unit5athletes新編大學(xué)英語第二版第四冊課文翻譯

Unit5AthletesAthletesShouldBeRoleModelsloveCharlesBarkleylikeabrother,andexceptforthetimeswhenwe'rehangingandpushingeachotherundertheboardsingamesbetweenmyteam,theUtahJazz,andhis,thePhoenixSuns,we'regreatfriends.Wedon'tnecessarilylikethesamethings:Charleslovesgolfsomuchhewouldplayathalftimeifhecould,butIthinkagolfcourseisawasteofgoodpasture-land.Oneofthereasonswegetalongsowell,though,isthatwebothsaywhat'sonourmindswithoutworryingaboutwhatotherpeoplearegoingtothink—whichmeanswedisagreefromtimetotime.Here'sanexampleofwhatImean:IdisagreewithwhatCharlessaysinhisNikecommercial,theoneinwhichheinsists,"Iamnotarolemodel."Charles,youcandenybeingarolemodelallyouwant,butIdon'tthinkit'syourdecisiontomake.Wedon'tchoosetoberolemodels,wearechosen.Ouronlychoiceiswhethertobeagoodrolemodelorabadone.Idon'tthinkwecanacceptallthegloryandthemoneythatcomeswithbeingafamousathleteandnotaccepttheresponsibilityofbeingarolemodel,ofknowingthatkidsandevensomeadultsarewatchingusandlookingforustosetanexample.Imean,whydowegetendorsementsinthefirstplace?Becausetherearepeoplewhowillfollowourleadandbuyacertainsneakerorcerealbecauseweuseit.Ilovebeingarolemodel,andItrytobeapositiveone.Thatdoesn'tmeanIalwayssucceed.I'mnosaint.Imakemistakes,andsometimesIdochildishthings.AndIdon'talwayswakeupinagreat,role-modelmood.TherearedayswhenIdon'twanttoposeforapicturewitheveryfanIruninto,whenIdon'tfeellikepickingupbabiesandgivingthemhugsandkisses(nomatterhowcutetheyare),thosearethedaysIjusttrytoavoidthepublic.Butyoudon'thavetobeperfecttobeagoodrolemodelandpeopleshouldn'texpectperfection.IfIweredecidingwhetherabasketballplayerwasapositiverolemodel,Iwouldwanttoknow:Doesheinfluencepeople'slivesinapositivewayawayfromthecourt?Howmuchhashegivenofhimself,intimeorinmoney,tohelppeoplewholookuptohim?Doeshedisplaythevalues—likehonestyanddetermination—thatarepartofbeingagoodperson?Iwouldn'taskwhetherheliveshislifeexactlythewayIwouldliveitorwhetherhehandleseverysituationjustthewayIwouldhandleit.IdoagreewithCharlesononethinghesaysinhiscommercial:"JustbecauseIcandunkabasketballdoesn'tmeanIshouldraiseyourkids."Butsometimesparentsneedalittleassistance.Therearetimeswhenithelpsforamotherandfathertobeabletosaytotheirkids,"DoyouthinkKarlMaloneorScottiePippenorCharlesBarkleyorDavidRobinsonwoulddothat?"Tome,ifsomeoneusesmynameinthatway,it'sanhonor.Sure,parentsshouldberolemodelstotheirchildren.Butlet'sfaceit,kidshavelotsofotherrolemodels—teachers,moviestars,athletes,evenotherkids.Asathletes,wecan'ttaketheplaceofparents,butwecanhelpreinforcewhattheytrytoteachtheirkids.Parentsjusthavetomakesuretheydon'ttakeittoofar.Sometimestheyputusonapedestalthatfeelsmorelikeatightrope—sonarrowthatwe'reboundtofalloffeventually.ThisisnotsomethingI'mespeciallyproudof,butI'vehadparentsinUtahsaythingstomelike,"Youknow,Karl,inourfamilyweworshipthegroundyouwalkon.InourhouseyourpictureisrightupthereonthewallbesideJesusChrist."Now,that'sgoingtoofar.Isitanywondersomeathletesdon'twanttoberolemodels?Whowantstobehelduptothatkindofimpossiblyhighstandard?Imaginesomeoneputtingalifesizedpictureofyouonawallandsayingthingstoyourpicturebeforetheygotobed.That'sscary.Constantlybeingwatchedbythepubliccanbehardtotolerateattimes.IamsorrythatMichaelJordanhadtodealwiththenegativepublicityhereceivedaboutgambling.Idon'tthinkmostpeoplecanimaginewhatit'sliketobewatchedthatcloselyeveryminuteofeveryday.Iwastoldoncethatitwouldn'tbethatbadformebecausenoonewouldknowmeoutsideofUtah,butthat'snottrue.EversinceIplayedontheDreamTeamintheOlympics,Ican'tgoanywherewithoutbeingthecenterofattention,andthat'sveryconfiningattimes.Forinstance,therehavebeenoccasionswhenI'vefeltlikebuyingabigHarley-Davidsonmotorcycleandridingitdownthestreet.First,theJazzwouldhaveafitandsayit'stoodangerous.Second,everyonewouldbewatchingtoseeifIworeahelmet,ifIwasobeyingthespeedlimit,ifIwastakingturnssafely—younameit.ThefirsttimeIdidn'tmeasureuptoexpectations,Iwouldhear,"Whatkindofexampleisthattosetforotherpeoplewhoridemotorcycles?"Butthegoodthingsaboutbeingarolemodeloutweighthebad.It'sagreatfeelingtothinkyou'reasmallpartofthereasonthatakiddecidedtogiveschoolanothertryinsteadofdroppingoutorthatakidhadthestrengthtowalkawaywhensomeoneofferedhimdrugs.ButonethingIwouldencourageparentstodoistoremindtheirkidsthatnomatterwhichathletestheylookupto,therearenoperfecthumanbeings.Thatwaysifthekid'sheroesshouldmakemistakes,itwon'tseemliketheendoftheworldtothem.Iwouldnevercriticizesomeoneforsayingwhathethinks.IfCharlesdoesn'tconsiderhimselfarolemodel,that'scertainlyhisright.ButIthinkheisarolemodel—andagoodone,too.AndifhegetsthatNBAchampionshipring,Imightjustmakehimmyrolemodel.運動員該成為榜樣嗎？1.我喜歡查爾斯?巴克利，就像他是我的親兄弟一樣，而且除了比賽中在籃板下彼此沖撞的時候（我在猶他爵士隊；他在菲尼克斯太陽隊），我們是很好的朋友。我們的愛好不一定完全相同：查爾斯酷愛高爾夫球，要是可能的話他中場休息時都會打，我卻認為把優(yōu)良的牧地造成高爾夫球場是浪費。而我們能很好相處的一個原因是，我倆都心里想什么就說什么，不管別人會怎么想——這也意味著我們時常會意見不一致。有一個例子能說明我的意思：我不同意查爾斯在他做的耐克廣告中說的話。在那則廣告里，他強調(diào)說：“我不是一個行為榜樣?！辈闋査梗阃耆梢苑裾J自己是行為榜樣，但是我認為這不是自己可以決定的。我們沒想要做行為榜樣，而是大家要我們做。我們唯一能選擇的是做一個好榜樣還是做一個壞榜樣。我認為成了著名運動員后，我們不能只接受隨之而來的榮譽和金錢，卻拒絕承擔作為榜樣的責任，或者沒有意識到孩子們、甚至一些成年人正關(guān)注著我們，期望我們樹立起一個榜樣。我的意思是，首先為什么我們能有機會做廣告呢？因為有人會以我們?yōu)榘駱?，他們買某種運動鞋或某種麥片，（僅僅）因為我們在用這些東西。我喜歡成為榜樣，并努力去做個好榜樣。但這并不是說我總是做得很好。我決非圣賢，我會犯錯誤，而且有時還會做一些非常幼稚的事情。我并非每天早上醒來都具備了做榜樣的好心情。有些日子，我并不想同遇見的每個球迷都擺姿勢合影，不想抱起嬰兒擁抱、親吻（無論他們有多可愛）。處在這種時候，我就盡量避開公眾。但做個好榜樣并不需要十全十美，而且人們也不應(yīng)該期盼完美。如果由我來判定一個籃球運動員是否是個好榜樣，我想知道的是：他在球場之外，是否給人們的生活帶來了積極的影響？他自己付出了多少時間或金錢去幫助那些敬仰他的人？他顯示出一個優(yōu)秀者應(yīng)具有的諸如誠實、毅力這些品格嗎？但我不會問他是否以我的那種方式生活，或者是否以我處理事情的方式來應(yīng)付每一個局面。查爾斯在他的廣告中所說的有一點我贊成，那就是“我能扣籃并不意味著我應(yīng)該養(yǎng)育你們的孩子?！钡牵袝r家長們也需要一點幫助。如果父母能對孩子說：“你想想卡爾?馬龍、斯科蒂?皮蓬、查爾斯?巴克利或大衛(wèi)?羅賓遜會那樣做嗎？”有時候，這是很管用的。如果有人這樣提到我的名字，對我來說是一種榮譽。當然，父母應(yīng)該成為自己孩子的行為榜樣。然而實際情況是孩子們有許多其他的行為榜樣——老師、電影明星、運動員、甚至其他孩子。作為運動員，我們不能取代父母，但是我們能協(xié)助他們?nèi)ゼ訌姾挽柟趟麄兣探o孩子的那些思想。父母們一定不能做得太過火。他們有時把我們奉若神明，使我們感到是在走鋼索——在這么細的鋼索上我們最終必定會摔下來。這不是一件讓我感到特別自豪的事：在猶他州曾經(jīng)有孩子家長對我說過這樣的話：“你要知道，卡爾，我們?nèi)叶紝δ愠绨莸梦弩w投地，在我們家里，我們把你的照片和基督畫像一起并排掛在墻上?！边@就太過分了。難怪有些運動員不愿做行為榜樣。誰會愿意被拔得那樣高呢，那是能達到的標準嗎？設(shè)想一下，有人把你真人大小的照片掛在墻上，而且每晚睡覺前都要對著你的照片傾訴一番，這是很可怕的。時刻處在公眾的注視之下有時令人難以忍受。我十分同情邁克爾?喬丹，他不得不對付有關(guān)他賭博的負面報道。我想大多數(shù)人都無法想象，分分秒秒、日復(fù)一日都被如此密切地注視著是什么滋味。曾經(jīng)有人對我說，我個人的情況還不至于那么糟，因為出了猶他州就沒人認識我了。但事實并非如此。自從我作為夢之隊的一員參加了奧運會的比賽后，我無論到哪里都會成為人們注意的中心。這有時使人受到很大的限制。例如，我有好幾次想買一輛哈利-戴維森牌的大摩托車，騎著它逛逛街。首先爵士隊會大發(fā)雷霆，說這太危險。其次，每個人都會盯著我，看我是否戴了頭盔，是否按照限定的速度行駛，是否安全轉(zhuǎn)彎，不一而足。一旦我沒有達到他們的期望，就會有人說：“這給其他騎摩托車的人樹立了個什么榜樣??？”但是，做一個行為榜樣的好處要多于壞處。想到某個孩子決定在學(xué)業(yè)上再做一番嘗試而不是輟學(xué)，或者碰到有人向他兜售毒品時，能從毒販子身邊走開，而這其中也有你的一小部分功勞時，那種感覺好極了。但是我要鼓勵父母們?nèi)プ鲆患?，那就是提醒他們的孩子無論他們敬仰哪位運動員，十全十美的人是沒有的。這樣一來，如果孩子們心目中的英雄犯了錯誤，他們就不會覺得世界末日到了。我決不會因為某個人說了心里話而批評他。如果查爾斯認為他自己不是個行為榜樣，這是他的權(quán)利。但我認為他是一個行為榜樣，而且是一個好榜樣。如果他能戴上NBA的冠軍戒指，我也許會把他當作我自己的行為榜樣。AthletesShouldNotBeRoleModelsThesedaystherearesomanystoriesaboutthecriminalactivitiesofathletesthatsportspagesarebeginningtolooklikepolicereports.What'sgoingon?Americansportsfansaskovertheirmorningtoastandcoffee,What'shappeningtoourheroes?It'snotdifficulttounderstandourdesireforathletestobeheroes.Onthesurface,atleast,athletesdisplayavitalandindomitablespirit;theyaregloriouslyaliveinsidetheirbodies.Andsportsdoallowustowitnessactsthatcanlegitimatelybedescribedascourageous,thrilling,beautiful,evennoble.Inanincreasinglycomplicatedanddisorderlyworld,sportsarestillanarenainwhichwecanregularlywitnessacertainkindofgreatness.Yetthere'ssomethingofaparadoxhere,fortheveryqualitiesasocietytendstoseekinitsheroes—selflessness,socialconsciousness,andthelike—arepreciselytheoppositeofthoseneededtotransformatalentedbutotherwiseunremarkableneighborhoodkidintoaMichaelJordan.Tobecomeastarathlete,youhavetohaveanextremelycompetitiveoutlookandyouhavetobetotallyfocusedonthedevelopmentofyourownphysicalskills.Thesequalitiesmaywellmakeagreatathlete,buttheydon'tnecessarilymakeagreatperson.Ontopofthis,oursocietyreinforcesthesetraitsbythesystemithascreatedtoproduceathletes—asystemcharacterizedbylimitedresponsibilityandenormousprivilege.Theathletesthemselvessufferthecostsofthissystem.Trainedtomeasurethemselvesperpetuallyagainsttheachievementsofthosearoundthem,manyyoungathletesdevelopasenseofwhatsociologistWalterSchaferhastermed"conditionalself-worth".Theylearnveryquicklythattheywillbeacceptedbytheimportantfiguresintheirlives—parents,coachesandpeersaslongastheyareperceivedas"winners".Unfortunatelytheybecomeconceitedandbehaveasiftheirathleticsuccesswilllastforever.Youngathleteslearnthatsuccess,ratherthanhardandhonestplay,iswhatbringsrewards.Andforthosesuccessfulenoughtorisetothelevelofbig-timecollegesports,the"reward"isoftenanartificiallycontrolledsocialenvironment,onethatshieldsthemfrommanyoftheresponsibilitiesotherstudentsface.Coaches—whoseownjobs,ofcourse,dependonmaintainingwinningprograms—protecttheirathletestoensurethatnothingthreatenstheireligibilitytocompete.Ifanathletegetsintotroublewiththelaw,forinstance,acoachwillverylikelyintervene—hiringanattorney,perhapsevenmanagingtohavethecasequietlydismissed.Insomeschools,athletesdon'tevenchoosetheirownclassesorbuytheirownbooks;theathleticdepartmentdoesallthisforthem.It'snotunheard-oforathleticdepartmentstafftowakeupathletesinthemorningandtotakethemtoclass.Giventhissituation,it'snottoosurprisingthatmanyyoungAmericanathleteslackafullydevelopedunderstandingofrightandwrong.ProfessorSharonStolloftheUniversityofIdahohastestedmorethan10,000studentathletesfromalloverthecountry,rangingfromjuniorhightocollegeage;shereportsthatintheareaofmoralreasoning,athletesinvariablyscorelowerthannon-athletes—andthattheygrowworsethelongertheyparticipateinathletics.Overprotectedbyuniversities,flatteredbylocalcommunities,givenstarstatusbythepublic,rewardedwithsevenoreight-figuresalaries,successfulathletes,inevitablydevelopthefeelingthattheyareprivilegedbeings—asindeedtheyare.Thedangerariseswhentheythinkthatbecausetheyareprivilegedtheycanhaveanythingtheywant.MikeTyson,ofcourse,isthemostobviousexampleofthisphenomenon.Havingbeentaughtasayoungmanthathewasspecia—lhistrainer,CusD'Amato,hadonesetofrulesforTysonandanother,moredemanding,setforallhisotherboxers—andhavinglivedhisentireadultlifesurroundedbyateamofadmiring"slaves",Tysoneventuallycametobelieve,likeamedievalking,thatallhesawrightfullybelongedtohim.Blessedwithmoneyandfameenoughtolastalifetime,hespenthistimeoutsidetheringacquiringanddiscardingtheobjectsofhisdesire:houses,automobiles,jewelry,clothes,andwomen.Asaresultofthepublicitysurroundinghisrapetrial,countlesswomenhaverelatedstoriesofTysonaskingthemforsexualfavorsandthen,uponbeingrefused,sayingwithsurprise,"Don'tyouknowwhoIam?I'mtheheavyweightchampionoftheworld."Needlesstosay,notallathletesareMikeTyson;thereareplentyofathleteswhorecognizethattheyhavebeengrantedsomeextraordinarygiftsinthislifeandwanttogivesomethingbacktothecommunity.Someremarkableindividualswillalwaysriseabovethedeformingathleticsystemwe'vecreated.Afterretiringfromfootball,AlanPageoftheMinnesotaVikingsbecameasuccessfullawyerandestablishedthePageEducationFoundation,whichhelpsminorityanddisadvantagedkidsaroundthecountrypayforcollege.Frustratedbytheold-boynetworkbywhichMinnesotajudgeswerealwaysappointed,PagechallengedthesystemincourtandwaseventuallyelectedjudgeintheSupremeCourt.HethusbecamethefirstblackeverelectedtoastatewideofficeinMinnesota.Thankfully,therewillalwaysbesomelegitimateheroes(or,tousethemorecontemporaryterm,rolemodels)tobefoundamongprofessionalathletes.Still,it'sprobablymisguidedforsocietytolooktoathletesforitsheroes—anymorethanwelookamongtheranksof,say,actorsorlawyersorpipefitters.Thesocialroleplayedbyathletesisindeedimportant(imagineasocietywithoutsports;Iwouldn'twanttoliveinit),butit'sfundamentallydifferentfromthatofheroes.運動員不應(yīng)是行為榜樣1如今有關(guān)運動員犯罪行為的報道如此之多，以至于體育專欄變得像警方報告欄了。這是怎么回事?美國的體育迷們在吃早點喝咖啡時不禁都會問：我們的英雄們怎么了?2我們渴望運動員成為英雄，這不難理解。至少從表面上來看運動員們展現(xiàn)出了朝氣蓬勃、不屈不撓的精神，他們體內(nèi)煥發(fā)著活力。體育運動的確讓我們目睹了真正可以稱之為勇敢、激動人心、優(yōu)美乃至高尚的行為。在一個日益復(fù)雜無序的世界中，體育仍是一個可以讓我們時常目睹某種偉大表現(xiàn)的競技場。3然而這顯然是自相矛盾的。社會想從英雄身上尋求的品質(zhì)，如大公無私、社會意識等等，恰好與運動員所需的品質(zhì)大相徑庭，用這些品質(zhì)是無法把一個有體育天賦而在其他方面表現(xiàn)平平的街坊小孩變成邁克爾?喬丹的。要成為一名體育明星，你必須具備非凡的競爭意識，并全力以赴提高自身的體育技能。這些品質(zhì)很可能會造就一名優(yōu)秀的運動員，但卻未必能塑造一個偉人。此外，我們的社會用它自己創(chuàng)建的培養(yǎng)運動員的制度，進一步助長了這些特征。該制度的特點是：責任有限，待遇豐厚。4運動員自身也為這種制度付出了代價。由于受到的訓(xùn)練是，永遠拿自己與周圍人的成績相比較，許多年輕運動員便產(chǎn)生了一種意識，這種意識被社會學(xué)家沃爾特?謝弗稱之為“有條件的自我價值”。他們很快就明白了，只要自己被看作是“勝者”，便會被父母、教練以及同伴這些自己生活中很重要的人所接受。不幸的是，他們變得很自負，表現(xiàn)得就像他們的運動生涯會永遠輝煌下去。5年輕的運動員們深知，是成功給他們帶來了回報，而不是艱辛和誠實的比賽。對于那些能在最高水平的大學(xué)體育競技中嶄露頭角的運動員來說，“回報”往往是一種人為設(shè)置的社會環(huán)境，這種環(huán)境使他們免于承擔其他學(xué)生要面對的許多責任。教練自身的工作當然取決于如何保住獲勝的項目，他們會保護運動員，確保他們的參賽資格不受到任何威脅。例如，如果某個運動員惹上了官司，教練便很可能會干預(yù)——請一位律師，甚至還會設(shè)法使案件悄悄駁回不予受理。在某些學(xué)校，運動員甚至不用自己選課或買書，體育系替他們包辦了一切。體育系的員工早上叫醒隊員并帶他們?nèi)フn堂，這也并非聞所未聞的事。6鑒于上述情況，許多年輕的美國運動員缺乏成熟的是非觀也就不足為奇了。愛達荷大學(xué)的莎倫?斯托爾教授對全國從初中到大學(xué)的一萬多名學(xué)生運動員進行測試。她報道說在倫理道德方面，運動員們總是比非運動員得分低，而且從事體育運動的時間越長，得分越低。7大學(xué)的過分呵護、當?shù)厣鐓^(qū)的吹捧、公眾給予的明星地位，以及七八位數(shù)字的年薪，這些使得成功的運動員必然形成這樣的感覺：他們是有特權(quán)的人——他們也確實是有特權(quán)的人。當他們因為享有特權(quán)便自認為可以為所欲為時，危險就隨之而至。8邁克■泰森當然是這一現(xiàn)象最明顯的例子。他年輕時就被灌輸他是與眾不同的他的教練員屈斯?達馬托單獨為他制定了一套訓(xùn)練規(guī)則,而為所有其他拳擊手制定了另一套要求更高的規(guī)則——而且他的整個成年時期都生活在一群仰慕他的“奴隸”中。泰森終于漸漸相信，他所見到的一切都理應(yīng)歸其所有，儼然一個中世紀的國王。由于一生可享盡榮華富貴，他將拳擊臺外的時間都用來追逐又拋棄他所要的東西：房子、汽車、珠寶、服飾以及女人。由于強奸案的曝光，無數(shù)的女人講述了當泰森向他們提出性要求而被拒絕時，他竟吃驚地說道：“你們難道不知道我是誰嗎?我是世界重量級拳擊冠軍。”不用說，并不是所有運動員都像邁克?泰森那樣；有許多運動員認識到自己此生被賦予了非凡才能，愿意給社會一些回報。9總有一些杰出的個人會從我們所創(chuàng)建的畸形的體育制度中脫穎而出。明尼蘇達海盜隊的艾倫?佩奇從橄欖球隊退役后，成了一名成功的律師并創(chuàng)立了佩奇教育基金會，資助全國的少數(shù)民族和貧困兒童上大學(xué)。明尼蘇達州的法官原先總是由聯(lián)誼會任命的，由于對這一體制不滿，佩奇在法庭上對此提出了質(zhì)疑，并終于獲選為最高法院的法官。他于是成為第一個當選為明尼蘇達州州級官員的黑人。令人欣慰的是，在職業(yè)運動員的行列里，總能找到一些真正的英雄（或者，用一個更現(xiàn)代的詞：行為榜樣）。10然而，人們期望運動員來充當社會的英雄是一種誤導(dǎo)，也許比我們期待在演員、律師或者管道工等行業(yè)中產(chǎn)生社會英雄更不明智。運動員所起的社會作用的確很重要（設(shè)想一個沒有體育運動的社會，我是不愿意生活在其中的），但他們與英雄所起的作用有本質(zhì)的不同。PlayingtoWinMydaughterisanathlete.Nowadays,thisstatementwon'tstrikemanyparentsasunusual,butitdoesme.Untilherfreshmanyearinhighschool,Annwasnotreallyinterestedinsportsofanykind.Whensheplayed,shedidn'tliketomovearound,oftendroppedtheball,andhadtheannoyinghabitoflaughingonthefieldorthecourt.Indifferencecombinedwithanotherfactorthatwasnotagoodsignforasportscareer.Annwasgrowinguptobebeautiful.Bytheeighthgrade,natureanddentalworkhadproduceda5-foot-8-inch,125-pound,brown-eyedbeautywithawonderfulsmile.Peopletoldher,too.Andasmanyyoungwomenknow,itisconsideredasatisfactoryaccomplishmenttobeprettyandstaypretty.Thenyoucansimplysitstillandenjoytheunconditionalpositivereward.Annlovedtheattentionanddidn'tconsideritinsultingwhenshewasawarded"BestHair,"femalecategory,intheeighth-gradeyearbook.Soitcameasasurprisewhenshebecameanathlete.Thefirstindicationthatathleticindifferencehadendedcamewhenshejoinedthehigh-schoolcross-countryteam.ShesignedupfortheteaminearlySeptemberandcamethirdwithinthreedays.Notonlythat.AfteroneofthoseracesupanddownhillonarainyNovemberafternoon,Anncamehomemuddyandbedraggled.Herhairwaswetandthemascarashehadappliedsocarefullythatmorningranindarkcirclesunderhereyes.Thisisit,Ithought.WaituntilLadyAstorseesherselfinthemirrors.Butthekidwiththebesthairineighth-gradewentontofinisthheseasonandsubsequentlyletterincross-country,soccer,basketball,andfootball."Ilovesports,"shetellsanyonewhowilllisten.SodoI,thoughmymidlifequestforadoctorateleavesmelittletimeforeitherplayingorwatching.Myloveofsportsisboundupwiththegoalsinmylifeandmyhopesformythreedaughters.Ihavebeguntohearthemessageofsports.Itisverydifferentfrommanymessagesthatwomenreceiveaboutliving,andIthinkitisgood.Myhusband,forexample,talkedtoAnndifferentlywhenherealizedthatshewasaseriouscompetitorandnotjustsomeonewhowantedtogetinshapesoshe'dlookgoodinapromdress.Beaggressive,he'dadvise.Gofortheball.Beintense.Beintense.Shecameinforsomeofthemostseverecriticismfromherdadwhen,duringbasketballseason,herintensitydecreased.You'repretendingtoplayhard,hesaid.Youlikeitonthebench?Doyouliketowatchwhileyourteammatesplay?Iwouldthink,howisthiskidreactingtosuchadvice?Foryears,she'dbeentoldathome,atschool,bycountlessadvertisements."Bequiet.Begood.Bestill."TeachershadreportedthatAnnwastootalkative,notobedientenough,toosuperficial.Ihaddressedherupinfrillydressesandtoldhernottogetdirty.Idealsoffemininityinadswerestill,quiet,coolfemaleswhoseemptyexpressionlessfacesmadethemlookelegantandmature.Howcananyadolescentgirlknowwhatshe'supagainst?Haveyoueverreallynoticedintensity?Itisneitherquietnorgood.Andit'sdefinitelynotpretty.Intheend,herintensityrevived.Athalftimes,he'dlookforherfather,andhewouldcomeoutofthebleacherstodiscusstoughdefense,findingtheopenplayer,improvingherjumpshot.I'dwatchthemattheedgeofthecourt,atallmanandatallgirl,talkingabouthowtoplay.Notthatdangersdon'tlurkforthefemalesofhergeneration.Ioccasionallyrunthishorrorshowinmyownmentalmovietheater:AnoverlypolitebuthandsomelawyerlikedroneofayoungmanseesmyAnn.Hmmm,hesaysunconsciouslytohimself,goodgenepool,andwouldn'tshegowellwithmyBMWandthecondo?ThenIseeAnnwithagreatnewhairdokissingthedrone"goodbyehoney"andsettingofftothenearestmalltospendmoneywithherbeautifulfriends.Buttheothernightshecamehomefromsoftballtryoutsat6intheevening.Thedarkcirclesunderhereyeswerefromexhaustion,notmakeup."Itriedtoohardtoday,"shesays."IfeellikeI'mgoingtobesick."Aftershehasrevived,sheexplains.Shewantstoplayaparticularposition.Thereiscompetitionforit."Ican'tletanybodyelsegetmyspot,"shesays."I'vegottoprovethatIcandoit."Later,wefindoutthatshehasnotgottenthemuch-wantedthird-baseposition,butshewillstartwiththevarsityteam.Myhusbandexplainstoherhowcoachesoftenworkandtellshertokeeptrying."Youaredoingfine,"hesays.ShegetsthatI-am-going-to-keep-tryinglookonherface.Ofcourse,Anndoesn'trealizethechangesshehasmade,thepowerofherself-definition."I'manathlete,Ma,"shetellsmewhenIsuggestparticipationintheschoolplayortheyearbook.Butshehasreallycausedustorethinkourviewsofexistence:heryoungestsisterswhoconsidersportsanaturalactivityforfemales,herfatherwhoseadvocacyofwomenhasincreased,andme.BecausewhenIdoubtmyownabilities,Isaytomyself,getintense,Margaret.Doyouliketositonthebench?Andmyintensityrevives.Iamnotsuggestingthatparticipationinsportsistheanswerforallyoungwomen.Itisnoteasy—thelosing,jealousy,rawcompetition,andintensepersonalcriticismofperformance.AndIdon'twishtoimplythatthesportssceneisamoralityplayeither.Girls'sportscanbefunny.Youcan'tforgetthatoutonthatfieldareabunchofpeoplewhoknowthemeaningofthewordcute.Duringonegame,InoticedthatAnnhadablueribbontiedonherponytail,anditdawnedonmethateverygirlontheteamhadanidenticalbow.SomehowIcan'tpicturetheCelticsgatheredinthelockerroomoftheBostonGardenagreeingtowearthesamecolorsweatbands.Whathasstruckme,amazedme,andmademeholdmybreathinwonderandinhopeisboththeidealofsportandtherealityofayounggirlnotafraidtodoherbest.Iwatchedherbringingballupthecourt.Weyellencouragementfromthestands,thoughIknowshedoesn'thearus.Herfaceisredwithexertion,andherbodyisconcentratedinthetask.Shedribbles,drawsthedefensetoher,passes,runs.Ateammatepassestheballbacktoher.They'vebeatentheotherteam'sdefense.Sheheadstowardsthehoop.Herfatherwatchesher;hersisterswatchher;Iwatchher.AndIthink,drive,Ann,drive.為勝利而拼搏l我女兒是一名運動員。如今這話不再使許多父母覺得不同尋常，但對我依然非同一般。安在上高中前對體育并不真正感興趣。打球時，她不喜歡四處跑動，時常失球，還有一個討厭的習(xí)慣，在運動場或球場上會笑個不停。2安對體育不感興趣還