I grew up watching and playing several sports. One of them specifically is soccer. During the World Cup, my family goes all out trying to watch as many games as possible, stuffing our faces with junk food, and keeping track of almost every player in every team. Thanks to my iphone, I can download an app that not only tells me the information of every player but also the history of the World Cup. I learn a lot about the countries which includes their style of play, their flag, and their ranking. Unfortunately, there were no soccer player profiles so I chose instead Steve Hamilton (Terkel, 366), a baseball player.
Honestly, I'm not very familiar with the game but I have played it when I was young. However, I did find similarities between professional soccer players and baseball players. One of them being the duration of their career. It's obvious but sad that as a player ages, so does their physical ability. And then the team doesn't really need them anymore. Hamilton touches on this but more so on how he feels, "To be perfectly honest with you, I'm ready to quit...I'm tired of the hours and I'm losing the zest. When this happens it's time to leave" (368).
Hamilton also touches on social issues such as racism and instantly my mind goes back to soccer. Many players are recruited from their international teams into leagues. This means they leave their country to go to another country to play soccer, and yes, some fans are either super excited or not happy at all. I can't think of one specific incident but I've heard stories of players such as Ronaldinho dealt with racist comments during games. Even recently, fans threw bananas at one specific player--who's name escapes me--implying that he's an ape. And he responds by taking the banana and eating it.
The second profile I chose was Blackie Mason, a sports press agent (Terkel, 373) because I am not quite familiar with what their job all encompasses. So it was interesting to what Mason had to say. One thing in particular was when he mentions, "You felt like you've been used and totally discarded for what you have just done. I'm sensitive. It stays with me, and then I find myself becoming vindictive" (375). It's hard to believe that a sports agent would feel like this, and yet athletes are used as well.
Lastly, Mason enjoys his work (375) and that's always good to hear. Sometimes, I get the impression that American often times hate their career. But for the most part, that's not always the case. It shows when one enjoys their job. In my case, no matter what I am going through or how emotional I can get, I always stay consistent in how I treat my customers: friendly and kind. It makes a big difference in their lives.
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