Requirements:

If you did not complete Essay Topic I. you are required to complete this essay assignment. Both assignments have the same requirements: You will write an essay of 4-6 pages in length, not including end notes or bibliography. Your essay must have a title page including an original title, your name, the course title, and the date on which you turned the paper in. Do not repeat this information on the first or subsequent pages of your essay-that is what a title page is for. Do not use running heads (e.g., do not print your name on any page other than the title page). Staple your paper only-no binders or folders, please. Number each page of your essay other than the title page (e.g., the title page is not part of the page count and the first page of your paper should be "I." You must keep a printed out, hard-copy of your paper in addition to the original paper that you submit. Each essay should be double-spaced, have 1" margins on all sides, and use Times New Roman or similarly scaled 11-point or 12-point font. You should follow MLA, APA, or Chicago citation manual style (see style manuals and/or reference assistance via the Library), and use appropriate endnotes or footnotes with a complete bibliography. Proper citation includes citing any reference other than your own voice, including when you paraphrase or summarize others' ideas, as well as when using direct quotes. Please consult the syllabus for rules regarding late submissions of papers (late papers are generally unacceptable and will be penalized harshly).

Topic:

This paper asks you to explore the tension between "exceptional individualism" and the ideals of community within sporting culture and media, as informed by "raced" identity or the imagined "transcendence" of race.

Select one of the below sports stars. Using pertinent course readings and screenings (see: syllabus and shared Google course media folder) as well as original research (including scholarly literature, popular press coverage, etc.) conduct a close reading and original analysis of this celebrity/athlete to analyze her/his embodiment of "exceptional individualism," "community," "raced" identity and/or the mythology of racial "transcendence."

a. Serena Williams
b. Venus Williams
c. Marion Jones
d. Allen Iverson
e. LeBron James