How Do Sports Affect The American Dream

Decent Essays
In history class kids learn about what the American Dream for immigrants was, it was a way for people to come to America and be free and live good lives. But soon after being here for a while, many found out it was not that easy to have this dream. Sports though are a different aspect many people enjoy sports either watching it or playing it. There are many sports today for both men and women to play and succeed, but many people don't get this chance. So really, do sports have such a positive effect on the American dream. One way sports hinder the American dream is by a household's rate of income. For example, if someone was middle class they are more likely to have a better sports program, then someone that is poor or vice versa for someone

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    The definition of which could differ to individuals but during a press conference by President George W. Bush he clearly relates the American Dream with home ownership. “Right here in America if you own your own home, you're realizing the American Dream” (G.W Bush, Remarks by the President on Homeownership, St. Paul AME Church Atlanta, Georgia USA, June 17, 2002). In 2003 the Federal Reserve dropped interest rates to 1% (Labonte & Makinen, 2008) this caused America to start spending big and the American dream of home ownership; instead of being a myth and something which has been unachievable by millions in the past, all of the sudden was in their grasp, enter subprime mortgages. Prime mortgages were approved for people who qualified on the prerequisites stated on the terms of a loan. Prerequisites included: down payment, stable income and current assets as collateral in case the borrower defaulted.…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Beamon’s study she found, “As a result, African American males may face consequences that are distinctly different from the consequences of those who are not socialized as intensively toward athletics, such as lower levels of academic achievement, higher expectations for professional sports careers as a means to upward mobility, and lower levels of career maturity (1).” Raising your child for their life to be focused around sports and becoming the next football superstar, can turn into becoming a negative, more often than a positive. Making sure one supports their child in both athletics and academics is important, but emphasizing that sports leads to success, but not so much academics, can leave lasting…

    • 1647 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This can affect how African Americans lives because a black person may have a dream he might want to pursue outside of sports. “Also it will be against the law because the law states that minorities should have equal access to areas that had previously been closed to them such as employment, education and housing. ”(Q2-6) A black person should not need to be forced to play a sport because there race is doing it. They need the opportunity to choose what they want to do in life.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I believe sports gives so much more than what others who just observe the activity. Personally I’ve gained more than I could’ve have from sports than school that I can apply to the life I will start when I graduate from high school, and what I learned from playing many sports like wrestling, football,…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When I think of the American Dream I think about using education as a means to rise above what you came from. It doesn’t necessarily mean being filthy rich or famous but living comfortably and being able to enjoy certain luxuries and indulgences (i.e. travelling, going out to eat, taking vacations, having your own car, owning a home, etc.) without worrying about how you are going to pay the bills next month. In terms of education the American Dream still exists. Many people are still going to college and trying to obtain degrees as a means to achieve the American Dream however, there are several factors making it harder for people to achieve the American Dream by going to college.…

    • 1644 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are many paths to success, but what does it truly mean? Not everyone defines success the same way, and it can vary greatly in different cultures, societies, and economic class. Although it can be so broad, it can also easily be defined by the context of an individual’s life and struggle. The American Dream is a goal that many people are inspired to achieve as they believe it to be their definition of being successful.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Around the world many would say that American sports are taken much more serious and are much more involved than other countries. Some critics argue that the superiority of sports in America conflict with other issues such as in “The Case Against High School Sports” by Amanda Ripley. She makes a bold statement arguing that high school sport students become negligent in education within the American society. However, there is no correlation between low test scores and participation in sports in America; after school activities such as sports keep students out of trouble, and being involved in sports teaches students the lesson of balancing major conflicting events. Amanda Ripley argues that sports in America is why education in the United States has lower test scores than other countries such as South Korea and Finland.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The French politician Alexis de Tocqueville developed a powerful message of the American dream pertaining to individualism which he defined " As a belief in freedom of Americans from traditional constraints and encourages everyone to be unique and resist conformity. " The American Dream is based on opportunity where one's ambition and thirst for success will take them as far as their heart desires. The American dream is a motivation to strive to become prominent. The American dream is obtainable with one's greatest effort and resistance to relinquishing in order to achieve the grand prize "success".…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The answer to this question lies within the skills developed from sports, and how the skills can be applied to or enhance other parts of life. For example, sports contribute to youth growth and maturation, increased physical health, self-worth and moral development. Furthermore, moral development and maturation improve character, time management and goal setting which greatly increase academic achievement, improve positive social behavior and enhance work ethic…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bernie Sanders once said, “For many, the American Dream has become a nightmare”. Americans feel that they can longer accomplish what they could have done easily 50 years ago. With most of the country’s currency in the hands of a small percent of its population, it’s very unlikely that one can ascend from rags to riches. There are many reasons why the American Dream is considered defunct, but it is primarily caused by overpopulation, poor political decision making, and an uneven distribution of wealth. America has gone through substantially larger population surges in the last few decades.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Protest In Sports Essay

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages

    History of Protest in Sports-Recent Protest in Sports Sports have always been a major part of the American way of life, no matter what people’s race, gender, religious background and/or sexual orientation is, people from all walks of life partake in or are fans of some area of sports in one way or another. Sports have such an influence on society that Nelson Mandela was able to use the sport rugby to help dismantle the apartheid system in South Africa. Mandela has once said “Sports has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a ways that little else does.…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Most people, if not all in the US always want to live the American dream at some point in their lives. But the question is, what is the meaning of the American dream, and how can people achieve this vague and elusive realisation? The American dream is a national philosophy or a belief that specifies the ideal factors such as democracy, freedom, rights and equality that accords every citizen equal opportunity to prosper and achieve their set goals (Glenn, 2002). The foundation of the American dream is deeply rooted in the declaration of independence that assert that “all men are created equal”. In simple terms, the American dream eliminates the artificial barriers to prosperity and promotes upward social mobility for every individual in the US depending on their hard work irrespective of their, social, religious, historical and racial background.…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The mentality of average Americans is affecting the American dream in a negative way. A business week poll in 1995 found that two-thirds of Americans thought that the American dream was much harder to obtain than it was ten years ago and feared that it would become increasingly harder in the next ten years (Thompson). If citizens have this negative view on obtaining the American dream then it is very likely that these same individuals (more than half of the nation) will not whole heartedly attempt to achieve the American dream. This is a very depressing thought which unfortunately may be true if over half of the nation thinks the American dream is already hard to achieve and will only continue to get worse. It might seem that being stuck in a class is an inevitable occurrence in our nation.…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When the term “student athlete” comes to mind what are some of thoughts that pop across people’s heads? Do they see someone who is always lifting weights, the popular kid in school, or a so called “dumb jock”? These are some of the stereotypes that we have of athletes. Sports have more of a positive impact on children that can improve many aspects of their lives. “The potential for sport participation to improve graduation rates, keep students in school longer and increase daily attendance should lead administrators to adamantly support interscholastic sport.”…

    • 1498 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    School is one of the most defining parts of a person’s life. It is where a student picks who or what he/she wants to be in their life, as well as the place to get tons of new information to succeed. Certain moments and activities during school can be life defining experiences. A student’s involvement in sports is one of these moments mentioned earlier. Sports can contribute so much more than just physical activity.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays