Jackie Joyner-Kersee

August Wilson’s 1985 Play Fences studies the intensifying racial tensions in America in the late 1950s. Wilson’s Play follows a single family the Maxsons through the lives of an African American family of that time. While the play does not directly speak of the issues at hand, through the actions and complexity of the main character Troy we understand some of the changes occurring. Troy is a very interesting character that believes he is doing what is best for his family. By doing so he is also…

How Did Baseball Become America 's Pastime? “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” New York Giants announcer Russ Hodges 1951 call of Bobby Thompson’s bottom of the ninth “shot heard round the world,” is perhaps the most famous call ever made in sports history. By 1951, baseball was firmly entrenched as “America’s pastime.” Barzun rightly stated, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn…

played by white Americans. Thanks to Jackie Robinson, today baseball is one of the leading professional sports who employ minorities. Jackie Robinson was a professional athlete for the game of baseball, but what he came to understand was that he also had to play a totally different type game. A game that was more powerful…

If there is one essential element to contribute a strong performance on stage, the relationship with scene partners will be my primary concern. With all the advises from different professors, I am always instructed to put my scene partner as the priority in any circumstances. The philosophy of this technique provokes the basic practice in human relationship. One does not hold the authority unless the others allow you to, it is like a king will not be a king unless the community allows you to do…

Baseball throughout history has been there for American’s to enjoy even during its hardest times. Baseball made it through the civil war, the great depression, World War’s one and two. It has had its up’s and down’s just as society and America were having theirs during the same times. The same connection holds true with baseball and the American society when faced with slavery, racism, prejudice, and segregation towards the blacks. Despite the obvious flaws in society’s views in the past, the…

in to the play Fences? Baseball is a very common past time in America. Many races and ages play this sport in the major league, but it has not always been this way. Troy got to play baseball, but he never got to go to the major league. At the time Jackie Robinson had become the first African American player in the major league, Troy was already in his 40’s. Throughout Fences, Troy makes baseball references mainly by symbolism. The author shows Troy using baseball terms and comparing them to his…

Movie Character Analysis: 42, The True Story of An American Legend In 2013, a director named Brian Helgeland came out with a movie called “42”, an inspiring, true story about the life of Jackie Robinson and his role in breaking baseball’s color barrier. The story begins in the mid 1940s, when Major League Baseball was a “white’s only” sport and african americans could only play in a separate league by themselves. In this film, legendary Brooklyn Dodgers manager, Branch Rickey (played by…

“I loved baseball for a while, then wasn’t so sure, then loved it again” (Ankiel 1). In just one sentence of the Autobiography, The Phenomenon, Rick Ankiel described the many difficulties that came along his route to success. He was budding into one of the best young pitchers to step on the face of the earth, but then came the pressure, the yips, and the pitch that changed his life. Ankiel’s book is an incredible story of how a big leaguer overcame the mental roadblocks in his mind to become a…

To some, playing Major League Baseball is a dream. Michael Fulmer, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, has fulfilled his dream of playing in a Major League game. Fulmer has used his time in the majors a learning experience and a life lesson. The writer is able to connect Fulmer’s career and Fulmer’s life together in this article. In Stephanie Apstein’s article “No Pipe Dream” from the January 23, 2017 issue of Sports Illustrated, she effectively employs ethos and pathos to show how Michael Fulmer…

Americans faced every day in America prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Jackie, a 28-year-old black veteran from Georgia, signed a contract in 1947 to play professional professional baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. This move by general manager Branch Rickey was widely frowned upon by many managers, coaches, and players throughout the league. At one point, led by Kirby Higbe, several players sign a petition to get Jackie kicked off of the team for no reason other than that they did not want to…