- A moment that stood out to me was the “foot foul” call. The call made by the umpire was terrible. Throughout every sport, it’s terrible when officials get calls wrong especially when they want to just single out a player. Everyone watching the game even disagreed with the call. It states in the excerpt, “No foot fault, you definitely do not see a foot fault there,” says McEnroe. “That’s over officiating for certain,” says another commentator. Even the ESPN tennis commentator, who seems predictable in her readiness to find fault with the Williams sisters, says, “Her foot fault call was way off.” Yes, and even if there had been a foot fault, despite the rule, they are rarely ever called at critical moments in a Grand Slam match because “You don’t make a call,” tennis official Carol Cox says, “that can decide a match unless it’s flagrant.” It’s really sad to see that even the commentators who mostly bash Serena side with her on this.
- Rankine utilizes pathos in her excerpt. Rankine uses the emotions felt and seen by Serena to show the reader how wrong what is happening is and how unjust it is. For example, the way Rankine shows the raw emotion by Serena as she hits what she thinks to be the winner on the anniversary of 9/11 but then has it all stripped away by a dumb call. The excerpt reads, “Serena’s reply is to ask the umpire if she is trying to screw her again. She remembers the umpire doing this to her before. As a viewer, you too, along with John McEnroe, begin to wonder if this is the same umpire from 2004 or 2009. It isn’t—in 2004 it was Mariana Alves and in 2009 it was Sharon Wright; however, the use of the word “again” by Serena returns her viewers to other times calling her body out.” Thi shows how fed up Serena is and how this emotional moment was taken away from her once again by the umpire.
- The moment that I communicated effectively and persuasively without using words happened during a playoff game in a basketball tournament in jersey. To start the game my team was struggling and so was I we were shooting really poorly. We played well enough to keep the deficit going into the second half a mere 15 points. As the half ended kids on the other team started mimicking us as we walked back to our benches talking trash. This lit a fire under me. I didn’t say a word to anyone but to my teammates in the huddle, “Get me the ball”. As the buzzer sounds to begin the 3rd quarter the kid guarding me would not stop talking saying stuff like “you scared, what you gonna do bum”. That possession I get the ball at the top of the key drop my shoulder and drive to the basket hitting him square in the chest dropping him to the floor, drawing the foul, and making the layup. I stare at him while he’s on the ground give him and give him a wink as I headed to the free-throw line. Another moment in the game I got the ball and hit a catch and shoot three in his face to tie the game as I ran back down the court I just held my finger to my lips telling him to shush. I proceeded to drop 25 points on his head leading my team to the win by 5.
2 thoughts on “James Koloniaris Week 6 Reading Responses”
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I can relate with your competitive mindset in basketball as losing can be a good source of motivation.
This is a brutal, intense moment of silent communication, James; very powerful description. Sometimes the only response to being dominated and undermined is to turn your opponents’ energy right back on them!