When people think about discrimination, they usually associate it with prejudice and connect it with race and gender. But discrimination can take another form. For example, a person can gain an unfair advantage at a job interview by being attractive or by being able to talk about something that has nothing to do with the job, like sports. The people who do not get the job would claim they were discriminated against, and to some extent they would be right. As an athlete, I’ve experienced both types of discrimination. I learned that whether it helps or hurts you, discrimination is wrong.
At my high school, baseball was everything. Everyone would go to the games to cheer the team on. Before I entered the school, the varsity coach even visited my home and told my parents how well I was going to do. However, I wasn’t prepared for the treatment that I received through high school. Most of my teachers talked to me as if I were their friend, not their student. My peer counseling teacher would keep my after class to talk about the games; he would even give me a pass if I were late for my next class. My science teacher was the assistant coach, and tests were conveniently scheduled around game days.
Many of the baseball players, took advantage of the teachers who gave them the extra hand because they were athletes. But in spite of all these favorable advantages, I continued to work hard. Any studying I couldn’t do during the week, I would complete on the weekends. This way, I knew I wasn’t dependent on all the special treatment I was receiving. After four years, it was time for college. Of course I continued with baseball, and signed with South Florida Community College. Unlike high school, college isn’t centered around sports.
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When I first enrolled here at the University of Memphis in the fall of 1998, I never thought I would ever be in the position to graduate. Finishing college was a huge goal growing up but it was also my biggest fear. But after three and a half years of dedication I plan to get my degree in the fall of 2002. Getting this far in college was not easy, it took encouragement from family, dedication, and ...
When I met with my new coach before school started, he told me that although I was here on a baseball scholarship, that academics were just as important. He made it clear that if we didn’t make the grades, we weren’t playing ball. Unlike the teachers at my old school, these teachers did not give any special treatment to the athletes. I couldn’t help but think of the other players from high school who depended on that extra attention, and how they were doing now in college without it. Far from discouraging me, the treatment from my college professors motivates me, and I’ve decided to work harder in order to keep up with my work. In conclusion, I’ve learned that you should be fair and consistent in the way you treat people, because while special treatment might help someone now, it could also hurt them later. These experiences have also shown me that discrimination in all forms is wrong.
