Books about stories dealing with participation in sports and struggles associated with sports are classified as works included in the sports genre of literature. The topic of sports has become a money-making industry, especially when it comes to football. The game of football has surpassed Baseball and now holds the honor of America’s favorite pastime. It’s steeped in tradition and generates more revenues and attendance than any other sport in the United States. Many non-fiction books have been written in the past several decades that chronicle specific issues related to the sport of football. Some of which were not only best sellers, but also later became award winning movies. Three such classic, iconic football books in the sports genre
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The Blind Side, written by Michael Lewis, tells the story of Michael Oher. Oher was in college playing for the University of Mississippi when the book was written, but it chronicles his life, specifically his skills as an offensive left tackle and his impoverished life growing up in the Memphis projects. The book focuses on two main storylines, the first being about the game itself. Most stories about football give all the attention to key positions such as quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. But Lewis brings awareness to the offensive left tackle and demonstrates it as a critical position on the team, showing how the significance of this position has changed to influence game strategy and the game itself. Teams started to realize the importance of the left tackle when former NFL player and Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor played for the New York Giants. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of football, and has been ranked as the greatest defensive player in league history by former players, coaches, media members, and news outlets such as the NFL Network and Sporting News. (1) Most of the quarterbacks in the league are right-handed and when they throw the ball, they’re forced to be in a stance where their left side is facing …show more content…
Growing up in the projects with a drug addicted mother and a father that was in and out of prison left Oher with very few opportunities. He spent time in foster care and, at times, was homeless. Tony Henderson, an auto mechanic in the town, took Oher in temporarily. Tony was enrolling his own son in Briarcrest Christian School and thought he’d enroll Oher also. But there were many obstacles with his acceptance to Briarcrest. Since Oher’s living conditions weren’t stable, his education was never a priority and academically he was well below his age level. He repeated several grades and even totally missed a whole year of school. Realizing that Oher had no other options, and at the persuasion of the football coach, the headmaster agreed to admit him Briarcrest. Collins Tuohy, the daughter of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, came home and told her father about the new kid in school and how he didn’t have money for lunch. Sean started paying for Oher’s lunches but it wasn’t until a cold morning during Thanksgiving break that the family saw Oher getting off of a public transportation bus wearing only cutoff jeans and a tee shirt, the same clothes he wore every day. He was on his way to the school gym to get warm from the cold. The next day, Leigh Anne picked him up at the gym and took him clothes shopping. The relationship continued and a few months later they took him into
The Blind Side, written by Michael Lewis, tells the story of Michael Oher. Oher was in college playing for the University of Mississippi when the book was written, but it chronicles his life, specifically his skills as an offensive left tackle and his impoverished life growing up in the Memphis projects. The book focuses on two main storylines, the first being about the game itself. Most stories about football give all the attention to key positions such as quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. But Lewis brings awareness to the offensive left tackle and demonstrates it as a critical position on the team, showing how the significance of this position has changed to influence game strategy and the game itself. Teams started to realize the importance of the left tackle when former NFL player and Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor played for the New York Giants. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of football, and has been ranked as the greatest defensive player in league history by former players, coaches, media members, and news outlets such as the NFL Network and Sporting News. (1) Most of the quarterbacks in the league are right-handed and when they throw the ball, they’re forced to be in a stance where their left side is facing …show more content…
Growing up in the projects with a drug addicted mother and a father that was in and out of prison left Oher with very few opportunities. He spent time in foster care and, at times, was homeless. Tony Henderson, an auto mechanic in the town, took Oher in temporarily. Tony was enrolling his own son in Briarcrest Christian School and thought he’d enroll Oher also. But there were many obstacles with his acceptance to Briarcrest. Since Oher’s living conditions weren’t stable, his education was never a priority and academically he was well below his age level. He repeated several grades and even totally missed a whole year of school. Realizing that Oher had no other options, and at the persuasion of the football coach, the headmaster agreed to admit him Briarcrest. Collins Tuohy, the daughter of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, came home and told her father about the new kid in school and how he didn’t have money for lunch. Sean started paying for Oher’s lunches but it wasn’t until a cold morning during Thanksgiving break that the family saw Oher getting off of a public transportation bus wearing only cutoff jeans and a tee shirt, the same clothes he wore every day. He was on his way to the school gym to get warm from the cold. The next day, Leigh Anne picked him up at the gym and took him clothes shopping. The relationship continued and a few months later they took him into