Mr. Moll's P.H.E. page
Inspirational sports stories
The stories of athletes and sports figures whose lives and performances have inspired generations and affected social change.
Key concept: change
Related concepts: culture & perspective
Global context: fairness & development
explorations to develop: power and privilege
S.O.I.
There have been athletes who have affected social and cultural change while challenging our perspective of fairness, and what is right and wrong.
Hi Guys,
Welcome back to school. I hope you had some fun and managed to keep up with your workouts.
Our new unit is all about special athletes who were not only top performers in their sport, but who, through their courage and determination helped bring about important social change.
To get you started I'd like you to watch the first videos in the series.
As you watch, you should keep a pen and paper with you to make notes about the important events and special moments that helped make these stories great.
Write 3 questions about these people and what you would like to learn about them.
It would be great if you could watch them with your Mom or Dad. Discuss what you think, ask questions and try to put yourself in the shoes of these great athletes.
Be prepared to contribute to our next lesson and to participate in our discussion.
Our first story is about the great
Jackie Robinson.
The first African American to play a professional sport in America.
For almost a century in the United States, Baseball was the only game. But African Americans were not permitted to play with white teams. American society was segregated, which means that whites and blacks could not mix. This is a very difficult part of U.S. history to understand, and we'll need talk more about it in class. I have included a short video about those segregated days to give you an idea of the situation that Jackie faced.
When you understand the historical significance of those times, you will gain a new appreciation for the greatness of
Jackie Robinson.
Enjoy...
These are scenes from a great film about
Jackie Robinson.
This scene in particular shows how hatred is passed on from father to son. The moment actually happened. Jackie's first game, and he received the support from a teammate named Pee Wee Reese.
Not all of his teammates supported the idea of integrating baseball.
There were even records made about him
Our next story is about the great
Muhammed Ali.
An American boxer whose career brought him to be the most famous person in the world.
He won Olympic Gold and then the heavyweight championship of the world, but then refused to go into military service to fight in the Viet Nam war. He was sent to prison for his beliefs, and lost his title.
The rest of his story is even more incredible.
As usual, take notes and write questions about what you see in these videos.
Enjoy...
Female athletes have always faced obstacles that have made their success and recognition more difficult than for men. It has been only a relatively short time that female professional sports leagues exist. Opportunities for athletic scholarships to university and coverage of their athletic abilities has always been well behind that of men. Here are a few stories of women that not only have "made it to the top" of their sport, but who have displayed character and grace in doing so.