Games We Should Never Forget

Both of these pieces incorporate aspects of memory and ethnic diversity, while the purest nature of sport overcomes these issues. In “Three Man Weave”, a small and extremely unknown juco basketball game is finished with one team only having 3 players. This team was very undersized and supposedly incapable of winning from the beginning. The Native American ‘Thunderbirds’ also had the challenge of overcoming the stigmas and stereotypes against them. This team played most of their season with only 5 men who played every minute of every game. But, in the first game of the NJCAA tournament in 1988, they were forced to play with only 3 men due to foul outs by two of their players. Once the Thunderbirds were down to 3 players, the few people that were attending this game believed it was over, and so did mostly everyone else in the gym that night. Yet with only 3 men on the court, the Thunderbirds were able to stay within reach and eventually take the lead with only seconds left in the game forcing the opposing Lumberjacks to go for the game winning shot at the buzzer. The Thunderbirds walked away with the win that night, but the practically nobody knew about their great performance. It was a great sports moment that went unheard for way too long. The poem “ Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio” is about the influence that even a small football game can have on all communities. This poem describes all kinds of people with many different issues in their lives but still they have one thing in common and that’s the ability to “escape” from their problems through football. The author probably uses a high school football game because in high school the kids are just playing the game for the fun and joy. There is no aspect of scholarship, payment, job securities, or anything else. This football game gives a good perspective on how sometimes its the little things that matter instead of the issues in life. 

In both of these pieces, the sports played serve as more than just a game between men, they serve as a form of purpose and pleasure for everyone involved. These sports surpass racial stereotypes by playing a common game that all races can relate with. In “Three Man Weave” these Native American players, who regularly minimal recruitment, make an effort which will help future athletes like themselves. In the football game in the poem we read, all races mentioned have separate issues, even women, but they all agree on the appreciation of a high school football game. 

Memory is a very important aspect in the essay “Three Man Weave”, and in our love for sports as a whole. This is because in the essay, there was a very small amount of people actually at the game and it was not broadcasted in any way. The stories and reproductions from that night are all based strictly on memory. In a way, most of our sports memories are like that as well. Not a lot of people have ways to relive their greatest sport triumphs besides remembering. The way we remember sports is definitely going to have a huge effect on our love for the game.