The year before, the team was very successful and it shows that they have experience with overcoming adversity and have found themselves on the path to victory,

After introducing some of the players and the setting, Freedman starts to explain more about the situation and the idea of Ramadan itself. The beginning was more story driven and now it is more information driven.

Freedman uses a lot of specific details to set the scene and introduce the time, place, and main character. The details let the audience be fully immersed into the story they are about to read and it immediately engages them right from the start.

I think the author included this sentence here because he wants to emphasize how American tradition didn't have much of an influence from Muslim people for a long time, and hence traditions developed without considering Muslims as it wasn't much of a concern. Now, with the increasing amount of Muslims immigrating to Detroit, it is interesting how, as it talks about earlier on in the article, Muslim high school foot ball players have combined their fasting for Ramadan with their high school foot ball career which evolves their foot ball experience.

Here, Freedman is utilizing a first hand account from one of the football players from Dearborn High School. It here is being used to compare and contrast between a high school American Muslim football player fasting versus people in third world countries.

I think Freedman utilizes this sentence to really emphasize that although the line between work and play can be often blurred, at the end of the day, there is a fine line that exists that differentiates the two. This usually places one, priority-wise, above the other. In this case, play is referring to Ali playing football for his school team and with his friends. This responsibility is clearly one that Ali views with a lot of pride. In this case, "work" is referring to Ali's personal religious duties to Allah. The balance between the two is where the line between work and play might not be clear; however, when Ali noticed that his football might come in between him and Allah, he knew he had to prioritize.

Throughout the piece, Freedman is constantly juxtaposing cultural elements from American high school and the Middle East. Here, the author is doing so through imagery to describe Ali wearing his football varsity jacket as well as having on him food from his culture. This shows how Ali, growing up Muslim American, has grown up to be a part of both cultures.

Throughout the article, Freedman uses Dearborn High School's football team and their experience playing during Ramadan (thing), to draw attention to the similar dedication that sports and religion takes.

This section is contradicting itself, by stating that the United States and the Islamic are peaceful, even though they have many differences when it comes to how to run a country and also religion. This proves to anyone that even though they have many differences they are still able to act peaceful towards one another.

Even though Ali wanted to go play football, he had to watch out on his health. He had to stay true to Allah and that is what he wanted to do truly.

I think this section is important to the article even though it is written as a postscript. It almost acts as a culmination of the grit that these boys had during their time both fasting and playing football. It also ends the piece on a happy note.

This sentence shows how Arabs really only came here recently and have flourished in American society. I think this is evident in how at Dearborn High School, there is equal representation in activated for Muslim students.

In this paragraph, Freedman is taking average American life and showing us how these Muslim students have adapted to it and made it their own. Freedman also wants to show the reader that despite these kids having different traditions and prayers, they still are like any normal American kid.

The quotes from Cheaib are important because they have a two contrasting ideas. He says fasting is a challenge but it also makes you feel like a warrior.

I like this sentence a lot. Freedman wants to show us Ali's ranking of priorities by placing football and Allah, the two things that probably matter most to him at that moment, in the same sentence

Freedman is building a high stakes situation, the football game, on top of the fact that Ali is fasting. He wants the reader to almost put themselves in the shoes of Ali. He does with imagery and descriptive language of what was happening.

This portion is going more in depth about the transformation of culture and explaining that it wasn't as easy as it sounds. This makes the transformation circumstance more realistic.

The author uses imagery to give a visual picture of the public tolerance discussed in the last paragraph. Here, they are using Dearborn High as an example of how the country is becoming more aware of change. This helps the writing because it's basically evidence supporting their statement.

This shows the mental toughness they had. Although they may not have had a lot of water or food they still were tougher mentally, which helped them as a team.

I can relate to this not because I am fasting but there have been times where I have gone to practice on a relatively empty stomach and its very hard, I can't even imagine doing it everyday for a month.

This really shows to why they are doing this, not only for their religion but they understand the difficulties of the many suffering people in the world.

There are obviously a lot of players who are effected by the fasting, so what does that mean for the rest of the team? Do coaches not play these players because of it? Are the other players mad or frustrated because of it?

This shows the dedication from the coaches to their players and their lives. This answers some of my questions from my annotation above about whether or not the coaches respect the players and their lives. This shows that they are doing what is best for the players no matter what.

While I do see what the author is saying, I can't fully agree with it. Yes, most of America may have "a capacity to absorb difference," but there's always that small percentage of people who are unaccepting, and just plain old mean, to people who are seen as "different."

I like that the author included this quote because it gives insight to the people who might not know much about Islam.

This helps put Ali’s perspective in to view. It helps us understand why they fast and the commitment they have. Even with grueling practices in hot weather they still don’t eat or drink water.

I think that the author included this quote to almost show the audience how the players were able to stay so motivated through such a difficult time. The struggle made them work even harder.

Here the author is showing us what the players had went through together. Even though it was difficult, they always had each other to keep themselves motivated.

This is really admirable. The fact that he stayed true to his beliefs, all while doing something so physically exhausting and demanding, really shows the kind of person Ali is.

The author starts off the article with both imagery and foreshadowing. These are really good techniques to keep the audience on edge, and make them want to continue reading on.

I feel the author use's the connection between being faithful with your religion and being dedicated with your sport because they go hand in hand. You don't want to give up with your religion and be unfaithful, but at the same time you don't want to give up with your sport and become undedicated. I think those two words go hand in hand.

Right from the very beginning I notice the authors vivid use if imagery. I think he might be using imagery to draw out a certain type of emotion from the text.

I can relate to this statement because it gets hard. However, the author portrays the strong bond between the boys by showing how they lift eachother up and motivate eachother that its only a couple more hours left. You need people around you to help you get through it. Throughout this whole thing, the author showcases how they are constantly with good people, coaches, teammates, etc.

It's really nice that he is surrounded by other fellow Muslims, so they all are in it together. I think the author was definitely trying to make it obvious that even though Ali had really strong beliefs, he wasn't fasting and doing things alone. He had many people like him, which always makes it easier.

I really love this because I personally know in this day and age, many people who are religious, drop their beliefs sometimes to do certain things, or go against what they believe shouldn't be done, to please people or have fun or do what they want. However, something as important as winning this game to Ali, doesn't even matter if he is disobeying Allah, and that is so amazing.

I think it's amazing that he would play even during Ramadan. It is so difficult, sometimes, to do the smallest tasks, without getting hungry and/or thirsty. The fact that he is dedicated to his beliefs and his game is really inspiring.

I think that this shows the bond and relationship that they have as a team, that they were able to encourage each other to keep going and keep pushing and not break their fast because as one of the players mentioned earlier he "feels like a warrior" after a long day of fasting and practice, and that energy comes out on the football field as well.

I think that here the author is implying that during this season the players who were fasting sacrificed more than just a meal for energy they sacrificed themselves basically for the sake of their religion and the sake of their team.

Muslim students like Mohammad practice both Islamic traditions and "American" traditions, showing that the two aren't mutually exclusive. Freedman includes details about both traditions to show that they can play American football and stay dedicated to their faith.

The author uses specific word such as "without sustenance" and "resisted the temptation" to show the reader the sacrifices Ali is going through during Ramadan. It puts emphasis on the strength required to go through Ramadan without any food for energy.

Freedman creates a parallel between two different regions with a common word- "middle." Although the culture of the Middle East and Midwestern America are very different, the author uses a common word to show that they are compatible, that the can meet in the "middle".

I think that this statement is important because it highlights the diversity and community at this high school and showing that no one is more important than the other everyone should be treated equally.

This is a very interesting statement. This boy has such strong values that if he won the game but disobeyed his god winning the game wouldn't mean anything to him.I think this is a really cool way to showcase this boys character.

I think that what the author is trying to say here is that even though there have always been tensions between the US and the Middle East the US has still accepted people who have came from the Middle East and have never shut them out completely or shut their beliefs and values out.

This sentence seems almost like comic relief? It kinda seems like it doesn't belong here...

I can't put my finger on what moves the author is using here or what point he is trying to get at, but I think that the author is definitely trying to open up a deeper conversation here with this statement.

I think that here the author includes this quote from Cheaib because it shows his dedication both to the game of football and his dedication to his religion and his fasting, and how both of those work together to give him strength and encourage him throughout the day.

I find it interesting how the author refers to playing football and fasting as the "twin rituals," I'm not exactly sure what he means by this, but I have a feeling that the author is attempting to get at something deeper than just what's being said.

I think that this shows contradicting views, but within Ali himself because he wanted to play his best and win the football game, but we also see that religion is a very important factor in his life as well.

I think that here the author is trying to bring emotion and possibly a sense of sympathy into the argument so the reader sympathizes with him and the actions he chooses after that.

The article concludes with showing the winning score for the Dearborn team and mentions that they won because they were stronger mentally by sticking to Ramadan.

Early on in this story the author is using imagery to create a really clear visual image in the readers mind using every single detail he could possibly gather to make the reader feel as if we can truly feel/experience what's happening.

The author's use of imagery is immediate in the beginning. It really helps the reader put themselves in Ali's shoes on that day.

I noticed that Freedman is incorporating Arabic words into the article to more closely connect the reader to the reading, which I think is interesting

The author is bringing in context behind the subject, I guess, but I'm not sure why he is incorporating this information.

To further on what Nikita said I think this section here represents what she said. Even though some of them want to take a break whether it's for themselves or other player, they're encouraged to be be committed and push through because it'll "be worth it" when it comes time to play the game.

So I'm not sure if this is a move but to me, these sentences seem to bring to light a lot of emotion and motive. I think it is interesting to see the depth in peoples thoughts and perspectives behind what they do.

The imagery stands out immediately in the article. I think the effect is that it pulls the reader in and makes it more interesting than just saying "he walked into a bakery"

I think that the author wants the audience to experience what Ali Ahmad's usual day in getting through ramadan. He mentions "Ali would not eat or drink again until the sun set in nearly 14 hours." This not only gives me the feeling that fasting is difficult but shows me the struggles that Ali Ahmad is going to probably experience.

I think that Freeman includes this quote from Hassan Cheaib to exaggerate the dedication and effort that goes into fasting. The use of the simile really shows that the students are like warriors who can fight through an extremely productive day without eating or drinking. It expresses a comparison to the feeling of a warrior winning a battle to a high school student surviving the ramadan tradition.

Freedman juxtaposes the competition in football and the competition in the Lebanese civil war. The connotation of "competition" changes based on its context; it can be a "crashing competition" between two football teams, or it can be "lethal forms of competition" in a war. This passage also contrasts the past of many refugees to their present.

This statement shows that they didn't view Ramadan and fasting as an excuse for their performance. These customs are practiced upon their willing to do so, and it should not hold them back from doing what they love.

This statement highlights the acceptance of different customs and religions across the nation. In this school in particular, they are obligated to recognize the Muslim customs, since many of their students are muslim.

The author highlights how sports and religion play an important role in Ali's life. He has a balance between his love for sports and his faith towards God.

This statement helps put into perspective just how important this game is for his team. It shows that Ali and his team will have to work together as a team and fight hard to secure a spot in the state playoffs.

Right off the bat, I notice the author's use of vivid imagery. This imagery helps paint the picture of this story, and really feel what it was like to be Ali Ahmad on this day.

The use of the word "Like," shows how hard it is for people like Ryan to recall of the situation, more than likely because they feel like the situation wasn't happening; as if it was surreal.

As it seems that there is a movement for there being a safer environment for NHL players, could there be a potential chance that they could go for a safer route in the future and just ban fights in general.

This shows the consequences of fighting in the NHL and its sad that doctors in contact sports have not looked into cte related issues.

The chain of these three articles really takes you through Boogaards life in a different way. It starts off in part one by showing you his early life and him growing up. In part two, they talk about how hockey impacted his life. And in part 3 they turn to his addiction and how it resulted in his death. The formation of this article was made to allow readers to get attached to Boogaard in the beginning and relate to many people, but then take it all away and draw attention to things like CTE

this statement I can't tell whether its designed to be good or bad? On one hand the video showed the loving caring side of Boogaard that fans often didn't see because they were busy watching him beat up some other dude on the ice. But Boogaard also worked his entire life to become this great enforcer, this great fighter and in this video a tribute to him they didn't show a single image of him doing what he did as his job and for his life.

Everyone is noticing all of these changes in Boogaards behaviors yet why did no one do anything to ensure Boogaards health and saftey?

Was Boogaard trying to get away from being monitored by his brother?

This helps show the build up of Boogaards addiction

Even though people were noticing the changes that were so difficult to notice with C.T.E, no one seemed to be doing anything about it other than warning his teammates about the prescription drugs.

All of these things would be hard to diagnose CTE to Boogaard because his job was based on impulsiveness and if he was getting concussions so frequently people who were close to him could have found it difficult to tell whether it was an abnormal behavior or just a side effect to the concussions.

if they knew that enforcers were dying, and though it was never directly connected to their jobs as enforcers, why didn't the NHL make stricter rules on fights at the time?

The NHL will do anything to make sure the players are performing their best on the ice, but outside of that, mental health and long term side effects are not a concern. This information supports the idea that the NHL cares about the $$$.

The author brings this idea up multiple times throughout the article. Earlier he reported the stats of Boogaard's calls and texts, how there were messages to hundreds of people, just because he needed someone to talk to. This information is helpful in the article because it pushes the audience make connections to the side effects of CTE.

It's ironic that the death of son may have actually been something of a good thing as living with mid-life dementia is really bad. In order to accept the fact that the death of your son is actually something that is better is very difficult to accept.

C.T.E. really is one of the biggest problems that has to do with a lot of contact sports. Boogaard's constant fighting really screwed up his brain which shows how serious C.T.E. is. Mid-life dementia is something that isn't common.

Here, I noticed how they specifically mention NFL and boxer players. In the NFL and boxers have a lot of hitting, much more than in the NHL which shows how fighting can really lead to C.T.E.

ironic that the main focus of the first 2 articles was Boogaard hands and now the main focus is the brain.

Why would it take 5 months to diagnose Boogard's brain condition? What was the authors purpose in mentioning this long span of time? My guess is that the author wanted the audience to assume that Boogard's condition was especially rare as later on the author mentions how other players that were diagnosed with C.T.E were not in there 20's.

Shouldn't the doctors be seeing these symptoms and do tests and know that he was in a substance abuse program stop giving him drugs?

The language used for Boogaard's brain objectifies it, making it seem as if it never held the memories of a person.

How couldn't people notice this and think that this is not right. Where was his family?

Sometimes it is far to scary to think about seriously so you joke about it. Especially experiencing all of these symptoms alone with no one to help you through and explain what is happening to you.

he is being blinded by the reality of what is going on by doing drugs and trying to return to his "normal life" However he is just fooling himself and putting on a persona for the fans to try and make sense of what is going on in his mind.

It was and still a huge dispute over the concussions and helmet safety in football, however hockey didn't get much publicity like football even though they have smaller helmets, get checked into the boards and get into fights.

Hiding the fact that he had a drug problem from everyone could play a huge role in his overdose because who have to cant just keep it in you have to tell people to be able to let it go. This drug addiction could be why symptoms were missed sine close ones might think it was just that.

All of the other men who committed suicide probably had this as well since the impulsiveness and mood swings could cause them to think this is the best option. Why were these symptoms ever talked about beffore they died? Were they hiding them or was someone hiding them for them because of their fame?

This yet again makes the brain seem not important by relating it to deli meat with all the other brains. When the brain should be very important since it is so complex and works in a million different ways that make us unique.

The way the author breaks down how the brain is being taken transported is very important because it is making the brain just an everyday object like a piece of bread, when in reality it was Boogaard.

I think that even though he knew it would happen, Len himself didn't know how to handle his emotions, so he felt as if he had to step away from the situation to grasp what was actually going on.

Through many parts of this article the author uses a lot of details, which I think he does to maximize the effect, and emotion that the reader is feeling.

I think the author is being implicit with what his father did however, I think he is using a rhetorical move of appealing to the emotion of the audience to try to draw sympathy for Boogaard and his family.

I think this shows the sense of immunity that teams developed to injuries of enforcers because they probably had some thought in their mind that they were going to go out there and fight regardless, so they weren't as concerned about the health aspect of it.

I think that this shows at that point in time some people around him knew what was going on, or some of the possible struggles he was facing, and knew that it was probably best if he was to be let go, or if not much attention was brought to him.

This idea is brought up more than once in all three articles, the fact that he barely made it into the NHL, but he was there. I think that the thought of that may have came back to haunt Boogaard which could've played a role in his addiction.

This connects to the recent outbreak of the opioid epidemic that is taking over the country and it's tragic, that he more than likely developed a life centered around these drugs that he unfortunately couldn't escape the life he had divulged into.

This is very emotional way to end this article considering the father had to come to the realization that before his son died, he had already lost him to CTE. If his son wouldn't of died from the drug overdose the later affects of CTE would of eventually taken a toll on him.

I think that at this point in time Boogaard had reached a point of dependency on his addiction, and he didn't know how to handle it, so he was kind of just going through the motions and slowly watching his career and his life slip away.

If he "knew" this was going to happen, as a father, why didn't he do more to protect his son? He should have been constantly monitoring him and helping him through his addiction.

I think that in this specific situation, Boogaard's Dad was basically in shock because you have to wonder what thought's could've been going through his mind as a parent, such as if he could've done anything to prevent this from happening to his son.

I think this connects to what Jad commented earlier about how sport leagues are also businesses and refuse to acknowledge the data and adjust the sport accordingly in fears that they will lose money because of it.

I wonder if these statistics and findings have any affect on current players in the NHL, NFL, or even boxers as to if they should continue to do what they do, or if they should stop and consider alternate safer ways to partake in these sports.

Branch reveals that Boogaard was probably dead by the first time his brother came to check on him but they hadn't realized it until much later. Branch forshadowed that Boogaard was already dead earlier on but decided to wait until after describing the boys' recollections of that day to reveal it to the audience.

The real question we should be thinking about is if the addiction to pills caused the C.T.E, or if the C.T.E caused Boogaard to develop this addiction. Either way, it's clear that Boogaard's tragedy should serve as a call to action for others to somehow prevent symptoms or incidents like these from happening.

It's obvious that there is a connection between the brain disease and hockey. But they would never admit hockey links to CTE because it would ultimately hurt their reputation and hockey's reputation as well. Less people playing means less fans coming to watch which means a decrease in the amount of money being made

This connects back to the thought I had in part two about the idea that people deal with personal and private issues, but are often scared or possibly even ashamed to seek help or talk about it.

I find it interesting how the author compares the handling and examining of the brain to the handling or making of a sandwich.

If cases like these have been identified before, why didn't Boogaard's family possibly consider that he had C.T.E? Boogaard showed many of these symptoms, and maybe he could have been helped before this situation got even worse.

A reoccurring theme throughout the article is that Boogaard was losing his personality and becoming a lifeless and expressionless robot. It is shown again here when Branch shows that Boogaard had lost interest in the very thing which had brought him lots of success and his number one goal since he was a child.

This reminds me of my nonfiction book. My book centers around a father struggling with his son's addiction, and there are very similar threads in each of these stories. John Branch shows how crafty addicts are in ensuring that they are able to obtain and continue to obtain their drugs.

This sentence shows that not only hockey, but also other very hard hitting contact sports have been plagued with the same disease. Branch shows the audience that this issue is one that is more widespread than just NHL.

This simple line couldn't be anything but true. The players really are risking their sanity and their lives, all for a bit of cash.

Even after Boogaard?? Is it because they're afraid to lose money?

In this sentence, Branch creates a sense of tension in the article by writing this line by itself. He says there was little discussion but doesn't clue the audience in until the next sentence. This makes the audience wonder what the decision would actually be, and even allows the reader to take a moment to think what they themselves would do if placed in the same situation.

This really surprised me. Why was Boogaard's case so bad?

He was becoming depressed, yet he still refused to admit it directly. This probably worsened his drug and alcohol addiction.

They were using him, at a time he was most unstable, for their own benefit. And they knew it too. Horrible.

The way that Boogaard went to multiple rehab programs just shows how he really wanted to change. He knew that he wasn't the person he'd used to be. Unfortunately, however, his troubles outweighed his desires.

Boogaard believed that the drugs would help him with the emotional pain, along with the physical.

I feel like this shows a good example of work and play, and how difficult it is when one finds their career and enjoyment in the same place. Things clash. While the average person may be able to take a break from their "work" by going to their "play," it's not the same for Boogaard. He never gets a break.

I'm sure that with all of these issues there was a lot of pain involved, yet he still refused to tell a soul. This shows how much he truly loved hockey. Out of fear of losing something he loved, he kept his pain to himself. I'm sure this was really hard.

I don't know why the author is comparing Boogaard's brain to food, but it's pretty disturbing.

Connecting back to the earlier statement. This father had to move from grief of losing his son, to the horrifying realization that he had already lost his son and was dead to the world before he died.

This entire article kinda shows how this man became a tool, like many people in professional sports. They're used. traded, and thrown away like the cards that bear their image. These people KNEW how dangerous for this man to play but still continues to use him.

So I read into stuff like this and they are most likely being so hesitant to give out information because more often than not the sport corporations will go out of their way to hire specific doctors that will be more willing to just hand out prescriptions if it means their best players can play in the next game.

Could you imagine after finding out that someone close to you died and finding out that even if they had lived that their life would've been miserable?

That's horrible. Can you imagine living your entire life with a disease that you know is there but can't prove until it's too late?

The style of writing here is extremely and purposefully dehumanizing. I believe that the author did this to kind of highlight the fact that this boy was used and destroyed in the name of hockey and once he was done playing he got turned into exactly that a broken tool, used and discarded.

This is the first sign that you are not okay, something in your brain is injured and you need to stop. Disassociating is huge in repeat concussions because you can't think long enough to make reactions.

I wonder why he was embarrassed about the addiction. In the previous article they were talking about how everyone was taking painkillers and offering them to each other. I looked up statistics and many hockey players end up addicted to pills at least once, and he reached out to a couple players who he knew struggled.

I can't imagine as a parent, listening to a doctor tell you that your kid developed something like this so young, when it's normally not supposed to occur until much later in life. I can't imagine the guilt someone must feel knowing you let your kid do something so dangerous, knowing what could happen.. are did happen, in this case.

This kind of joke appeals to those who don't really like the game aspect of hockey and more of the fans who look forward to seeing the fighting aspect of hockey, as there are certain fans who go to the games mostly for the fights.

Why don't players who suffer from these injuries sit out in order to have their injuries heal? Derek should've known that by playing that the injury could be furthered, causing for damage.

Here, I find it interesting that in hockey they consider fighting as something of an extra. It's interesting because in Hockey, they really put an emphasis on fighting because it's the culture, but they still say that it's not necessary.

I think that Boogard wanted to create a lasting name for himself and this is exactly what he did. Boogard wanted others to always think of him as a big scary figure that was always feared upon. This is truly shown after his fight with Fedoruk.

In Part 1, the author discusses dreams not being reality, referring to how Boogaard's dream being cut short not being out of the ordinary. Clearly this is a recurring theme/idea that the author wants to highlight.

If the fights are so common and not stopped immediately when they do occur then why are they banned and why isn't the "code" enforced in the actual rules?

I believe this is where play becomes work

1) "Brand" has a double meaning here: it means both his intimidating height and stature as well as him being so popular as to be marketable. 2) Here, the author is juxtaposing once again the idea of outside versus inside by mentioning his appearance both physically and in popular culture and his personality.

connects back to the first article where Boogaard was barely used for his hockey skills in his career but for his fighting skills instead

Even though fights are against the rules, the players still do show enough respect for each other to make the fights that inevitably happen fair.

I think this phrase is important. It again emphasizes the strong team camaraderie that the players have playing together on the team, which is a value that can be applied to all teams. Also, since a fraternal bond means a brotherly bond, I can connect this to The Real New York Giants article because the whole team as well as other players viewed each other as brothers.

people see it as necessary for people like Boogaard to mediate the games with violence rather than have someone like a referee maintain peace between the two teams during the game.

Looking at both of these two paragraphs, I believe that Derek's fist is a metaphor for Derek. On the outside, he is a "weapon" in hockey, as he was involved in a lot of physical fights during games. The term "weapon" also makes it seem as if Derek was a pawn played by his team. On the inside though, (in this metaphor, the inside of his palm), he is injured, which can refer to how he was bullied at a younger age.

I think that objectifying Derek's fist gives the word a double meaning when it comes to work and play. Derek uses his fist to punch people in fights in hockey, which is considered to be both Derek's job (work) and his passion (play). Also, Derek uses his fist/hand to write with, which is also both technically work and play because it is something he clearly enjoys (otherwise we wouldn't have this record) and a task.

This is very different compared to the first part of the article because in the first part the author was more focused on Boogaards life and in the second part (at least this far in) he is more focused on the foundation and rules of the game

Yet another example of everyone focusing on Boogaard's hands and not picking up on his extensive amounts of head injuries. It helps show that he really did hide all of his concussions often and well and passed through relatively undetected.

This is the first time Branch refers to Boogaard's bobbleheads. He later calls him a bobblehead when talking about his behavior when visting his favorite bar/club in part 3.

Early on in his career, Boogaard was very hard working and eager to improve. As his addiction and CTE worsened, he lost that spark. This shows how the big leagues really wore him down and led to his loss of drive and ultimately led to his downfall and death.

This sentence could be making an allusion to how popcorn is usually seen to tie into something entertaining and exciting to watch. Comparing the fights to popcorn shows how hockey is a major source of enjoyment and pull for hockey.

Yet again this shows that Boogaard sees it as his mission to get out their and fight. When he was a child he wanted nothing more than to play in the NHL and when he finally made it, he started to have much less fun and not enjoy the game as much.

This passage plays with the idea that one moment can affect many people in many different ways. For one player it spelled the end of their career and for the other it signaled the beginning of a very prosperous career.

John Branch asks this questions in the form of Boogaard's family. We as the audience know that Boogaard wouldn't make it to being very old. It makes the family seem very clueless to what was going on with Derek and even echoes the pointed out spelling mistakes in earlier parts of the series.

I think that it is important to have a support system behind you who will encourage you and steer you in the right direction, and I think because Boogaard was really private about his struggles there would've been people to steer him in the right direction however, he didn't seek that help.

I find it interesting that people often downplay the struggles of pro sports players and celebrities because they often think that their money can fix their problems but the truth is that they all go through issues like normal people, which more awareness should be brought to that topic.

I’m kind of confused why that is his family’s first concern. Hockey is such a dangerous sport. Why aren’t they worried about the more serious things like concussions and permanent brain damage? What makes writing, specifically, so important?

I like how a different side is portrayed the side that we don't see all the time, the side that shows the remorse of being an NHL enforcer.

I wonder if enforcers, after leaving the league ever regret what they chose as a career pathway, or if some know the dangers before hand and proceed to partake anyway.

I think this connects to the idea of being two-faced not necessarily in a bad way in this situation but in a sense that he may be scared of what would happened if he showed he was truly struggling.

It's common for boys/men to feel like they have to hide their emotions, so maybe he was also playing along with the part of that.

I think it's possible that Boogaard became caught up in the lifestyle and the image he had or wanted to pertain so that could be a reason why he fought and took the pain, and even handled the pain how he did.

I find this interesting because sometimes you will find professional athletes who make a lot of money and can afford really nice things, but they are okay with wearing non-name brand clothing and living in a smaller house because they don't feel the need to flaunt their money, but I think for Boogaard it was important that he flaunt his money because he spent so long being an outlier he finally had the chance to fit in.

I think that this connects back to the thought that Boogaard stayed in the NHL and continued to receive fame from fighting because he probably knew somewhere within himself that he didn't have the skill to actually play in the NHL and by being an enforcer in the NHL that would be the closest he got to achieving that goal.

I'm wondering if this was because of personal issues or because of protocol from the game because I previously recall when there was a fight the players would only be given a five minute penalty.

It's crazy that the fight only lasted a minute, with the language and detail used in the explanation of this fight I was expecting it to have lasted at a minimum 5 minutes.

I find it interesting that the language being used to describe a hockey game is language that in normally used to describe a boxing match.

I noticed that the author uses a lot of foreshadowing. I remember in the first article, the author only briefly talked about Boogaard's drug addition, Now, we are finally figuring out how it started.

I think that this connects back to the idea of work and play, because for him this is a job and whether it's a good day, or a bad day, at the end of the day you're still going to get paid, that being said I'm a little taken back by the idea that not winning would eat him, or effect him that hard when that's truly not his job, his job should be playing hockey.

I have a feeling that this is what caused his drug addiction. It's impossible for someone to keep all of these things to themself without going completely insane. It isn't healthy.

It’s ironic how someone so intimidating on the ice is actually really sweet and gentle underneath it all.

From this I can assume that the majority of people who go to watch hockey games only do so because of the fights, rather than for the actual game itself.

It surprises me how there are so many unspoken rules about the fighting side of hockey. It seems strange to me. Almost as if the fights are planned. As if the players are not only encouraged to fight, but are expected to.

I think it's weird how fighting is so looked down upon in a sport like football, but it seems as if in the hockey world it's glorified which may be a tradition, however I'm wondering what kind of message this is sending to (younger) fans especially.

I find it ironic how the author throws in this joke to make an appeal to a sense of humor in the audience however the irony in this is that he is highlighting the fact that it seems as if at a hockey game there is more focus on the fight than the hockey so It might as well have just been a fight and a hockey game happened to show up in the middle of things.

The article names simple activities that regular kids would do, but since Derek didn't have this many opportunities to do this as a kid, these are big moments for him and they are memories that he will more than likely always remember

This really shows Boogard's passion for the game, as he didn't care about injuries and would play for the fun of the game. He knew the toll of what would happen to his body, but he ignored it because he knew that his passion for the game is what he cares about the most.

the author uses imagery to create a story telling feel which which makes it feel a little less harsh when talking about harsh topics such as Boogaurd's death

Ummm...? ok this kinda makes it like there was something wrong upstairs before the head injuries along with what was said before, I think this adds context as to why fighting was an out let for him, which then morphed into a career. (arrow to next couple of sentences)

Adds to: not a very good hockey player.

I think its interesting that Branch didn't just outright say that Boogaard sucks at hokey but saying that his dreams ended early. I think that it leaves it up for interpretation a little that there could have been some reasons that weren't talked about to why he wasn't very good. It also sets up for the next section perfectly because it ties right into the side entrance he talks about. This gets at the idea that if you you really want something there is always a way.

Branch talks about fighting like a dance, like its planned. I think it sets up for the rest of this part, and almost give Boogaard a purpose on the team. It kinda gives importance to fighting.

This statement takes a lot back to the beginning of the article where Boogaard struggled his entire life to get something as simple as a jersey that fits and this helps show the time change and his growth over time. It seems like something so simple to have your clothes fit and we all take it for granted but for Boogaard it was a luxury that he never got.

There's been a common sad or struggling theme throughout the article when the author adds in these little happy and relieved moments it makes Boogaards struggles not seem like they were all for nothing.

Derek started to see hockey as more of an occupation and less of a recreational activity. He sees being an enforcer as his duty.

I feel like this was a great point for Boogaard because he finally got those stable relationships that could've helped him get back on track with his life.

This echoes some of the values that we discussed in class about what things sports teach us!

This quote helps describe all the previously stated struggles that Boogaard experienced.

Boogaard even though he finally got his chance in the rink this year, he still had to deal with a lot of things a 17 year old shouldn't have to worry about like where he was going to sleep.

This is the only praise this boy receives he's being trained at 16 to fight. It's not that he enjoyed it it's how he was taught.

This is written like a dog fight. The coach sounds like a dog trainer and Boogaard sounds like the dog. This scene doesn't seem at all human

This happens in a lot of major sports where instructors will choose one person over another because they have the "ideal" qualities for that sport, when in truth they aren't ideal they are just similar. So people like Boogaard never get a fair shot.

This man was always big in stature and i think a lot of people take that to mean that he was also inherently mean. So this man had to conforms to these roles and fight because that's what everyone expected of him.

Boogaard had to work much harder to get his time on the ice compared to the other kids because people only saw him as a fighter, rather than the hockey player he is.

Boogaard knew what he had to do to secure his place on that team but being told that your not wanted for your skills in that sport can be so disheartening. Boogaard took the spot knowing he still had a chance to have a slightly altered version of his dream.

The starting sentence of this chunk is so powerful. Because without even needing to look at the date, I had an idea that it was something bad that the author has witnessed or has been through. Then he leads into saying how many players they've lost and it all started coming together. It was 6 months after 9/11.