Alternative piece:
This alternate perspective piece explores sports identity and the impact it has on the high school athlete through two different perspectives. The first image depicts a scene from Beartown that encompasses toxic masculinity within sports culture that affects the youth boys’ hockey team. Concerned about the confidence of the athletes, Coach Dave grabs the smallest, weakest player, (Amat) and has the biggest player (Bobo) face-off in order to allow Bobo to hit Amat to boost team confidence. In this scene Bobo willingly steamrolls Amat as a “sacrifice” in order to boost the overall confidence of the team for the big game. This scene shows the coach and adult figure to be present, but he is encouraging his players to beat on one another for the sake of confidence building and “winning at all costs.” Amat’s resilience in this scene shows how hockey has warped his identity, allowing him to accept his role as the sacrifice for the team. At the end of the scene Amat is able to skate past Bobo which earns him playing time for the next game. After hearing that from Dave, Amat sighs, “best day of my life,” signifying that the blood he shed and the repeated beat down was all worth it to get time on the ice. This speaks to the athlete identity where students will do whatever it takes, putting their own well-being on the line in order to achieve their goals within their sport.
This alternate perspective piece explores sports identity and the impact it has on the high school athlete through two different perspectives. The first image depicts a scene from Beartown that encompasses toxic masculinity within sports culture that affects the youth boys’ hockey team. Concerned about the confidence of the athletes, Coach Dave grabs the smallest, weakest player, (Amat) and has the biggest player (Bobo) face-off in order to allow Bobo to hit Amat to boost team confidence. In this scene Bobo willingly steamrolls Amat as a “sacrifice” in order to boost the overall confidence of the team for the big game. This scene shows the coach and adult figure to be present, but he is encouraging his players to beat on one another for the sake of confidence building and “winning at all costs.” Amat’s resilience in this scene shows how hockey has warped his identity, allowing him to accept his role as the sacrifice for the team. At the end of the scene Amat is able to skate past Bobo which earns him playing time for the next game. After hearing that from Dave, Amat sighs, “best day of my life,” signifying that the blood he shed and the repeated beat down was all worth it to get time on the ice. This speaks to the athlete identity where students will do whatever it takes, putting their own well-being on the line in order to achieve their goals within their sport.
The mirror political cartoon shows the other side that has not been discussed as much within this project; sports having a positive impact on one’s identity. This picture represents how sports can increase one’s perception of self-confidence and their place in society. This cartoon depicts a small boy gaining confidence and viewing himself in a better way when placing his identity in a sport. Rather than focusing on the negatives and pressures that sports place on the students, this cartoon captures the positives that sports can have on an individual identity. The mirror depicts an athlete who views himself as a bigger, stronger, and more confident individual because he is an athlete. Sports can increase motivation to stay in school, as well as increase confidence among peers and in the community. Rather than battling with depression and anxiety, sports have the ability to give joy and a purpose in an adolescent’s life. This cartoon juxtaposes the idea that sports only have a negative impact on one’s identity. It is important to note that Amat fits into both perspectives of the cartoons: despite his willingness to be a sacrifice, Amat is also the small kid whose role as an athlete ultimately does have a positive impact on his identity due to the friendships and experiences he gains through hockey, making him feel bigger than he is.