Assignment 5a: Research Essay Proposal - Instructions Web Page

Name Instructor Institution Date Dryden’s ‘The Game’ In his analysis of sport in “The Game,” Dryden provides quite a critical yet honest assessment of sport as it is. Having played hockey in his short career, the book is basically his memoir about the endless and yet inseparable struggle between celebrity and sport. He notes that sports usually captures the life of a person , especially a sportsman, from a very young age, peaks when the individual is at his prime and the world at his feet, then later wanes towards the end of his career. It is however when the individual is at his prime in sports, that there is an intersection with celebrity life. This is also the stage where a young sportsperson can easily get carried away by the allure of celebrity status. It is important to break down the impacts; both positive and negative, of celebrity on upcoming athletes in any field of sports, capturing Dryden’s arguments about the same. The Allure of Celebrity for Young Athletes It is usually inevitable that whenever an athlete is on his way to superstardom, fame starts coming in and so does celebrity. An individual who was previously unknown suddenly becomes a must-watch for the masses and every media house now slates endless reviews and interviews for such athletes. One suddenly captures the spotlight and all the monetary benefits that come along with the same (Dryden). It is so easy to get carried away by this new realization, as a young athlete feels validated and even complete while still at a very early stage of their sporting career. Within no time, a young burgeoning athlete now becomes a celebrity. Most young people always want to be ‘young, rich and famous’ as the cliche goes. The problem, however, is how such an athlete handles the newfound status. The Positives and Negatives The positive about celebrity life, fame and success is that it brings that feeling of accomplishment to a person. One becomes more excited about life since the fruits of hard work are...