It's important to keep at it! The author uses this to help the readers get a better understanding of how important this is to them.

I like how the author shows us a little bit about what this is about.

His childhood is mentioned. He mentions how his parents were alike in the way of watching the crashing competition on the television.

This specific chunk helps build an image of Ali Ahmad. The use of imagery here helps draw in the readers because you have to wonder, why is this description important here?

The players are still working hard even if they are hungry and thirsty. They are not giving up on themselves either even when things don't look good with their crucial errors they still find a way to persevere.

Wow he really is willing to risk his own health and well being to stay true to Ramadan. Dehydration is truly lethal to the body. I guess that shows that he really is an above and beyond religious man.

It truly is difficult to keep that balance between multiple loves. This also shows how strong his religion is eating would really help his performance on the football field but his faith for Allah is really admirable.

This sentence is interesting to me because it almost implies that the football games are more important than the sacredness of Ramadan. To me it seems contradictory because from the previous quotes from the Muslim players, they definitely recognize the value of being faithful. One player said, "you know you've worked hard. You know you've been faithful. And that makes you much tougher out on the field." This sentence may represent how the school or non-Muslims may see Ramadan as a hindrance. However, the players that fast see it as a superpower that helps them be a "warrior" on the field.

Not only does the author mention that the football team is in Dearborn multiple times, he actually goes into some historic information about the city and how it came to have a dense Arab population. This background information is important because it helps draw the parallel of the struggles first generation immigrants faced and the struggles their children or grandchildren face in everyday school life.

It's sad yet very interesting that even though these fights were draining him and needed the help of drugs to help him feel better he continued to fight for his team no matter what the cost was which is the sign of a true team player even if his goal is to try to injure the opposition.

If the NHL would have banned this it probably would have caused outrage by the fans so it was smart by them to leave it in the game somewhat and this shows that fighting in hockey is just a common part of the sport and they should just let it happen.

If that was the case then why would he continue to fight even if he knew that it would not work out and he knew this injuries would come back to hurt him.

Did Boogaard realize at this moment in this fight that this was his purpose in hockey and was this his mission to assert his dominance on everyone else.

This is where the author introduces Derek's past, this could be one of the factors of his aggressive tendencies.

The repetition of "it meant" helps emphasize the peaceful aspects of Derek's life. Throughout the article, I noticed how the author consistently brings up Derek's past whether it was violent/aggressive memories or nice family bravados. The author incorporates the use of repetition in a very effective/impactful way to help build Derek's character.

I noticed how the author casually places words like this to emphasize Derek's tall persona.

The answer is you can't replace actual people or lives. Yes you can replace a person at a position but as a human being we are all very different and no one is exactly the same.

This is one of the spots in the article where the word pile has two meanings the first meaning is pulling out of a football sport pile or "dog pile". and uses the word pile of rubble in the remains of the World trade center.

Although the team misses their fallen teammates its impressive how they still decide to stick to tradition.

This phrase really intrigued me. By using the word "digging" it really adds to how Johnston really was a saving grace for the team. This really does show how it can be difficult to bounce back from a terrible event, but, even it takes a long time, it's still possible. To be able to come back from a terrible event really does show how this trait applies to both football and firemen.

The idea of tradition plays a major role, in my opinion, of their motivation to push through the obstacles. These people need to continue the tradition and even with all of this problems that happened when they inhaled all of those terrible things, they pushed forward to continue the tradition that was so important to them.

When looking at this phrase after reading the passage allows me to see exactly what he means by saying "Hell yes, they're playing." The importance of being able to bounce back from losing it all is important in any aspect of your life and that trait was heavily tested after 9/11 in New York.

When looking at replacing people it can seem very difficult, especially when growing and marinating together. I feel the same way when looking at our tennis team next year. We lose many people that made our team our team, but it is an important trait to become just emotionally attached to the point where you create a bond, but are able to move on.

This portion makes it more than clear about how this sport has turned into more of an emotional connection between all the players. The comparison made with football and firemen is really interesting as when fighting battles, for fun or for work, it is important to do it as a team and group. Just like how people grieve together, they should be able to work together to get things done.

It is clear this recreational sport is way more than a game at this point. It is touching to read that people that might not even like football are joining to be a part of the community. It's important to see pure things such as this and take them to heart. It emphasizes the importance of grieving as a group.

This is talking about replacing but I feel like it contradicts a previous statement. The article said earlier that the game was tradition. With that claim, playing the game with new players is a great way to carry on a tradition and start a new one of honoring the fallen.

The football and baseball teams were way more than just a sport for fun. It was a way to garner real relationships with the people you work with, and for some, family. Maybe it was an escape from their work lives. A vacation to "normal life". Risking your life every day as a job is not normal, but a friendly came of recreational football is.

Another way to show the team's dedication to both their jobs and the game as well.

This shows mike's commitment to the team even though they were facing a horrible situation.

they lost so much they didn't think it was possible to get back to normal. everyone had lost so much they couldn't imagine getting a team.

The Fire Department is such a tight nit group, they are a team, they have each others backs all the time and they will always be there for each other. A team is just like that.

Their work is not a lot different than play, they are always there for each other road whether or not they or on a field or in a burning building.

This shows perseverance and commitment of the men and women of the department. The NYCFD will continue their tradition even though there was a major national attack.