Summary Of The Documentary 'Sports In America'

Sports and athletes play an important role in the lives of Americans today. In the HBO documentary “Sports in America” we see just that. Over generations the interest in sports has spread from young children to adults and elderly, experiences are shared and cherished. Within this documentary there were four areas of interest that were discussed (greatness, heroes, community and game change). This dissertation will briefly describe some of the defining moments in sports that have changed the lives of many individuals. Within the first segment of the documentary “Greatness”, many feel “greatness” is watching an individual who believes in themselves in order to achieve a higher level of accomplishments. When athletes demonstrate excellence

Anyone can fill this role, however, in sports there are a number of individuals that fill this role. Many times heroes within sports inspire others, acting as role models, Jim Abbott is a prime example of this. Abbott well known for his one of a kind no hitter pitched against the Cleveland Indians. Abbott was born without a right hand, despite his disability he pursued baseball and became the pitcher for the Yankees. Another example would be Roberto Clemente. In his beginning years as a rookie he was just an average player, but over the course of twelve years, hard work and determination allowed him to become one of the greatest baseball players ever. Many players from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic were inspired by Roberto Clemente achievements as he was the first Latino inducted into the Hall of Fame. In addition, many also were inspired by the way in which Clemente lived his life away from the game, his generosity to help the victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake did not go unnoticed. Sadly, Mr. Clemente was killed in a plane crash as he was making his way to deliver food to the victims. It is through determination, passion and generosity that these men have been admired and have inspired so many others to not give up and push forward to overcome the many obstacles that they

There was a time in history where Negroes and Caucasians could not participate on the same teams, women were discriminated against and were not allowed to participate in sports. Through the efforts of many, women’s’ rights have been restored and women are able to compete in various sports today. As time progressed sports have become not only a union of various ethnicities but communities as well. As with all sports, athletes give fans a sense of hope, pride, courage and a sense of empowerment. Individuals, whether athletes or not face difficulties. Despite these obstacles, or hardships, natural disasters and personal struggles individuals are able to escape and forget about the daily struggles even if it is only for a short period of time. Sports allow many different individuals regardless of race, gender, age and ethnicity to participate in activities that encourage teamwork, demonstrate strength as individuals or as team members. It allows fans to participate in the excitement as well as the disappointments. Most importantly it allows sport fan to be part of the team. Sports enthusiasts share passion associated with sports, it is through this passion that individuals are brought closer