His father, Cat Mays, was a talented baseball player with the Negro team for the local iron plant. His mother, Annie Satterwhite, was a gifted basketball and track star in high school. As a baby, Mays was cared for by his mother's and younger sisters Sarah and Ernestine. Sarah became the primary female role model in May's' life. His father exposed him to …show more content…
He played his final two seasons in 1972 and 1973 as a part-time first baseman for the New York Mets. He then worked as a part-time hitting coach with the Mets until 1979. He was the first ballplayer with more than 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in his career. Mays won two National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, ended his career with 660 home runs - third at the time of his retirement and currently fifth all-time - and won a record-tying 12 Gold Glove awards beginning in 1957 when the award was introduced. Mays shares the record of most appearances in the All-Star Games, 24, with Hank Aaron and Stan Musial. In appreciation of his All-Star record, Ted Williams said "They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays(bruce).”
People imagine the American dream as something they want to grow up to be or what success is and Willie Mays is just one of the few hand selected few people to accomplish and fulfill his dreams. For example, overcoming segregation and showing people that he deserved to be playing in such a high level organization showed his determination, and hard work. People now look at Mays career and imagine their own American dream based of his athletic knowledge and skill to show that anything that anyone can be successful and fulfill their own American