Robert Mercado
Instructor King
ENC 1101
03/29/2015

The Greats
We live in a world actually a country consumed and entertained with technology whether it’s TV, video games, or cell phones; we are consumed. Does that mean that we should forget our heritage of entertainment? I think not America’s pastime used to be baseball, sports, athletics, which meant amazing athletes and even better Olympians. In a country where you make your own future every little boys dream used be to become a star athlete. In this essay I will compare two star athletes that changed sports as we knew it and help shape sports today, Some of the original entertainers Jackie Robinson and the well-known Michael Jordan.
While both greats both Jordan and Robinson are starkly different. Robinson was the first he was the first colored man in baseball. Huge milestone in sports this required above all patience. Courage and perseverance. Robinson is a great not for his skill and performance. Though an excellent player Robinson will never be remembered for his skill. He is a great, he is remembered because of his character. He is a man of courage, Robinson had to deal with the eyes of the world watching his every move waiting for him a single lapse in character. He is a man of perseverance, he was challenging the normal, and in order to make it to the majors he had to deal withal the whites of the world belittling him pushing him time and time to his edge trying to make him fail. They needed him to fail just once either physically or emotionally so that they could argue his entry into the majors.

Michael was a great, he was a great with an entirely different character. Michael had what I like to call an overcomer attitude. Extremely goal and challenge driven hardly a thing could get in the way of his success. With a one hundred and three fever and extreme flu symptoms Jordan, plays 23 of 24 minutes in the first half and 21 of 24 minutes in the second before he doubles over, collapsing from emotion and exhaustion in a critical games in the NBA finals. Actually June 11, 1997 was the date for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz, which featured Michael Jordan putting up an epic 38-point performance while suffering what was reportedly "flu-like symptoms." He was seen struggling during breaks in the game and leaned heavily on teammate Scottie Pippen late in the contest. He is a conqueror who wouldn’t let anything I get in his way.
Skill wise they were both amazing players and have both the awards and accomplishments to prove it. Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP Awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Among his numerous accomplishments, Jordan holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average 30.12 points per game and highest career playoff scoring average 33.45 points per game. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team.
Jacki Robinson accomplishments are first and foremost he broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947 by becoming the first African-American player. Jackie Robinson was Named National League Rookie of the Year in 1947, Led the National League in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949, Led second basemen in double plays 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952, Selected as the National League MVP in 1949, Jackie won the 1949 batting title with a .342, was on the National League All-Star Team, 1949-1954. He had a career batting