Panasci,+Marco


 * Winter/Spring 2011 Mr. Dunne **

** A Pre-Game Warm-up **

What do sports mean to you as an athlete and as a fan?

Sports have a large influence on my life in general. I have played many sports in the past and currently participate in Track & Field. The influence of sports as a fan has been just as large as it has as an athlete. I watch professional baseball and football regularly, and will tune in to watch professional basketball and hockey during the playoffs. I believe that both watching and participating in sports is good as a way to escape the monotony of school and work. Playing sports is also a fun way of getting exercise, and watching is a good break from the repetitive schedule of TV shows.

What has been your experience with youth sports? Describe your best and worst experiences.

I have played a wide variety of sports throughout my life including: baseball, soccer, football, basketball, wrestling, and track & field. My worst experience on a team was probably playing middle school football. I don't think that I really had the mindset of finding the person who had the ball and hitting him as hard as I could. I enjoy watching football, but playing it was just not for me. My best experience on a team has been Track & Field. I started as a sophomore and do shot put and discus. I enjoy the fact that although the scoring is done as a team, it is more of an individual sport. It is impossible to make excuses because the only person that one can blame in this sport is himself.

Do athletes make good role models? Identify one or two professional athletes to make your case.

I think that it depends on the athlete. We just read the Sports Illustrated cover story on Drew Brees. Brees cites family, faith, football and philanthropy as being his four top priorities. He has proved himself to be a great role model through his dedication to his wife and kids, his religion, his football team, and his charity. On the other hand there are athletes such as Mark McGwire who teach kids that the easiest way to become a baseball star is by taking steroids. Overall, I do not think that one can put all athletes in the same category for being role models, because it depends on each individual.

What sports/teams do you pay attention to the most? How much time do sports occupy in your life? How do you spend that time (attending, watching, reading, talking, participating)?

The two sports that I watch the most are baseball and football. I would say that sports occupy a decent amount of time in my life. I watch the Patriots every Sunday, and find it difficult to watch baseball frequently due to the length of both the games and the schedule, but squeeze it in when I can. I go to a few sporting events every year, and would attend more if tickets were not so expensive and difficult to get. I read ESPN Magazine and Sports Illustrated when there is a cover story that interests me, but receive most of my news from Sports Center and online. During the Spring I go to practice and meets for Track & Field on 6 out of the 7 days of the week.

What sports-related issues would you be disappointed //not// to cover in this class? Why?

I would be disappointed if we did not discuss the steroid scandal in baseball, as well as in other sports. I find this to be an interesting topic in sports and would be interested to hear other classmates' opinions on how severe they think that the issue is and how they think it should be handled.