Essay
English 1100
Compare and Contrast of “African National Identities Can’t be Built on Soccer Fever” and “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye” In Jonathan Zimmerman’s essay “African National Identities Can’t Be Built on Soccer Fever” he describes how soccer brings the people of Africa together. He talks about the unity of Africans and how much soccer is a part of their lives. He also describes the underlying reason of why soccer is so heavily pushed. The perspective in the essay “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye” Tim Bowling discusses his passion for hockey and his hate for the violence. Both show the passion countrymen have for their sports as well as the ugly side of the sport as well. In “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye”, Bowling describes how hockey was one of his loves and how over time that has changed. He describes how there is a good and bad side to hockey. The positives being the skill the players display on the ice and the enthusiasm fans show during the playoffs. The negatives being the violence in the game and the business side of the NHL. He says, “[E]ven if expansion and relentless marketing (just how many jerseys can one team have?) have conspired to water down the talents and glaciate the pace of play" (Bowling, 213). Bowling explains how the sport has become so rough that everything is overlooked and tolerated. He says, “…and in which a star player like Todd Bertuzzi can jump an opponent from behind, breaking his neck and not be universally vilified for his actions, but rather become the particular hero of Vancouver Canucks hockey fans” (Bowling,213). In comparison Zimmerman writes about how popular soccer is among Africans and how everyone ‘speaks football’ (Zimmerman, 345). He also writes about the negativity surrounding the sport. He says that one of the reasons soccer is so strongly pushed is so the government can hide its wrongdoings. He says, “Even worse, some governments use sports to divert attention from their own misdeeds” (Zimmerman, 346).
Compare and Contrast of “African National Identities Can’t be Built on Soccer Fever” and “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye” In Jonathan Zimmerman’s essay “African National Identities Can’t Be Built on Soccer Fever” he describes how soccer brings the people of Africa together. He talks about the unity of Africans and how much soccer is a part of their lives. He also describes the underlying reason of why soccer is so heavily pushed. The perspective in the essay “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye” Tim Bowling discusses his passion for hockey and his hate for the violence. Both show the passion countrymen have for their sports as well as the ugly side of the sport as well. In “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye”, Bowling describes how hockey was one of his loves and how over time that has changed. He describes how there is a good and bad side to hockey. The positives being the skill the players display on the ice and the enthusiasm fans show during the playoffs. The negatives being the violence in the game and the business side of the NHL. He says, “[E]ven if expansion and relentless marketing (just how many jerseys can one team have?) have conspired to water down the talents and glaciate the pace of play" (Bowling, 213). Bowling explains how the sport has become so rough that everything is overlooked and tolerated. He says, “…and in which a star player like Todd Bertuzzi can jump an opponent from behind, breaking his neck and not be universally vilified for his actions, but rather become the particular hero of Vancouver Canucks hockey fans” (Bowling,213). In comparison Zimmerman writes about how popular soccer is among Africans and how everyone ‘speaks football’ (Zimmerman, 345). He also writes about the negativity surrounding the sport. He says that one of the reasons soccer is so strongly pushed is so the government can hide its wrongdoings. He says, “Even worse, some governments use sports to divert attention from their own misdeeds” (Zimmerman, 346).