Josh Pesavento

Mr. Newman
English 101: Rhetoric
19 September 2014
Statement of Scope for the Annotated Bibliography
The Super Bowl is one of the most watched television events per year on an annual basis.
It always ends the same way every year; one winner and one loser. The winning team is seen
celebrating on the field decorated with confetti. There is always that one person the camera
catches from the losing team that is sitting on the bench watching the other team celebrate. While
some suggest that sports are merely a game without any meaning in the larger context of winning
and losing, I content that the outcome has a positive or negative effect on the athlete(s). Sports
are a bone-crushing, high injury risk, and huge grossing industry that only a couple hundred
people get the opportunity to play. Sports teams are manifested with doctors to ensure all players
are healthy.
In this essay, I will explore the effects losing has on an individual. Even though sports are
considered a hobby, they actually can perform quite a toll on the brain. Sports are supposed to be
fun, not depressing. Since many kids strive to play professional sports when they are older, the
risks of sports need to be addressed. I will also explore how parents can affect their son/daughter
after a game. Sports psychology awareness is on the rise in the world of sports.
This selected bibliography includes sources that address how to cope with failure, the
mental side of sports, and the idea that losses shouldnt be tallied until the kids are old enough to
handle it. The Cunningham article talked about how to use the taste of defeat as fuel for future
times. In the Fallik and Lubrano, also the Zirin, articles, they emphasized the importance of

mental health in professional sports. The discussion in the Williams and Swidney articles was
that losing is not a big deal at such a young age. Kids should not have to worry about what the
end result of the game was.

Annotated Bibliography
Cunningham, Alyson. Use Failure as an Opportunity to Succeed. Daily Times [Salisbury]
19 Aug. 2014: n. pag. elibrary. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. Alyson discusses how the brain
needs to have failure because it shapes the brain. The taste of defeat makes the brain
strive for success the next time you are out in the same position. This article discusses
how it is not a good to take away defeat in anything.
Fallik, Dawn, and Alfred Lubrano. Mental Health Remains a Stigma for Professional
Sports Teams. Philadelphia Inquirer [Philadelphia] 26 Sept. 2006: n. pag. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. This article discusses how the mental part of sports are
not spoken about enough. It declares that every sports team should have some sort of
psychologist on call that the athlete(s) can go to at anytime. Sports are a very mental
activity, and no one is really talking about it because thats what makes them athletes.
Swidey, Neil. What Happened to Losing?. Boston Globe (Boston, MA). 22 Aug. 2010:
n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Sep. 2014. This article discusses how losing affects
a childs behavior. Even in the simplest of decisions, kids are not happy when they do not
win. The article states that young kids need to cope with losing.
Williams, Mari Jane. Time for Parents to Be Good Sports ; Kids Athletic Events Can Bring
out the Worst in Adults. Orlando Sentinel [Orlando] 21 May 2014, sec. D: 3. elibrary.
Web. 15 Sept. 2014. This article talks about how parents affect their kids after a game.
Mary Jane said that parents should not ask their kid about the game until they believe
their child is mature enough to handle a loss/bad game. She said that we should focus on
the child; not the outcome.
Zirin, Dave. Depression? Just Shake It off. Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles]

21 Sept. 2008, sec. A: 37. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. Dave addresses
the fact that male professional sports athletes are looked down by others for admitting
they have depression. As athletes, they have to deal with the booing of fans, and the
pressure that comes with fans paying to see you perform well. This article discusses how
males need to be more secure with admitting to a problem like depression.