Eddins 1
Reeves Eddins
Mr. Shelton
English 8, Period 1
February 25, 2013
Bill Bradley: The Humble Hero
John McPhee's A Sense of Where You Are (1965) details the life of basketball legend, Bill Bradley, during his college days at Princeton. Bradley reaches excellence through his hard work and ultimately achieves his major goals. As he graduates from Princeton and leads them to an Ivy League Championship, he makes history by guiding team further in the national tournament than any other Ivy League team in history. Through his experiences, he builds true character and becomes one of the most influential basketball players to ever play the game. Bradley uses his determination and humble nature to excel on the basketball court to motivate his teammates; ultimately, his unselfishness leads him to make good choices and to assist others on and off the court.
His skill as a basketball player stems also from his humble nature.
Bill Bradley for President campaign logo used in v...
Bill Bradley played at Princeton and is also in th...
Bill Bradley playing basketballBradley never loses a sense of appreciation for his talent nor abuses his expertise to showcase himself at the expense of others. His humbleness is shown when he doubts himself and doesn't think highly or boast about his talents: "And the Michigan situation seemed even more important to him because, tending as he sometimes does to question his own worth, he was uncomfortably conscious that a committee had picked him for the Olympic teamâ¦" (83). Additionally, Bradley's humility can be seen in his admiration and awe for other gifted athletes: '"When I watch Robertson, I just stand with my mouth wide open. There are so many things he does that I could never do in a hundred years. I could never feel confident, the way he canâ¦'" (81). Instead of feeling arrogant of his own talents, he looks up to other athletes in awe,