Playing Fair!

By William Oliver

• Page 1: Jordan was watching sports on TV, like he does every day before football practice.  There was a part on today about sports inequality.  Jordan didn’t know what that was.

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• Page 2: Jordan got in the car with his dad to go to football practice.  He asked his dad, “What does ine... inequalimy mean?” “I think you mean inequality, son,” his dad replied.  “Yeah, that’s it!” Jordan said.  

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• Page 3: “Well, son, inequality is when something is unfair.  Where did you hear that?” his dad asked.  “I saw it on TV when I was watching sports.  They were talking about how some guys named Michael Sam and Jackie Robinson are alike.  And how girls get treated unfairly in sports, but I still don’t understand,”  Jordan’s face looked confused.

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• Page 4: “I know Jackie Robinson is a baseball player who played like a million years, ago but why is he so important?” Jordan asked curiously.  “Well, son, about seventy or so years ago, black people like us weren’t allowed to play baseball in the MLB.”  As his father spoke, Jordan’s face looked even more confused.  “Well that doesn’t make sense. We aren’t any different than any other person.  Why wouldn’t they let him play?” Jordan questioned.

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• Page 5: “Back then, white fans, coaches, and even players thought that a black player wouldn’t be good at baseball.  When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he became the first African American player in the MLB.  Because of this, people called him terrible names, spit on him, and even gave him threats,” his dad explained.  “So why didn’t he just quit?  That’s what I would’ve done,” Jordan said.  “Because, son, if he had quit, you may not be able to go play football on a team because of your skin color,” his father tried to explain.

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• Page 6:  “Wow! That’s crazy! Thank you Jackie!  But what about Michael Sam.  What is he going through because he hasn’t played a game in the NFL yet?” Jordan asked.  “Michael Sam is gay, and people, even other NFL players, say that a gay football player won’t be good and that he shouldn’t play in the NFL,” his dad responded.

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• Page 7: “But Michael Sam didn’t let that stop him.  Because being a football player is his dream, and that’s why so many people look up to him now as a role model,” his father continued.

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• Page 8:  The car came to a stop as Jordan exited and left for football practice.  “See you later, Dad,” he shouted. “Have a good practice son,” he said.

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• Page 9:  As the hours passed, practice came to an end, and Jordan got back in the car.  “How was practice?” his dad asked.  “It was good.  Our coach talked to us at the end about not giving up, even when practice is hard,  just like how Jackie Robinson and Michael Sam didn’t give up and followed their dream,” his mom replied.

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• Page 10:  “Exactly son.” Jordan and his father went home.  When they got there, the smell of Jordan’s mom’s famous fried chicken filled the house.  “YES!” Jordan exclaimed.  As Jordan sat down at the table, his father cleared his throat.  “HHhmhh, honey, guess what your son learned about today?” his father said. “What dear?” she asked.  “Jackie Robinson and Michael Sam and why they are important,” Jordan shouted. “That’s great Jordan,” his mom replied.

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• Page 11:  “And honey, he said they talked about women’s inequalities in sports as well.  I think that’s a subject you would want to talk to him about,” Jordan’s dad said.  Jordan’s mother used to be a basketball player in the WNBA.  

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• Page 12:  Jordan’s face lit up with excitement.  “Tell me mommy! Tell me!” he begged.  “Okay.  Jordan, have you ever been playing at recess and a girl wanted to play with the boys but the boys said no to her?” she asked.  “It happens all the time mom,” he answered.   “Well that used to happen all the time to your mother.”

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• Page 13:  Jordan couldn’t believe what he just heard.  He knew his mother was great at sports.  “Why not?” he asked his mother.  “The boys always thought that girls stunk at sports, so they never let any of us play.  So I would practice basketball with your grandfather all the time.  That’s when I went to go play in college and then the WNBA,” she said.

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• Page 14:  “Wow, mom, that’s really cool!” Jordan said excitedly.  “But the unfairness never went away.  As a WNBA, player I was paid less than an NBA player.  We also had less attention on ESPN,” his mom said sadly.

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• Page 15: “Yeah, they talked about that on TV today,” Jordan said.  “They also said something about some title.  Do you know what they were talking about?” Jordan wondered.  Jordan’s mother replied, “Oh, I think you mean Title Nine.”  “Yeah that’s it,” he said.  

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• Page 16:  Jordan’s mother explained, “Title Nine is a rule that was put in place to help make girls and boys have equal stuff for sports, like equipment and pay.  With Title Nine, I was able to get a scholarship to play at the University of Connecticut for basketball.  Also, Title Nine actually helped start the WNBA and other professional sports leagues.”

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• Page 17: “Wow, that’s great!  I’ll make sure next time when the girls get picked on at recess I’ll stand up for them, just like Title Nine stood up for you,” Jordan said proudly.  “That’s great Jordan!” his mother said excitedly.

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• Page 18:  As Jordan laid in his bed that night he thought about all the people who fought for fairness in sports,  from Jackie Robinson to Michael Sam, and even girls.  That day, Jordan learned that no matter how hard it may be you need to stand up for what is right for everyone.

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Citations

• PAGE 1: Bolger, Dana, and Alexandra Brodsky. Title IX Logo. Digital image.Http://knowyourix.org/title-ix/. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014. <knowyourix.org>.

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• Page 1: Digital image. CMG Worldwide RSS. CMGWorldwide, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 25 May 2014. <http://www.cmgworldwide.com/news/?tag=jackie-robinson>

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• Page 1:Pollock, Bill. Michael Sam Picture. Digital image. Missourinet. Wordpress, 11 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://www.missourinet.com/2014/02/11/draft-expert-says-sam-will-go-in-the-same-draft-range-audio/former-missouri-tigers-michael-sam-says-he-is-gay-2/>.

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• Page 2 Unfairness. Digital image. Themis Trading Blog Stop The Press Exchanges See No Unfairness Comments. Themis Trading, n.d. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://blog.themistrading.com/stop-the-press-exchanges-see-no-unfairness/>.

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• Page 3: Parras, Arthur K. Inequality. Digital image. No Room For Apathy. N.p., 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://noroomforapathy.blogspot.com/>.

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• Page 4: Orso, Matthew. Jackie Robinson. Digital image. Libaseballmag. County Baseball Publications LLC, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://www.libaseballmag.com/jackie-robinson-the-american-dream/>.

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• Page 5: Julia. Jackie Robinson. Digital image. The Art of Creation. Blogspot, 18 Jan. 2014. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://theartofcreation1.blogspot.com/>.

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• Page 6: Jackie Robinson. Digital image. Robert Ward Auctions. Robert Edward Auctions LLC, n.d. Web. 1 June 2014.

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• Page 7: Visinsky, Matthew. Michael Sam Picture. Digital image. SI.com. CNN, n.d. Web. 25 May 2014. <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20140209/michael-sam-draft-stock/>

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• Page 8:Crouch, Ian. Michael Sam Picture. Digital image. New Yorker. Conde Nast, 11 May 2014. Web. 27 May 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newyorker.com%2Fonline%2Fblogs%2Fsportingscene%2F2014%2F05%2Fmichael-sams-draft-moment.html>.

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• Page9 O'connor, Anahad. Pop Warner Football. Digital image. The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 June 2012. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/sports/pop-warner-football-limits-contact-in-practices.html?_r=0>.

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• Page 10: Coach Talking to Players. Digital image. Coach Talking to Football Players in Huddle [600-01196484] Visualphotos.com. Visual Photos, n.d. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://www.visualphotos.com/image/2x3286701/coach_talking_to_football_players_in_huddle>

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• Page 11: Moore, Shay. Family Eating. Digital image. The Nikki Thomas Network. Wordpress, 24 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://thenikkithomasnetwork.com/network/2011/11/how-not-to-overdo-it-at-the-dinner-table-this-thanksgiving/>.

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Citations (Cont.)

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• Page 12 HelloBeautifulStaff. Maya Moore. Digital image. HelloBeautiful RSS. Worpress, 19 May 2011. Web. 29 May 2014.

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• Page 13: MC, Alyse. Excluded Girl. Digital image. Flickr. Yahoo!, 12 Aug. 2009. Web. 01 June 2014. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/39689895%40N02/3812889756/>.

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• Page 14: Black, Ted. Girl Playing Basketball. Digital image. Gazette. Post Community Media, 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 29 May 2014.

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• Page 15: Staff. WNBA Logo. Digital image. Hoopfeed. Wordpress and Carrington, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 29 May 2014.

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• Page 16; Howe, Bill. Title IX Logo. Digital image. Bill Howe Title IX. Word Press, n.d. Web. 29 May 2014.

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• Page 17:Title IX Logo. Digital image. Festival Program Receives Award, Title IX Anniversary, IndyTalks. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2014.

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• Page 18: Theweirdwonder. Banksy "Stand Up" Digital image. A Writer's World: Standing Up for Yourself. Blogspot, 2 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 May 2014.

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• Page 19: Standing up. Digital image. Simply Delightful in 2nd Grade. Blogspot, n.d. Web. 30 May 2014.

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Inequality is when two things are not equal, or fair.  In sports, inequality happens a lot.  For Jackie Robinson, he was bullied because he was black.  Michael Sam had bad things said about him because he was gay.  Even girls weren’t allowed to play sports that they wanted to.  Jackie Robinson was the African American baseball player to play in the MLB.  Many people didn't want him to play because of his race.  People called him hurtful names, threw things at him and cursed at him.  But he went on to go into the Hall of Fame.  Michael Sam may become the first gay active NFL Player.  Some people think that he can’t be good because of that and people talk about him being gay more than him as a player.  Finally, women are still not given full sports fairness.  The WNBA (Womens Basketball League) is rarely on TV and women athletes as a whole get less attention than men.  These three examples show the unfairness occurs in sports.

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Copyright William Oliver