Floating in the Sports World

While there are many great things about sports there are also some simple shameful acts as well. When I played sports I had the mentality of winning at any cost. I was praised by coaches, my parents, and the community to win. While I learned many great things like the benefits of hard work, teamwork, and leadership, I also took some bad habits from sports as well. For example, when I committed a foul and I knew it I would argue with the referee that he made the incorrect call. These types of acts were accepted and praised by the people around me on and off the field but the truth was that I was lying. It wasn’t until I tore my Achilles tendon which ended my sports playing days that I had a chance to look back at the sports world. Today if you turn on ESPN’s SportsCenter you will see some of the biggest stars cheating, fighting, and lying. It wasn’t until I exited this world that I could truly understand what was going on. Similar to my experience is the two novels, “Jasmine” written by Bharati Mukherjee and “A Question of Power” written by Bessie Head. In “Jasmine” the main character Jasmine is placed in different regions around the world and must find how she fits in different cultures. In “A Question of Power” the main character Elizabeth has the unique position of having no frames that program the way she thinks giving her the power to see things as an outsider.  

Jasmine is floating between two different cultures and is finding ways in which she can fit in and still use her strengths. When Jasmine is reflecting on how she fits into this culture Mukherjee writes, “How many more shapes are in me, how many more selves, how many more husbands” (215)? Jasmine is a very strong woman in her last role and now must take her strengths and move them into a different role. On a much smaller scale but similar to Jasmine I found myself thrust out of my place in sports where I was unable to use my strengths. Jasmine is able to sit back patiently and wait for the situation around her to reveal itself, in this floating period, she is able to find out how to be strong.

Each time Jasmine changed her name she found herself adapting a new role that she could be most useful. Jasmine reflects on how easy her persona changes, “Jyoti would have saved…Jasmine lived for the future, for Vijah and Wife. Jase went to movies and lived for today” (176). After Jasmine takes on a new role she finds out more about herself and how she can be strong in many different types of situations. Some may view this as not being true to their true personality but it is more of a test to see how much ability someone has once they are stripped of their norms. Being able to go from a strong secure place then thrust into a totally new environment where someone is able to use what they know from an old environment to their advantage is positive.  

Elizabeth had the power of not being influenced by a motherly figure unlike many of the kids today who are framed by the parent’s actions. Head wrote this about Elizabeth’s life, “When you were six years old we heard that your mother had suddenly killed herself in the mental home” (17). Head did not have a motherly figure that she could watch and use as a role model. Many of the parents show ridiculous behavior while their kids are playing sports. An example of this is yelling at the umpire even though he made the right call or yelling at the other team in an inappropriate way. If people had the ability to view themselves as an outsider like Elizabeth they would have the ability to see the poor behavior that they are displaying. Head had that ability to see how her peers were being influenced by their parents even though the parents were influencing their kids negatively.

Elizabeth transitions herself from one location to the other where she is able to see the positive and negative that each location has to offer. Head writes about Elizabeth moving from one location to another, “Definitely, as far as Batswana society was concerned, she was an out-and-out outsider and would never be in on their things” (26). Head has the ability to look back at an old society she lived in and reflect on the good and the bad. When I look back at sports I saw many things that I never saw before. With this power of transition people like Elizabeth have the ability to enlighten those around them about what is going on. In sports I see kids lying to referees and being rewarded for that action. This sort of action must be brought to light and it is the people in transition who hold the power and ability.

Jasmine and Elizabeth are able to see things as an outsider and have the ability to enlighten those who are stuck in the confines surrounding them. For Jasmine she is able to use her transitioning to her advantage and gain strength from each role she plays. Elizabeth is able to see the positive and negative effects of things without being influenced by other influences. As a person in transition we have the ability to enlighten people of their actions like some of the people in the sports world.