Why Does It Matter Who Wins The Big Game

Why Does It Matter Who Wins The Big Game?

Introduction

Sports have realized tremendous alterations over the years. Sports was considered a bad thing but moved and began to be embraced as a good thing. England which is the mother of sports, as a result of the industrial revolution and the imperial power, the country boys were being transformed into city boys. Consequently, new forms of entertainment were desired in the society due to development. One of the major areas regarded for development was sports (Graft et al. 489). Subsequently, engagement in sporting activities escalated not only in England but also in other nations like the United States. With respect to history, the United States was best known for baseball. In the present world, there are varied types of porting activities availed to all. With the advancement in the sporting activities, professionalism has been incorporated where people use sports as their sources of income.

Thesis Statement

Due to the professionalism, competitions in the sporting activities have been organized at different levels. The competitions are at the local, national, and international level. Consequently, nations or representatives of nations come together to battle out during sporting competitions. The World Cup, athletics marathons, and the Olympic games are some of the international sporting activities that create an avenue through which countries battle for cups and being ranked among the top three. Along with this, leagues in different sports are also organized and at the end of the day, a team or individual has to be crowned as the winner. The first place in any game is battled for by all the participants. Even though at the end of the day everyone wants to win, there is only one winner. However, why is it that winning is mandatory for any game? Why is it that people cannot just play, have fun and go separate ways without one being named as the overall winner in the big game? This essay responds to these questions through analyzing three articles. It then takes a stand and explicates issues pertaining to winning the big game.

Summary

Champion of the World

Joe Louis, who was a black man, was going to fight a white person in boxing. All the blacks were hopeful that Joe was going to win and do them proud (Angelou 484). All of them sat in wherever place, they did not care about the heavy rains and the lightning just to listen the event. Thus, in the fight, Joe was not alone; he was representing all the blacks. When it looked like Louis was going to be outdone in the boxing event, it meant that the blacks would continue suffering. His loss in the game would mean that the a black boy would be made fun of, ridiculed and whipped, it meant that a black woman working as a maid would be slapped and harassed by a white woman boss. Additionally, losing would translate to a black woman being ambushed and raped and a black man being hanged on a tree. Consequently, losing the game would result into pains for the black race (Angelou 486). When Louis was pronounced the winner, it was a celebration for the entire black race (Angelou 487).

Cheating and CHEATING

In the past years when baseball became a common game in the United States, the game was enjoyed and it was fun for all. However, the game was stained by the use of performance enhancing substances which included steroids and use hormones. Several players wrote about the use of steroids in the game (Posnanski 554). Prior to the incorporation of steroids in the game, the innocence of the game was maintained that saw players like Ken Williams being regarded as the most valuable players. Willie Mays was also a good player who was against the use of steroids in baseball (Posnanski 555). Baseball in the 1950’s was marked with small-mindedness, alcoholism, and racism, and cheating. Cheating was in the form of using steroids. However, another form of cheating was practiced in 1951 where the Giants while playing, Leo Durocher engaged in actions that led to the rigging of the sign stealing system. Consequently, the Giants were able to catch up with the Dodgers which led to their victory. Subsequently, this was followed by the use of amphetamine by the baseball players (Posnanski 556). Amphetamine was believed to make the players develop bigger muscles that world aid them to win many home runs. The drug was illegal then and it was only supposed to be used with prescription. However, this type of steroid was addictive and had major side effects on the health of the individual (Posnanski 558). Some of the players pointed out that there was a difference between amphetamine and steroids. Hirsch argued that the steroid enhanced the muscle mass and elevated the performance of a player. On the other hand, amphetamine worked through restoration of energy for the player making him able to perform with full strength (Posnanski 558).

We, the Public, Place the Best Players on Pedestals

In a school where most of the time was used for the study, everyone waned to be at the top of the class. Consequently, students had to read much more to as to keep up with the competition (Moller 545). This meant that the night too was meant for reading. With the pressure of staying awake so as to read, a student resolved to smoking after being introduced to by another student (Moller 546). The feeling was good and the student managed to stay awake without feeling tired. However, the repercussions were undesirable. This is since the student was left stuffed-up, hypertensive with wide-opened eyes. Irrespective of the side effects hand the fact hat the drug was illegal, the student continued to use the drug anyway (Moller 547). Just in the same way, the student had to smoke so as to keep competition high with the rest of the students. Alex Rodriguez was a baseball player, who wished to be philanthropic and the same time earn love of other people. As a consequently, he was vulnerable to the use of steroids so as to keep his career flowing and growing (Moller 548). Thus, the athletes use an illegal substance to enhance their performance with the thought that they will not be caught (Moller 549).

Argumentative Essay

Winning the big game matters not only to the players but to other stakeholders. When an individual wins a game, the winning is no just for an individual. Winning means success for many other people who are affiliated to the team or to the individual. For instance, during an international sorting event like the World Cup, when for instance Ghana wins, the success is not just for the team member who participated in the game, the success is also attributed to all Ghanaians in different counties and to Africa as a whole. Winning such a game translates into global success and respect from other nations. For instance, Ghana winning the African Cup of Nations cannot be compared to winning the World Cup. The same game is played; thus football, but the World cup is like a global level whereas the African Cup of Nations at a continent level. Winning the African cup of Nations means a win for all Ghanaians only while winning the World Cup means success for the African continent. Accordingly, the type and the level of the game being played are considered (Jordan 17).

It is true the world put pressure on athletes. For instance, the Williams Sisters are best known for tennis. When they play against their opponents, the public holds to the notion that they have t win no matter what. As a consequence, the players are always at pressure. They have to perform to the level best no matter what. This also goes along with teams (Newman). For instance, Brazil is best known for footballs. Accordingly, in a soccer competition, they are expected to win. Players as individual and as teams have fans that always support them. Thus, during big sporting events, the players have to shine so as to make their fans proud (Rohan, 32). They also have sponsors who at times promise to give them some type of gifts and benefits if they win a big game. While participating in international competitions, governments or organizations can make promises to the players in that when they win, they acquire some benefits. All these acts amount to creating pressure for the players.

In order to keep up with the pressure, some of the players resort to cheating. They may use illegal substances as established earlier. On the hand, they might use other dubious methods and short cuts so as to be crowned as the winners. This is to avert shaming their fans, their nations, their sponsors or their teams. In addition to this, when a renowned player loses a big game, the type of the newspaper headline to describe the players loss can be disturbing. In addition to this, losing to a player who is not prominent is dehumanizing and intimidating. This leaves the players with no choice by to stay at the pop by winning the game (Rohan 32).

Pressure is also faced by the players due to their past successes. For instance, a team that has been winning a certain game for 3 consecutive years is expected to exhibit the same result in a big game. This means that if it has been able to win in the past, it is able to face even greater challenges which should be translated into winning a big game. Moreover, if an individual athlete for in stance, in athletics, has set and broken records for like two consecutive times in smaller games, when the big game comes, success is thought to be a guarantee (McClain 23). In fact, during such event, such history is given then the player is put to test to ascertain the success. In such situations, such key players have no otherwise but to win the game.

Sports is a profession, however, it also crates a source of entertainment for many. Without sports, maybe the world would be one boring place to be. What makes the sporting activity interesting is the competition bit of it. Competition comes when individuals or teams are playing against one another. People argue for and against either of the teams. The completion becomes tight as the levels of the game advance. At the local level, competition might not be that stiff. At this level, what matters is the team that will win so as to be a representative at the next level of the game (McClain 24). However, during the final leg of the game especially at the international level, victory is desired for prestige and for exhibiting superiority in the game. Thus, games are used to separate boys from men. A team or an individual who wins the game at the international level is considered to be a champion.

Thus, winning the game is not just the concern of the player, the funs, the government and the sponsors care about the success in the game. The community in which the player comes from is concerned with winning. This means that is a player or a team fails to win the game, the nation, the continent, the community; the teams and the sponsors have also lost (Rohan 32). The pressure might be too much on the players, but they should not resolve to use strategies and mechanisms that affect their own health and well-being. They should consider trading and frequent practice, good nutrition and enough rest so as to enhance their performance. Players are supposed to remember that, if they use poor strategies as steroids, their health will be negatively affected. They might even lose their lives as a result of such strategies. Nevertheless, the sponsors, the fans, the continent and their nations will live on.

Works Cited

Angelou, Maya. “Champion of the World.” Graft, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. “They Say/I Say” : The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings. 2nd. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2012. 484-87.

Graft, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. “They Say/I Say” : The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings. 2nd. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.., 2012.

Jordan, Andrew. “The 10 Greatest Players in Ghanian Footbal History.” Bleacher Report 27 May 2010: 17-18.

McClain, Dylan. “22-Year-Old Wins a Big Game in Chess Championship.” The New York Times 15 Nov 2o13: 23-24.

Moller, William. “We, The Public, Place the Best Players on the Pedestals.” Graft, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. “They Say/I Say” : The Moves That Matter In Academic Writin : With Readings. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2012. 545-550.

Newman, Elizabeth. “Calls for Williams Sisters to Return To Indian Wells Are Wrong.” SI 15 Mar 2013: 20-21.

Posnanski, Joe. “Cheating and CHEATING.” Graft, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. “They Say/I Say” : The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings. 2nd. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2012. 553-58.

Rohan, Tim. “The Mets’ Big Game: Four Batters, Three Pitchers.” The New York Times 6 Mar 2014: 32.