What Makes Marion Jones Run? This is a fabulous piece on Marion Jones' life and her return to the sporting arena. Once a decorated track star, she now has a prison sentence on her resume. But with outstanding athleticism and a desire to get back into a game, any game, Jones is now a member of the WNBA. What do you think of this profile piece? How does the author keep you engaged?
No Tackling, but a girls' sport take some hits: An interesting story on the rise of girls' varsity flag football. Why are people conflicted about this sport? Why are some pro-girls sports boosters worried this isn't a meritorious sport? Isn't staying active the #1 goal of athletics? Is there an MA hook in here?
7 comments:
Flag Football: While the writing of this piece is fairly uninteresting, the subject is pretty catching. Supporting football, especially as a way to promote athletic activity seems like a no-brainer. To say that it is a waste makes no sense; players will have better fitness as well as a sense of sportsmanship and respect for the game regardless of whether they take it to a college level. Even if it means they won't be participating in a sport that will last them their whole lives (although there must be recreational opportunities for flag football) they will have the same benefits of playing any other sport. I think MA might have an angle simply in the fact that we are a Div 5 (?) school, which doesn't exactly lend itself to becoming a pro athlete. There might be an article either in how MA athletes progress in sports out of school or about how MA made the decision to join the BCL and what it means for student athletes.
Marshall
Marion Jones to the WNBA
The prison sentencing of Marion Jones is a very memorable moment in my mind after watching the process play out on ESPN when I was younger. However, prior to reading this article, I was unaware of Marion Jones' activities and how she is now a player in the WNBA. The premise of this article and how it was approached really intrigued me and kept me "hooked" as a reader. I and many others were well informed of Marion Jones' situation while she was on trial, but a good while later simply forgot about her. The author does a great job describing Jones' background and success, which allows any reader to understand the conflict. Also, the way the article progresses, relating to her personal life and family, allows the reader to emotionally connect with the story. Similar to the freshman year english theme, the author takes the reader down into Jones' abyss and up her re-birth in "the heroes' journey", which allows the reader to connect to the story.
Flag Football:
I strongly agree with Andrew about this piece. I found the counter-argument to the benefits of Flag Football for girls to be completely ridiculous. The article clearly states that very few high school athletes compete at the college level and that the purpose of high school sports does not include being recruited to a college. I also agree with the NFL spokesperson who said that sports like flag football are more exciting than some of the more monotonous sports such as softball or track. Not recognizing a sport that is in popular demand is unreasonable. I also agree with Andrew about how the article was stylistically boring. Finally, I would not recommend to the author that she use Alaska as an example of a state the recognizes flag football. The article gave me a good laugh when I read, "Alaska recognized the sport five years ago...Eight of its high schools offer flag football."
Marion Jones: Unlike the flag football piece, this article takes a topic that I didn't have a lot of interest in and kept me engaged with a very interesting style of writing. The author, Maggie Jones, combines storytelling-style feature writing with more informal, conversational writing to make the piece seem like a chat with Marion herself more than a biography. Also, the use of dividers to break up the story makes the long piece feel more readable. Even though the piece jumps around in the timeline, the transitions work well to keep the reader connected with what is going on.
Marion Jones
The first thing I noticed about this article was the tone. It cast Jones in a light that suggested she was a type of sports hero. At least in my mind, this is not the case--there is overwhelming evidence that Jones took steroids not only accidentally but purposefully.
At the same time, the author does a very good job of keeping the reader engaged by chronicling Jones' attempt at what I perceive as redemption. I admit that she is a very brave person for attempting to bring herself back into peoples' good graces when so much ill has been said against her. Jones' desire to prove herself only makes her demise all the more tragic.
Still, after this article, I cannot help but feeling that Marion Jones is another unfortunate byproduct of the Steroid Era. No matter what she does, the WNBA is not the Olympics--and she will always be a broken hero.
Flag Football
I agree with Andrew that the writing is fairly bland, yet that the subject is interesting. Before reading this article, flag football was simply a game I played in middle school. To these girls, however, it seems that it has become a lot more. I also agree with Andrew that the real value of playing this sport comes in the physical benefits. People saying that it should not be played because it has no future are out of touch--As the article says, most high school athletes do not go on to play at the college level.
With obesity rates continuously rising, the development and growth of this sport can only be seen as a good thing. While perhaps one day the sport will expand to the college level, for now we will have to view its success in terms of how many more women are inspired to continue staying in shape long after they leave high school.
Jamie
What Makes Marion Jones Run?
This article was particularly intriguing to me because I didn't even know who Marion Jones was, let alone her trials and tribulations, prior to reading it. Maggie Jones's did a brilliant job of sidestepping the controversial and heated debate of whether Jones knowingly took steroids. The author focused on the rebeuilding of a former star, rather than squabbling about the disgraced athlete. Regardless of Marion's athletic choices, the integrity of her person can't be debated. Her work-ethic surrounding her new endeavor with the Shock, coupled with her drive to raise a family and promote her "Take a Break," campaign is inspirational. Everyone deserves a second chance, and it seems Marion is making the most out of hers. As far as an MA tie in goes, I think it would be interesting to see how legal performance enhancing supplements affect MA athletes. I've seen a variety of drinks like Muscle Milk and NOXplode used.
Flag Football:
Like Andrew, Marshall, and Max, I too find the arguments against flag football to be ridiculous. Aside from some friendly competition, I view sports as a way to stay active and healthy, and it appears that flag football is doing just that for tons of girls across Florida. I would think that Ms. Hogshead-Makar would recognize the benefits of keeping kids active, especially in a state where participation numbers in athletics are hurting. I know that a lot of kids play ultimate frisbee during breaks, and I think that an MA angle could be a profile on the emerging sport and whether official teams are on the horizon for Bay Area high schools.
What Makes Marion Jones Run?
As Marshall said, I vividly remember watching Marion Jones' sentence unravel on TV. However, I was left feeling ambivalent by the end of the article. On one hand, it was not only engaging, but quite interesting to read, as I had no clue that Marion Jones is currently a player in the WNBA and learned a few new pieces of information about the athlete. On the other hand, I found the piece to be somewhat factual, and would have liked to see more of Jones' opinions, particularly regarding her jail time.
An aspect that surprised me about the article was its multifaceted tone -- fast-paced, energetic, and inspirational. I found this surprising, particularly because Marion Jones used anabolic steroids and cheated the system. However, the article does prove that an athlete's career can never completely be destroyed, so long as enough determination is present.
Flag Football:
To echo the sentiments of the few commenters on here, Thomas' writing is dull, but the topic is interesting. One aspect of the piece that struck me was the parallels between flag football and soccer for girls - I had no idea that "soccer didn't exist in the 1970s in most high schools for women."I found Chaudhry's argument to the sport being played at a college-level for women flawed and confusing. Contact sports at the college level (and beyond) are omnipresent for women and men - Chaudhry doesn't really explain why flag football can't be integrated into the "typical" college spots as well.
As the article states, "the aim of high school sports is to encourage students to develop healthy habits." After reading this article, I have come to the conclusion that these girls are not only aiming to be healthy, but have also bravely and passionately undertaken this new "experimental" sport.
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