After+a+Tour+in+the+NBA,+a+Life+of+Duty+Over+There...

 **After a Tour in the N.B.A., a Life of Duty Over There** BY CORY GOULET

 In the New York Times today, I found an article about an NBA player by the name of Tim James who recently enlisted in the army. He played three

years in the NBA and played overseas for Israel, Japan, and Turkey. He has a son, Tim Jr. and left him to go overseas, not for basketball this time, but to

fight for the United States. Karen Crouse, the author of this article, really did her part in getting the main points across as she also gained readers’

respect for Mr. Tim James. Looking at the five critical questions of media literacy, I was able to understand not just the message of the

article, but how the author, Karen Crouse, got her point across. How did this article attract my attention?

Crouse created a very catchy title, for me at least. I love sports, and I haven’t heard of anyone who is good

enough for the National Basketball Association and then decides to enlist in their country’s army. I think that

James is someone that our society looks up to, not only for his athletic ability, but his courage and thoughts

towards the United States of America. Crouse also grabbed my attention with her information about James’

life and early life. When James was a child, he grew up in a rough neighborhood and told Crouse that when he

was “Growing up, [he] always had a basketball in [his] hands instead of a weapon.” By learning about

James’ childhood, I wanted to keep reading because I really wanted to understand why after

playing in the NBA he wanted to put his life on the line for our country.

Another question brought to my attention is if I am the only one reading this article wondering

why Tim James enlisted in the army. Crouse claims that it was because “The opportunities James

received filled him with gratitude and infused him with a desire to give back.” I admire James for

his courage to do something like he has. Other persons reading this article may have no question

to why James joined the army. They may not be fans of sports, and may think that he is just

another young soldier ready to fight for our country.

After reading this article I was moved. Crouse did a great job laying down facts from James’ life, making this story very real. How she brought in his

family and son to explain the troubles of going to war really moved me and allowed me to realize

how special Tim James is. His past job was to play basketball, his favorite thing to do, and after his career

was slowly declining, he thought that enlisting was the best thing to do. He felt helpless and overwhelmed

because he had it all, and he needed to give back, and to do this, he chose to fight for our country. This

article was written to inform all of us sitting at home reading, that some past NBA star named Tim James the New York Knicks ** is over in Iraq fighting for our country, throwing almost everything away just because he was thankful for what he had already gotten in his past. This
 * Tim James shooting a free throw when he was on

shows us all how greedy we may act sometimes, it reminds us who we are, and what kind of people make up this country.

CROUSE, K. (n.d.). After Tour in N.B.A., Tim James Starts Second Career in the Army - NYTimes.com. Retrieved September 16, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/sports/basketball/16james.html?ref=sports