lifetime
I think the word lifetime really emphasizes the reason why those of the Islamic faith fast. One of Islam's most important practices is to help those who need help when you can. This really shows how those of the Islamic faith have taken that to heart and by fasting are able to put themselves in the shoes of those who feel like that all the time.
As much as football meant to him, as much as it mattered to win, those things only counted for Ali if he was also staying true to Allah.
This phrase really does setup how important Allah is to Ali and how the game of football can never be an excuse for Ali to break his fast early. I think this phrase being early in the article really sets up Ali's thoughts about religion.
"Sometimes at practice one of the guys'll say, 'Let's just break, it's just one day,"' he said. "And I'll say: 'It's just a few more hours. You only got a couple more to go. It'll be worth it in the end."'
Here, it's important to notice how there's a huge difference in the way of thinking. This kind of toughness to push through obstacles isn't just important for just the game of football but in all aspects of life.
For months, he could not bear the thought of his son’s death. Suddenly, he was forced to imagine the life his son might have been left to live.
It's ironic that the death of son may have actually been something of a good thing as living with mid-life dementia is really bad. In order to accept the fact that the death of your son is actually something that is better is very difficult to accept.
And that was when Len Boogaard’s own mind went numb.
C.T.E. really is one of the biggest problems that has to do with a lot of contact sports. Boogaard's constant fighting really screwed up his brain which shows how serious C.T.E. is. Mid-life dementia is something that isn't common.
More than 20 dead former N.F.L. players and many boxers have had C.T.E. diagnosed.
Here, I noticed how they specifically mention NFL and boxer players. In the NFL and boxers have a lot of hitting, much more than in the NHL which shows how fighting can really lead to C.T.E.
Fighting was not just necessary, they believed, but also part of hockey’s allure.
Here, I find it interesting that in hockey they consider fighting as something of an extra. It's interesting because in Hockey, they really put an emphasis on fighting because it's the culture, but they still say that it's not necessary.
In football, as in most sports, such conduct would end in ejections, fines and suspensions.
Here, I noticed how the author made a direct comparison from football to hockey. It's interesting how football is shown as a much more safe sport here as many have been saying that they should ban football because of how unsafe it is. So it's also ironic that football is shown as a much safer sport in this scenario.
Seven seconds after their gloves dropped, the damage was done.
This really shows how much power Boogaard wielded when he fought during his hockey games. It really shows how when Boogaard began fighting, it was really something his opponent should fear.
Boogaard rarely complained about the toll
Here, it directly contradicts what I just stated. If the toll didn't phase Boogaard then what did? What could've caused Boogaard, a very famous hockey player with a huge base of fans, to turn to drugs.
On May 13, his brothers found him dead of an accidental overdose in his Minneapolis apartment. Boogaard was 28.
Here, I really being to think what caused him to die at such an early age. It stated throughout the past of the article that Boogaard was under a lot of stress, probably because of the toll of fighting was putting on his body. Maybe the stress caused him to turn to drugs.
He was 16.
I think at this point, the entire attitude of the article takes a huge turn as it goes from an exciting event in history to something many people would question the morality of. It's interesting how 3 words can change the article so much.
He felt a tug on the back of his jersey. It was time.
Because of the inherent association between hockey and fighting, it really helped Boogaard rise as a star of hockey, not because of his hockey skills but because of how well he fought. This kind of fame has to be questioned, however, because it had nothing to do with the sport of hockey at all.
Opportunity and obligation had collided, the way they can in hockey.
Here, I noticed how when Boogaard was on the ice that he "must" fight. This directly relates to that showing how it was an obligation to fight someone. This really shows how when he says opportunity and obligation collide in hockey makes more sense.
They found Johnston again three weeks into the digging.Heffernan was there, and he helped carry his teammate out.
This phrase really intrigued me. By using the word "digging" it really adds to how Johnston really was a saving grace for the team. This really does show how it can be difficult to bounce back from a terrible event, but, even it takes a long time, it's still possible. To be able to come back from a terrible event really does show how this trait applies to both football and firemen.
Most of the guys on the team have a nasty case of the WTC cough,which is what you get from digging week after week, up to 18hours a day, and inhaling dust, smoke, glass particles, asbestosand, indeed, microscopic remains of their fallen comrades. Butthe guys are playing. "Damn right," says fullback Tom Narducci."It's tradition."
The idea of tradition plays a major role, in my opinion, of their motivation to push through the obstacles. These people need to continue the tradition and even with all of this problems that happened when they inhaled all of those terrible things, they pushed forward to continue the tradition that was so important to them.
. The New York City Fire Departmentfootball team starts its National Public Safety League seasonnext week missing seven starters, 12 alums and two coaches. Butthe firemen are playing. Hell, yes, they're playing.
When looking at this phrase after reading the passage allows me to see exactly what he means by saying "Hell yes, they're playing." The importance of being able to bounce back from losing it all is important in any aspect of your life and that trait was heavily tested after 9/11 in New York.
How do you replace tight end Keith Glascoe
When looking at replacing people it can seem very difficult, especially when growing and marinating together. I feel the same way when looking at our tennis team next year. We lose many people that made our team our team, but it is an important trait to become just emotionally attached to the point where you create a bond, but are able to move on.
You cry together at enoughfunerals, you figure you can bleed together on a football field,too. One thing about firemen, they don't let each other fightbattles alone.
This portion makes it more than clear about how this sport has turned into more of an emotional connection between all the players. The comparison made with football and firemen is really interesting as when fighting battles, for fun or for work, it is important to do it as a team and group. Just like how people grieve together, they should be able to work together to get things done.