Hello, my name is Matt Keeling from Springfield, Illinois. Springfield is a short and eventful drive of seven hours to Bowling Green, Ohio. Due to this long distance, I currently live in Bowling Green so that I may attend BGSU.
While attending a high school in Springfield I played basketball for four years. I can honestly say basketball was the sport I was most passionate and involved with in high school. I played varsity all four years and participated in the IHSA three point contest where I was just one round short of the state finals. My second favorite sport that I played while in high school would be baseball. I played varsity for three years as a pitcher and third basemen. Before senior year I decided it was time to quit baseball and focus on staying healthy for basketball due to knee troubles. The last sport I played in high school and my least favorite would be golf. I was the number three spot on varsity and the number one on JV, winning a couple of tournaments and representing my school in regional finals. However, I hated golf so much and was only playing it because I promised my dad I would. As soon as my year was up I quit and couldn’t have been happier that day, besides the screaming of “YOU ARE A TRAITOR” from my coach for a solid ten minutes. In the end, I chose to walk away from playing sports in college and took a full ride to nursing school over the couple of division 2 and division 3 partial scholarships for basketball. I no longer play basketball for fun due to the constant knee pains from the ignorance and thought of invisibility in high school.
The female athlete that I would pay to see is Serena Williams, and yes I know it is a generic answer. Am I wrong though? Who wouldn’t want to pay to see a woman so dominant in one sport, a woman who encouraged a new wave of young women to pursue tennis, and someone so boldly placed in the history books. Does that make picking Serena Williams truly generic then? The answer to that is no, it is considered generic because she dominates a sport so greatly that she is a household name and face of a sport.
The male athlete that I would play to see is LeBron James. One thing I would like to point out though before judgment and thoughts of bandwagon, I hate the Cavs. Yes I said it, hate the strongest word I can think of when it comes to sports. Growing up in Illinois taught me one thing about basketball and that is Chicago Bulls. I grew up watching Michael Jordan dominate the game I so loved and for the team I so loved and couldn’t be happier. I started to become accustomed to watching greatness at the highest level known to history. Once MJ retired that accustomed trait I had been taken away from me, the one thing I could watch and be entertained for hours; gone forever. Until one day I saw a young basketball player named LeBron showing signs of that same greatness. Now a matured and physical freak, LeBron dominates the game of basketball in almost every aspect. LeBron is feared by opponents and loved by fans (for the most part). I am not one to deny my hatred for the Cavs, but I am also not one to not understand greatness and want to witness it personally.
Currently I have no concerns about this class at all.
I completely agree with what you said about Michael Jordan. Jordan was one of those players that were put on this earth to play basketball. He had amazing speed, accuracy, and athleticism beyond belief.
ReplyDeleteIn his time in the league, Jordan won 5 MVP awards, 2 Olympic gold medals, 10 scoring titles, a Defensive Player of the Year award, 14 All-Star appearances, 2 Slam Dunk contests, and the Rookie of the Year award. If his pure talent alone didn’t impress you, I don’t know how all those awards wouldn’t impress you.
While I believe that LeBron James is an incredibly talented basketball player, I don’t think he will ever compare to Jordan. I always hear people say that since in this day and age it’s a different game, that LeBron and Jordan could be compared. I say absolutely not. Jordan was not only a great basketball player; he was a talented athlete as well. There is no doubt in my mind that if Jordan wanted to come out of retirement, he could still beat around many players in the league today.
-Ellen Chlumecky
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent, well-written Introduction. I'm sorry you hate the Cavs, but appreciate your love of LeBron and Michael Jordan. I used to feel that way about Jordan and the Bulls after they eliminated the Cavs from the play-offs (the Cavs had a 6-0 record against them in the regular season before Jordan pulled up to hit that infamous shot over Craig Ehlo). In grad school, I began to see how much Jordan had done as an endorser and became enamored by what we could learn about him culturally.
I do not think it is generic to say you would want to see Serena. I have seen her multiple times - including in Australia and England, so I feel fortunate to have witnessed her greatness on the biggest stage.
I look forward to reading more of your entries. I hear congratulations are in order as well:-)
Dr. Spencer