Prompt 2

     In the two readings, The Greatest Game I Ever Saw and "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio," there are two commonalities.  One is that they both deal with sports, The Greatest Game I Ever Saw, about a junior college basketball game in North Dakota, and "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio," about high school football in Martins Ferry, Ohio.  In The Greatest Game I Ever Saw, junior college basketball is unimportant.  Even though this game is unimportant it is something the people who saw it and played in the game will never forget due to the great performance by United Tribes, who beat NDSU-Bottineau with only five players on their team.  "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry Ohio," discusses the importance of high school football in Shreve High School and Martins Ferry, Ohio.  It describes Martins Ferry as a poor town, where high school football plays a huge role in the community.  Another commonality between the two readings, is the importance of race.  The Greatest Game I Ever Saw discusses how the under dog, United Tribes, was a school for Native Americans.  Also, the struggles Native Americans face to this day of being recruited to play basketball in college, and to be drafted by an NBA team.  This is a common predicament in Native American culture.  People seem to forget that Native Americans have not held as many high-ranking positions as people of other races, and they have still not had a "star" in any professional sport in the United States.  In "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio," the author mentions the Polacks and Negroes. This shows the divide between the Polacks and the Negroes in Martins Ferry, Ohio, but how they come together for Shreve High School football.  This is also another common problem in many towns.  Towns become divided by two races, but in many cases they have something which brings them together, which in this case is high school football.

     Nostalgia and memory play a huge role in, The Greatest Game I Ever Saw.  Without nostalgia and memory this game would have never been told by Chuck Klosterman.  The emotions that this game evoked made a lasting impression on Klosterman's memory, and without these emotions the story of this game may have never been written about.  This game may have perhaps never been talked about, and forgotten forever.  Nostalgia and memory also plays a large role in "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio."  The reader can feel the emotions of the people of Martins Ferry, Ohio, thanks to the memory of James Wright.  The reader is able to see how high school football is able to bring a divided town together.

     These reading will help me immensely when writing my first paper.  Like The Greatest Game I Ever Saw, the game which I attended was probably forgotten by most people, but to me this game is a huge part of my life.  Also, I can use the structure of The Greatest Game I Ever Saw, to write my essay.  Like Chuck Klosterman, I can use the emotions that I felt during this game to show its importance to the reader.  My first paper will not have much in common with, "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio."  My paper will not discuss the circumstances surrounding the game, but it will discuss how the event influenced my love of sports.