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Allen Iverson: Not in Memoriam, but in Defense
This article talks about the perception and conduct of former NBA player Allen Iverson. The author provides a variety of references and examples for how Allen was a great player, especially considering the shortcomings of his team, but it also goes into detail how he was a confrontational and intimidating player for fans to rally behind. It is up to the reader to decide if they hold Iverson in reverence or contempt.
Unknown Binding
First published April 16, 2012
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About the author
Oliver Lee Bateman
3 books8 followersOliver Bateman is a journalist and historian who lives in Pittsburgh. His writing has appeared in VICE, The New Republic, Vox, The Paris Review, Hazlitt, The Atlantic, Matter, and Pacific Standard.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 24, 2020
Hey, I wrote it--how bad can it be?
December 1, 2013
Link to the article: http://goodmenproject.com/sports-2/al...
Reading Like a Writer Review:
When I was in elementary and middle school my favorite sport to play was basketball. I have not kept up with it since, so it is strange to see the players I grew up with begin to retire or fade away. I always remembered Allen Iverson because he was one of the smallest players in the NBA, but he was one of the greatest scorers and players at his position of point guard. I chose to use this sports article because I do not follow any athletics currently and wanted to get out of my comfort zone of fiction and comic books.
The author does an excellent job of using voice and structure. It can be hard to understand all of the sports-related jargon or references to past events, but he includes hyperlinks that go in more detail or show videos to make the history behind Iverson more clear. With his voice he is able to stay unbiased by maintaining a balance of highlighting Iverson's Hall of Fame caliber career, but also showing his issues off the court.
I think the author also has excellent use of craft to characterize Iverson. The writer goes into detail about Iverson's past for us to better understand the player's point of view. I did not know that Iverson came from an inner-city environment, and I did not know that he almost faced 15 years of imprisonment for a fight at a bowling alley in his high school years. The fact that Iverson was pardoned by a governor in order to play at Georgetown speaks of the hopes people had for Iverson. He also explains Iverson's habit of bad attitude and ball-hogging by showing that his teammates were under-performing and that the team spent so much money on Iverson they could not afford other talent.
If the author struggled with any elements in his writing, I would say that he could use better diction. For example, I should not have to look up what words like "efface" or "truculent" mean when a simpler word could get a clearer idea across. As well, if I am already unaware of the current state of basketball, it does not help to compare his performance to other teams' players or squads.
I think if this article was censored a bit for language, it could be an excellent mentor text for students who are interested in becoming professional athletes. It could be interesting for students to read about the perils of fame and wealth, such as Iverson blowing $154 million on material things, or his rage-filled interviews. If anything, I think this article could have benefited by being biased and criticizing Iverson for his unethitcal and "thug-like" behavior. This way students could see that fans will value you more if you are respectful and hard working. However, I did enjoy the end of the article because Bateman makes the ending point that despite his conduct, statistics alone prove that Iverson was one of the best players to play in the NBA.
Reading Like a Writer Review:
When I was in elementary and middle school my favorite sport to play was basketball. I have not kept up with it since, so it is strange to see the players I grew up with begin to retire or fade away. I always remembered Allen Iverson because he was one of the smallest players in the NBA, but he was one of the greatest scorers and players at his position of point guard. I chose to use this sports article because I do not follow any athletics currently and wanted to get out of my comfort zone of fiction and comic books.
The author does an excellent job of using voice and structure. It can be hard to understand all of the sports-related jargon or references to past events, but he includes hyperlinks that go in more detail or show videos to make the history behind Iverson more clear. With his voice he is able to stay unbiased by maintaining a balance of highlighting Iverson's Hall of Fame caliber career, but also showing his issues off the court.
I think the author also has excellent use of craft to characterize Iverson. The writer goes into detail about Iverson's past for us to better understand the player's point of view. I did not know that Iverson came from an inner-city environment, and I did not know that he almost faced 15 years of imprisonment for a fight at a bowling alley in his high school years. The fact that Iverson was pardoned by a governor in order to play at Georgetown speaks of the hopes people had for Iverson. He also explains Iverson's habit of bad attitude and ball-hogging by showing that his teammates were under-performing and that the team spent so much money on Iverson they could not afford other talent.
If the author struggled with any elements in his writing, I would say that he could use better diction. For example, I should not have to look up what words like "efface" or "truculent" mean when a simpler word could get a clearer idea across. As well, if I am already unaware of the current state of basketball, it does not help to compare his performance to other teams' players or squads.
I think if this article was censored a bit for language, it could be an excellent mentor text for students who are interested in becoming professional athletes. It could be interesting for students to read about the perils of fame and wealth, such as Iverson blowing $154 million on material things, or his rage-filled interviews. If anything, I think this article could have benefited by being biased and criticizing Iverson for his unethitcal and "thug-like" behavior. This way students could see that fans will value you more if you are respectful and hard working. However, I did enjoy the end of the article because Bateman makes the ending point that despite his conduct, statistics alone prove that Iverson was one of the best players to play in the NBA.
January 17, 2014
I was in middle school during Allen Iverson's heyday. Even though I could never relate to his "thug" persona (I am a suburban white kid through and through), I saw in Iverson an average-sized player who was dominating in a league full of giants and I was inspired. The Sixers became my favorite team--as an elementary schooler, I preferred Jordan's Bulls and Malone and Stockton's Jazz--and living in central Pennsylvania allowed me to watch almost every game on TV.
I never cared about Iverson's off-court antics. I was a kid in search of fantasy. If Iverson could succeed in the NBA, maybe you didn't have to be some Frankenstein to do it. Even then, I recognized that Iverson's ridiculing by the media was indicative more of the pettiness and prejudice of the media itself than anything to do strictly with himself.
I never cared about Iverson's off-court antics. I was a kid in search of fantasy. If Iverson could succeed in the NBA, maybe you didn't have to be some Frankenstein to do it. Even then, I recognized that Iverson's ridiculing by the media was indicative more of the pettiness and prejudice of the media itself than anything to do strictly with himself.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews