Omar Hernandez

English 1010

Professor: Jim Beatty

Annotated Bibliography

Impacted Athletes

Many of us think an athlete is successful once the professional level is achieved. We

have a thought that the athlete has reached their goals and dreams they had growing up. I am

here to explain how even if one reaches that level, it does not mean they will stay there. What

causes pro-athletes to fail.

Afremow, J. The Champion's Comeback. In J. Afremow (Ed).

How Great Athletes Recover, Reflect, and Re-Ignite (pp. 120-123)

Afremow discusses what the differences are between a regular athlete and a great

athlete. As a sports phycologist he knows many obstacles athletes come across that will force

them to fail. He understands it is not only the competition that will prevent them from winning,

but also the injuries that randomly happen. He explains for an athlete to make a comeback in

their career they must be mentally prepared. It will take time and dedication for them to bring

back the talent they once had.

I may use ideas to make statements about failure does not only come from losing a

game. An athlete may also lose his skills by not being able to recover. The most common in

sports are knee injuries, shoulder injuries, and concussions. If one wants to criticize and athlete
due to poor performance, they should look at the athlete’s experiences found in sports

magazines, books, or interviews.

Payne, W. Reynolds, M. Brown, S. Fleming, Ashley. (2003) Sports Role Models and Their Impact

on Participation in Physical Activity. (Peer Reviewed). Section 2.1 What is a role model?

In this passage the authors state that athletes are viewed as heroes, mentors, and role

models to the younger generations spectating them. Knowing they have many followers keeps

them motivated throughout their careers. The athletes want to set the perfect example and

create a story on the hard work they out in along with the values that were earned. As role

models in sports, many athletes are sponsored to set the representation of a company and

attract fans.

I may use these statements to argue that pressure is a big key that provokes

professional athletes to fail. They have so many objectives and goals to reach on top of their

game to make others happy. Intriguing and entertainment is part of their job. With out the fans

they would not have a career. If they are unable to perform above average at the highest level,

they will lose in both the sport and the followers.

Another argument could be athletes are not used to being in front of such a big crowd

on their rookie years. For example, in basketball many do very well playing in college. Once

they make it to the Nation basketball Association, they underperform and do not put up the

same statistics as before. If this happens to an athlete after their four year contract expires

most are not offered a renewal and are called a “bust”. A bust is the term used to describe a

professional athlete who could not reach the rating or goals the teams had in mind.
 JAbrams, J. Boys Among Men: When Kwame Brown made a bold promise to MJ.

Jonathan Abrams (ed.). (Mar 15, 2016) ESPN.com (credible website)

This article explains the story of Kwame Brown. He went out the NBA straight out of

high school. He was also the first round pick and picked first by the Washington Wizards. He

was the greatest player in high school and Michael Jordan who until this day is the greatest

basketball player recommended the team to draft him. Kwame brown was only 18 years old at

the time and most sports reporters will say he was n it ready. He had one of the lowest

statistics for his position and struggle with his career.

Another topic that was mentioned is that Brown was too young and was not focused to

being a professional. Many reports also state that he missed many practices because he would

go to clubs and parties. Because he accomplished so much at a young age he lacked hard work

and dedication in the NBA. Brown was teammates with Jordan and thought his teammates

would pick up the slack for but, but that was not the case. His career only lasted 3 years

because of his choices.

This topic is good evidence to prove that many athletes will struggle if they become

professional quickly after high school. Most need at least one year of college to learn how to

become adults and handle many responsibilities while playing in front of large crowds. Yes

college is very competitive, there is not much stress as playing in a professional league. It will

also give players more opportunities to improve upon their skills and talent while at the same

time earning an education as a back up plan.

 In conclusion there many obstacles that come across athletes’ careers. It will depend on

the situation and how the person is able to handle it. Some challenges are resolved by the

actions the athlete is willing to take. Others are very drastic including life changing or career

ending sicknesses and injuries.

If an athlete is at a very young age, they will struggle to take care of their responsibilities

unless they are used to the hard work and have people helping on the way. One must stay

motivated to not only earn the money, but also improve their game. Their action will affect how

others view them and it will either increase or decrease the opportunities given to them down

the road.

Overall professional athletes are viewed as role models. Their jobs are to make people

interested and focused on the game they are playing or competing at. If they truly want to be

remembered at one of the best and build a strong legacy for future athletes, they must stay

dedicated and not make much mistakes outside of their game. Yes, there is a lot of pressure to

make sure they reach their goals and expand their career, but that’s why they are called

professionals and paid large amounts to handle the sport they lie to play.

References

 http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/14929620/kwame-brown-decided-go-pro

 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Warren_Payne/publication/255639009_SPORTS_ROLE_MOD
ELS_AND_THEIR_IMPACT_ON_PARTICIPATION_IN_PHYSICAL_ACTIVITY_A_LITERATURE_REVIEW/link
s/0a85e53bd2525c580f000000.pdf

 https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownkw01.html

 https://www.thestar.com/sports/2015/09/14/concussions-and-the-pro-sports-careers-theyve-
ended.html
 https://www.thebalancecareers.com/should-you-become-a-professional-athlete-525985