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Sports: Hometown HeroesBy KRISTEN STERNBERG | NIE Educational Consultant Can people whom we consider role models influence the way we think and act? Most believe they can and they do. Usually, our heroes are positive role models, people whom we respect and admire for their qualities and actions (although occasionally there are some we might consider "negative" role models).
Many of our sports celebrities are positive role models. James Murphy, a football star who once played for DeLand High School, is one example. Read about the events in Murphy's career that led to his being named Sportsperson of the Year. You can probably think of some famous sports figures you admire. Most sports superstars are certainly heroes, perhaps because of their athletic talent and determination. But what does it take to become a "hometown hero?" When celebrities give something back to the communities in which they grew up, they are doing something positive that will benefit many people. We might speak of these role models as hometown heroes. Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter, a graduate of Mainland High School, recently honored Daytona Beach in an act of hometown heroism. Carter, through his Embassy of Hope Foundation, donated money to provide copies of a special newspaper section called "Read with the Pros." This educational tabloid is directed at kids, and the gift provided 10,000 copies of "Read with the Pros" to be distributed in area schools. Read Mr. Carter's thoughts on an All-Star game: They contain a message to young people. You can also read about his Embassy of Hope. Baseball star Chipper Jones recently earned the title of hometown hero when he donated money to the Northwest Volusia Little League. Jones, who grew up in Pierson, Florida, wanted to give something back to his community. Read the article about how Jones's donation will benefit area kids. Twin brothers Jesse and Jerry Daniels are basketball stars at Bethune-Cookman College. Despite their busy schedules, they volunteer at an area learning center in Daytona Beach. There, the twins spend time reading books to young children. Read the article to see why they qualify to be hometown heroes. Lastly, check out the newspaper articles on two promising area youths: Fifteen-year-old Amber Jenkins, who performed with a dance team at Superbowl 2001, and Edward Johnson, age 16, who was recently drafted as a professional soccer player. Will these two become sports superstars? Will they someday be hometown heroes? Try these fun activities using The News-Journal! Attention, sports fans! For this week's newspaper activities, head right for the sports section! 1. How do sports teams choose their team names? Using your newspaper's Sports section, make a list of the names of all the sports teams you see featured. Can you find any patterns when you scan your list? You may detect that the names chosen by many sports teams follow some common themes, and with few exceptions can be placed into just a few categories. Check your list again, and this time, every time you find two or more names that have something in common, write down what that is. Cross out each name after you've used it, and continue creating your "categories" list until you have placed each name you wrote. Use your findings to answer the following questions: How many different categories did you end up with? How many of the teams' names fall into more than one of your categories? Which category had the most teams' names in it? If you saw that many sports teams were named after animals, and used that as one of your categories, you're awesome. If you found that many sports teams were named after features or symbols of their region, such as the Steelers or the Maple Leafs, you're truly amazing! (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.1.2.2, LA.A.1.2.3, LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.1, LA.B.2.2.3, LA.B.2.2.6)
2. Make a list of all the different types of sports mentioned in your newspaper, for example, bowling, tennis and basketball. For each sport you listed, silently act out some of the playing motions involved. Ask a friend, classmate or teacher to guess what sport you are pantomiming. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.1.2.2, LA.A.2.2.5, PE.A.2.2.2, PE.C.2.2.3) 3. Scan the Sports section of your newspaper and choose a sport in which you would like to excel. Now, imagine that you are a sports superstar, "hometown hero." Using your newspaper and other resources, gather information about at least three organizations in your community (soup kitchen, animal shelter and after school youth program are just a few examples) to which you might enjoy donating your time, like some of the hometown heroes you have read about do. For each organization you selected, list several reasons for your choice. What do your three choices have in common? How do they differ? Put them in your order of preference, starting with the highest. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.2.2.6) 4. Sports heroes often become role models. Search your newspaper for articles about sports stars or other heroes you believe are good role models.. Write a letter to your favorite hero telling him or her what you admire about that person. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.B.1.2.2., LA.B.2.2.3, LA.B.2.2.6) 5. In your newspaper's Sports section, find and read an article about a recent game involving your favorite sport. Choose what you feel was the most exciting play, sequence or event in that game. Draw a picture of the action as described in the article. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.1.2.2, LA.A.2.2.5, VA.A.1.2.1, VA.B.1.2.1) A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org. Check out these links to learn more: You'll find plenty to explore if you visit Sports Illustrated for Kids. You can get current news, take a trivia challenge and learn about kids and teens who are involved in sports worldwide. While you're there, be sure to find out which athletes share your birthday.
Baseball has been called the national pastime of the United States. For the latest in baseball news, check out a site provided by USA Today. There you'll find schedules, statistics and much more. If you're interested in hockey, the national sport of Canada, check out The Hockey News for exciting news about the many hockey leagues. For a comprehensive list of female athletic superstars around the world, take a look at some web pages at this site about distinguished women. Although a few of the links are outdated, you'll find many fascinating facts, photos and biographical information about your favorite sports heroines. How many of the official Olympic sports do you think you can you name? Most of them? All of them? Follow the link to find out-it's all about the more unusual sports of the Olympic competitions. The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world. Visit the site and check out some of them to see if they have recently published any articles about sports, or even "hometown heroes" in other places in the world. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries. The Daytona Beach News-Journal NIE Program, published March 19, 2001 |
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