The Early Life and Struggles of David Beckam

Football is the most celebrated sport in the world, and one of the biggest most popular players ever to grace the field is David Beckham.

Born on May 2, 1975, David was all about football even as a kid. At age eight, he was scoring over a hundred goals over three seasons for his team, the Ridgeway Rovers of the Enfield District League. The same team was coached by his father. When asked by his teachers what he wanted to do when he grew up, his answer was always the same. “I want to be a footballer.”

At age 11, David won the chance to join a training session at FC Barcelona. He was also chosen as Manchester United’s mascot that same year during a match against West Ham United.

Through his early years loving football, it would be in his teenage years that David’s dream gets tested as he was rejected for a spot in the junior English League. The reason for his rejection? He was too small.

But this didn’t stop David. The skinny teenager would eventually make his league debut just one month before his 20th birthday. His first official appearance was with Manchester United.
Two years later, he would fall for Spice Girls member Victoria Adams. And the rest, as they say, is history.





Hello! I’m Dayanna Volitich, a college freshman at Fresno State University studying English. My goal is to become a successful sports writer, but I also want to try out other genres. It's an unlikely career choice for a girl, but sports and writing have always been my two passions. For more sports biography reads, visit this blog.

5 Sports Biographies and Books You Should Read

A great sports story never gets old. It has all the right elements: inspiration, overcoming adversity and physical limitations, and having the determination to win. Many lists of sports biographies have come up with the highest rated and bestselling sports bios, representing the best that different sports have to offer – here are some of them for your next choice read.

#1. Babe: The Legend Comes to Life

Sportswriter Robert Creamer extensively chronicles the life of Babe Ruth, baseball’s most popular figure. It was first published in 1974 and offers a fascinating view of both his life and early 20th-century baseball.

Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life

Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ben Cramer tells the story of New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio and how this immigrant kid laid his hands on the American Dream.

Glory Road

Told from the perspective of the coach of the 1966 Texas Western national championship basketball team, this book recounts the story of the first black starting five in NCAA history.

The Blind Side

It’s not your traditional biography, but it’s the compelling tale of Michael Oher and his rise from the slums of Memphis into the ranks of the Baltimore Ravens – a modern inspiration out of the sports world.

Eleven Rings

Phil Jackson, as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers, won more championships than any other coach in any sport. Here he is best positioned to talk about his strategy for winning and coaching legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.





Dayanna Volitich is a freshman student at Fresno State University and dreams of becoming a sports writer in the future. More on Dayanna here.

How to Build an Impressive Personal Library

The idea of a home library often summons an image of an old-fashioned room with hardbound books, wood paneling, and fancy wood furniture.  But a personal library need not always look this way; in fact, it should reflect the owner’s unique personality, quirks, and even literary taste and preferences.  Here are three tips if you’re looking at building your own library.

Choose the right room in the house

Most rooms will do, except those that have so much natural light (which can harm books), as well as attics and basements that have contained too much humidity that can lead to molds.  Note, also, that basements can be more prone to flooding.

Image source: Pixabay.com

Follow your heart in choosing books

Be eclectic in your choices if that’s your thing, and even spread those preferences out, so there are various background and perspectives earned from those books.  If you ask if there’s a right number when it comes to book count, then no – it’s up to you and the goals you have in mind for your collection.

Collect at a comfortable pace

It’s best to begin modestly, as you don’t need tons of books unless you are out to hoard every piece that you see.  For instance, start with the best three to five books in every field of interest, and then build your collection from there.  Look for bargains, too, but stay selective, so you don’t fill your library with junk.

Dayanna Volitich is a Creative Writing student at Fresno University. Aside from literature, she is also into sports, fashion, and movies.  For more on Dayanna, visit this page.

The Basics of Writing a Sports News Report

So, you want to be a sports news writer. You want to present what happened in the basketball game, offer a definitive roundup of the World Cup finals, or feature the highlights of the latest college football match of your team. But how can you create your sports report like a pro? Here are some tips and advice from sports writer Dayanna Volitich when starting out in this field.

 

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Introduce the sports event properly

Create a lead that presents the most important news aspect of sports game. What’s the score, and who won? What effect did the victory have? Provide the context for the whole report in the first paragraph and follow it up with the important supporting information about the event.

Provide quotes

Provide a quote from a coach, key player, or key figure in the story whether as a stand-alone or with a lead-in paragraph. The quote should be able to capture a sentiment on the story angle, a revelation, a recollection, or something that builds up the action. Dayanna Volitich also cautions that you double-check the accuracy of the quote as it’s directly attributed to the person.

Include supporting details

Once the main details of the story and the quotes are out of the way, work next on describing the game or event, providing further details that would offer more reading value. Write in a way that makes the reader feel, taste, and sense the action – without sacrificing facts, accuracy, and objectivity.

Read good examples of sports writing

Enrich your knowledge and build your potential by looking up examples of great sports writing, may it be straight news reports, sports biographies, or sports features. It will help sharpen your skills, know-how, and thought process in angling stories and presenting them in the most useful way possible to your audience.

Image source: pixabay.com

Dayanna Volitich is a college freshman at Fresno State University taking up English with focus on Creative Writing. Her goal is actually to become a sports writer in the future. Learn more on this page.

Making sense of Magic’s departure from the Lakers’ management

The power of Magic - Dayanna Volitich

During the offseason leading to the 2018-19 NBA season, then Lakers head of basketball operations and former superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson was quick to personally visit free agent LeBron James in his house. The rest is history; Magic succeeded in having James bring his talents to Los Angeles. And with the development, the NBA balance of power shifted. Or so it seemed.

Image source: ocregister.com

A tumultuous season – Dayanna Volitich

Fast forward to March of 2019 and the Lakers are again out of the playoffs. And it marked the first time a LeBron-led team had failed to reach the postseason since James’ 2004-05 season. The season was tumultuous, to say the least, marked by injuries to key players and a generally anemic approach to defense. But early April saw another big bomb drop: Magic abruptly quit his job. Dayanna Volitich.

A huge blow -- Dayanna Volitich

Magic’s departure is a huge deal, mainly because it shocked both the players and management who had no idea of his plan. It also set the franchise reeling, especially given that it had just let go of coach Luke Walton a few days prior. Magic opted to announce all this in an impromptu media engagement, deciding to make an event out of it for almost two hours. Dayanna Volitich.

Interestingly, Magic’s main rationale for leaving his job is that he wasn’t happy. That the job prevented him from being himself. He said he wanted to “go back to being who (he) was before taking on the job.” That he had not clued in owner Buss, GM Pelinka, then coach Walton, and his star player James remains an enigma to this day. What’s sure though is that the move effectively set back the already struggling Lakers anew: now not just in terms of player chemistry but also management stability. Dayanna Volitich.

The Clippers’ Lou Williams should get the NBA Sixth Man Award anew

Clippers guard Lou Williams is on the brink of winning another Sixth Man of the Year award this 2018-19 season. If he takes it, he will tie Jamal Crawford’s achievement of winning the title thrice. The scrappy and crafty Williams is thus poised to become the most successful bench scoring guard in the history of the league, says sports enthusiast Dayanna Volitich.

Image source: si.com

Unlike the taller Crawford, Lou Williams is more versatile in that he consistently mixes up drives with long-range shots. He often doesn’t settle for mid-range jumpers and has a renowned penchant for drawing fouls from defenders. Lou is also the key cog in the Clippers’ current push for a deep playoff run, amounting to his being the only legitimate star in the team’s current roster.

Image source: sportingnews.com

It’s quite ironic that the Clippers’ star is coming off the bench. But, as mentioned above, Williams has already won the Sixth Man Award two times, and he’s most efficient and effective when subbing in. In any case, he is always part of the closing five during close games, and often comes through in the clutch, when the game is on the line. Williams has already tallied his two best scoring seasons in his stint with the Clippers, having averaged 22.6 points in 2018 and over 21 points this season. He is also leading the NBA reserves in scoring for the third straight season.

Perhaps coming off the bench has helped Williams better preserve his body, an argument we can make for the recently retired Manu Ginobili of the Spurs whose NBA career lasted 16 years. In any case, no one is in close competition to Williams as far as earning the award again is concerned, adds Dayanna Volitich. Kudos in advance to Lou on this momentous achievement.

Fresno State University college freshman Dayanna Volitich is into sports, movies, and street fashion. She is also a big fan of L.A.-based clothing brands and sports teams. Visit this blog for related posts.

Most overrated travel destinations around the world

Are you currently planning your vacation within the country or abroad? Then you should be informed of the current situations of the best travel destinations out there. A lot has changed over the past few years and tourist spots aren’t the same as they were. With the boom of the tourism industry around the world, it’s easy to be misled by Instagram photos and articles published several years ago. This is why avid traveler Dayanna Volitich came up with her list of the most overrated travel destinations around the world.

Image source: blog.ricksteves.com

Los Angeles, USA

A lot of tourists think that hopping on a tour bus in Hollywood can lead to spotting their favorite Hollywood actors. Likewise, walking the streets of Hollywood Boulevard and seeing the renowned Walk of Fame sounds interesting. But going there would mean joining thousands of tourists and not seeing a single celebrity.

Thailand

Image source: edition.cnn.com

As beautiful Thailand may be as a travel destination, it’s simply not what it used to be. Before, it was the hub of backpacking in Asia where travelers had to earn finding the perfect beach. But today, travel and tour companies have made it so convenient that popular tourist destinations like Koh Tao, Khao San Road, and Phuket are crawling with tourists.

Italy

Italy is one of the few European countries that have been overrun by tourists, especially in the more popular places like Venice and Rome. While the country is rich with many sights to see, these touristy places can suck the fun out of your time with all the tourists that flock to these areas.

Dayanna Volitich recommends going off the beaten path when traveling. Not only can you experience more authentic moments, you can also surprise yourself with a destination you never thought you’d visit.

Dayanna Volitich is a college freshman in Fresno State University. Her goal is to become a successful sports writer but would like to try a bit of travel writing as well. Ever since she was young, her parents have always encouraged her to love reading. For more articles on travel, visit this website.