Junior Paper Book
Work Cited
Fainaru-Wada, Mark and Lance Williams, Game of Shadows.375 Hudson Street
Lead
In:
In Mark and Lance’s book Game of Shadows they tell the story of a series
between the St. Lois Cardinals and San
Francisco Giants and how the media was reacting to the two star players of the
team.
“But Bonds was sulky and brooding. A
three-time winner of the National League Most Valuable Player award, he was one
of the most prideful stars in baseball. All that weekend, though, he was
overshadowed by Mark McGwire” (Fainaru-Wada and Williams ix).
Commentary: In the narrative
of this series between the two teams the center of the attention was on Mark
McGwire. Bond’s had accomplished a lot in his career however in the presence of
another great player the media did not care. This lack of attention on Bond’s
career could case the feeling of inferiority. When an athlete feels inferior to
his opponent this creates a fire in them which causes them to desire to become
a better player. This desperation of hoping to be the best may have led to the
use of performance- enhancing drugs by Bond’s. This overshadowing in the series
was the beginning of pushing Bond’s into using PED’s to discontinue the
perception of McGwire being better than Bond’s.
Fainaru-Wada, Mark
and Lance Williams, Game of Shadows.375
Hudson Street
Lead
In: In
Game of shadows written by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams the authors
illustrate how people who were close to Bond’s perceived him.
“Some who were
close to him thought his drive to be acknowledged as the premier flowed from an
intense sense of rivalry with his father, a baseball player whom Bonds seemed
to emulate and resent in equal measure. Indeed, many of the quirks in Bonds’s
complicated personality-including the impulse that led him to use banned drugs
that would transform him” (Fainaru-Wada and Williams 24).
Commentary: The perception of Bonds was a very competitive person with
his father. Bonds were very impulsive on his decisions which may have led him
into taking performance-enhancing drugs. This obsessive rivalry with his father
blinded Bond’s from seeing the true talent inside him. The pressure he put on
himself was from a constant worrying of how people perceived him. These
troubling thoughts of his own social status caused him to be insecure about his
own talents. So this pressure influenced Bond’s into taking PED’s
Fainaru-Wada, Mark
and Lance Williams, Game of Shadows.375
Hudson Street
Lead
In:
With San Francisco
“In 1993, Magowan signed him to baseballs
biggest contract: six years guaranteed at 43.75 million, with two option years
as well. Magowanwas convinced that Bond’s problems in Pittsburg
Commentary: In this statement
the general manager of the Giants was looking for a miracle to bring back
baseball to the city of San Francisco
Fainaru-Wada, Mark
and Lance Williams, Game of Shadows.375
Hudson Street
Lead In: Fainaru-Wada and Williams illustrate how
Barry’s Bonds teammates felt about him. This statement shows how Barry’s
attitude toward his teammates. A coach
of his college team shows his observations of the team towards Bond’s.
“I never saw a teammate care about him, his coach the
late Jim Brock told Sports Illustrated in 1990. Part of it would be his being
rude, inconsiderate, and self-centered. He bragged about the money he had
turned down and popped off about his dad (Fainaru-Wada and Williams 28).
Commentary:
Bond’s
believed he was better than everyone else because he was offered a contract by
the Giants. This high status got to Bonds’ head and he then treated his
teammates like dirt. However, when Bonds got to the majors he soon realized
that he wasn’t the best player and had competition. With this new realization
of the competition of his peers Bonds felt that he could not reach their level
under his own will power. Bonds resorted to using performance enhancers to be
at the same level as the player around him.
Fainaru-Wada, Mark
and Lance Williams, Game of Shadows.375
Hudson Street
Lead
In: Game
of Shadows written by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams highlights how the
media followed McGwire in the 1998 season.
“A media pack the worthy of a presidential
candidate on election night tail McGwire across the country, recording his
every word and action” (Fainaru-Wada and Williams xii)
Commentary:
In
the 1998 season the media followed McGwire everywhere he went and examined
everything he did and said. If McGwire ever messed up it would be on the fronts
of papers all over the country. McGwire tried to prevent messing up and the use
of performance-enhancing drugs kept the media in the belief that he was still a
phenomenal player. With these pressure by the media McGwire turned to PED’s so
his name would not be talked about in an ill manner.
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