in America and around the world. On the other hand, in his work "All the Rage: As He Storms Toward His Showdown With Lennon Lewis, is Mike Tyson the Ultimate Psycho Celebrity in the Midst of a Public Breakdown - or the Shrewdest Self-Promoter in Boxing History?," Richard Hoffer describes Tyson's infamous life as a former boxer and his involvement with criminal acts. Both fighters affected society in different ways. Ali showed the black community how to be proud, strong, and confident influencing society while Tyson did the opposite, he allowed himself to be influenced by society, becoming a popular figure for inappropriate civility.
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... When viewed as a microcosm of American ideals and flaws boxing can be seen in a different perspective. The fighters in the ring represent more than themselves. As a result, they influence the people around them and eventually the whole society. However, in some cases society itself can shape and influence the individual creating a person of entertainment, similar to Mike Tyson. Becoming a figure in society will have different effects. If that individual posses qualities that surpass the expectations of society, they will be acknowledge by society and influence them. On the other hand, if the individual is seen as a weak and selfish person, society will manipulate that individual. Ali became a symbol of independence and individualism while Tyson became this prideful figure driven by anger transforming into a source of entertainment to society.
Randy Roberts, author of the article “Jack Johnson wins The Heavyweight Championship” sheds light on the fight of Jack Johnson with Tommy Burns; he highlights the racial attitude in the twentieth century. Roberts opens his article by mentioning about the concerned whites, as the author proceeds, according to the whites it was a tragic and saddest day of their lives as the race won. Dixie was agitated, firstly, because Booker T. Washington dined at the White House and, secondly, the victory of Jack Johnson. However, blacks rejoiced all over the United States with this news. Roberts mentions about a journalist report, it stated that the genuine satisfaction the blacks experienced with the single victory of Johnson was not being observed in forty years.
In “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff pens an impressive argument wrought from personal experience, wisdom and heart. In his essay, Graff argues that street smarts have intellectual potential. A simple gem of wisdom, yet one that remains hidden beneath a sea of academic tradition. However, Graff navigates the reader through this ponderous sea with near perfection.
...eaven for many blacks as their performances proved they are no different from their white counterparts. Not only did they rally white troops from their athletic performances, they were able to do so from their voices and personal life. They began to voice their displeasure through various media outlets. Their public outcry to end social injustice and race based discrimination came started to become a popular topic of discussion all over the country. They took a stand and were rewarded for their actions as race based discrimination is abolished and blacks have the same status as whites. Black athletes are becoming more and more recognizable all over the world as some become the faces of their sports. Sports came as a form of entertainment for many, but for black athletes it ended up being the most treasured source to reconstructing their race’s lives in America.
A philosopher once said ”A child educated only at school is an uneducated child”. As we are living in a world where everyone knows the importance of schools and the meaningful of being educated, then why does he believe that a child is illiterate when he only studies at school? Are schools actually limit on areas of study and overlook the essential of real life experience? In the article “Hidden Intellectualism”, Gerald Graff claims that schools and colleges are might at fault due to their omission of the “street smarts”-knowledge necessary to deal with reality-, and their failure to invest them into academic work. By stating the fundamental of intellectualism and the influence of personal interests, he informs readers that those street smarts,
The Great Depression of the 1930’s caused widespread poverty, but the popular culture of the time did not reflect this. People wanted to escape from this harsh time so movies, dancing and sports became very popular. Radios broadcasted boxing matches and boxers became stars. The heavyweight champion James J. Braddock aka “Cinderella Man,” gained popularity. James Braddock gained fame by winning many fights and proving everyone wrong when they said he was too old and couldn’t win.
Even with knowledge of Mosher’s Ph.D. in Sports Studies, the essay would have been stronger if it included additional credible resources. I agree with Mosher’s unstated evaluative claim that society should not expect someone to possess the characteristics of a hero simply because they are a sports athlete. Yet, Mosher asserts that society unrealistically demands their sports athletes to possess traits of high character. After reading this essay, I still ask; why not?
In a book about African-Americans and Popular Culture Boyd (2008, pg.67) states that the politics of the Olympics combined with the spotlight enabled by television allowed Smith, Carlos, Muhammad Ali and countless other black athletes with a platform to give voice to those without voice. Also, to expose the pain and suffering that had long been ignored in the United States.
The documentary, “Unforgivable Blackness” directed by Ken Burns casts light on the extraordinary life story of legendary boxer Jack Johnson. The documentary is about the barriers Jack Johnson had to overcome to satisfy his hunger for becoming the best and living “The American Dream.” Johnson had humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas and it was in those beginnings that glimpses of his bright future were slowly but surely beginning to show. Through out his life, he showed independence, relentlessness, ability to improvise, call attention to himself and get around rules meaning to tie him down. Jack Johnson was a self made man who had the drive to go forward and achieve what he wanted to achieve through hard work, patience and all the skills he was blessed with.
Mike Tyson is one of the most famous boxers in world history, but despite his achievements in the boxing ring, he is infamous for his violent behaviour outside the ring. More than his critics, Tyson himself has been one of the biggest detractors of his illustrious career. He is a perfect candidate to elucidate the principles of health psychology. Mike Tyson rose up from throes of poverty and became the youngest heavyweight champion the world had ever seen. However, his violent past caught up with him and he went through several personal and financial crisis that eventually took a toll on his career
As a son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, Jesse Owens created History in 1936 when he achieved what no athlete had done before: four Olympic Gold Medals. (jesseowens.com). During this era, the United States had limited civil rights and was approaching a World War with Hitler rising into power in Germany. Although Owens was victorious on the track, because of the color of his skin, He was looked down upon and unrecognized by even his own country. Through the excessive racism, one may ask how Owens moved forward and dealt with such negativity in a situation that should have been celebrated.
1. It has become much harder to identify the true and amateur-taught values around sport in our culture. The passion for competition, the aspect of a team, and the actions of sportsmanship are deep values that sports act to instill. It becomes one of the most important ways to teach those values to our young and unfortunately is becoming easy to forget. Throughout the semester we scrutinized sports, looking at their influence, role, and meaning in our American society today. Two foundations to view sport, critical and functionalist theory, were brought upon early in the semester, laying groundwork for looking at the rest of the topics. To better understand these two view points a working definition of each is needed. The three C’s of: capitalism, coercion and commercialism help describe the critical/conflict theory and view of sport in our United States. When looking with this viewpoint some of sport’s purposes in society include, promoting and expanding capitalistic drives as well as showing the power and privilege of elite groups within society. (Coakley, 2001) On the contrary the ...
Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who used politics in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights movement and protest the war. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame for humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title. He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racial barriers.
Sports have become one of the most dominant elements in society. Today sports are an integral part of lifestyle, entertainment and leisure. Sports have become an outlet for success and prestige. The recurring emphasis on sports appears in both Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and August Wilson’s Fences. While Death of a Salesman portrays sports as a means to popularity and subsequent success, Fences portrays sports negatively, discouraging sports, in spite of an unmistakable talent.
The first prominent building block to Stallone’s career began with the simple but noble thought of “I want to be remembered as a man of raging optimism, who believes in the American dream" (Broeske 500-501). Stallone had little money to his name but managed to find his way to a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. The classic match of “Champ vs. Chump” inspired the creation of Rocky Balboa (Broeske 500-501). With the success of the morals and persistence of “Rocky”, the franchise soon became a household name, jump starting Stallone’s fame and future career.
Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who voiced his political ideologies in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and protest the War. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame to project his humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title . He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racia...