Friday, February 20, 2015

Wrestler Becomes Star After Wrestling Opponent with Down Syndrome

Have you ever gotten to compete in a tournament where all eyes were on you? Demetrius de Moor has. Except eyes were on him for a reason other than victory. Demetrius voluntarily wrestled against Michael Lind, a child with Down Syndrome. The result of the match was a victory in the books for Michael, but it seems as though Demetrius had a victorious match as well. 

After the passing of his father due to the war in Iraq, Demetrius knew he needed to step up and be the man of the house. With this encompassed qualities of humility, maturity, and responsibility. When the coach from Michael's high school wrestling team called the coach from Demetrius' wrestling team to ask if a wrestler would be willing to compete against Michael at the upcoming tournament, Demetrius volunteered not yet knowing the praise he would receive from parents, fans, school administrators, and members of the media. 


Throughout the match, both Demetrius and Michael had take-downs, which finally led to Michael winning the overall match. Michael was ecstatic, as this was his first wrestling match in his entire high school career. After the match, it seemed as though all eyes were on Demetrius. People were proud of the noble actions he took in not only volunteering to wrestle Michael at such a highly regarded tournament, but that he allowed Michael the opportunity to win the match and create a lifelong memory. 




While I think Demetrius did a great thing in terms of allowing Michael to achieve a dream of his, I do not think the media should have made such a fuss about it. Rather than keeping the focus on Michael and his perseverance with Down Syndrome and being an athlete, the focus is redirected to Demetrius for behaving in the way he did. This video clip portrays Demetrius' actions as though he acted in a  way that no one else would have; that he was extremely selfless for allowing Michael to win. What if Michael were to ever see an article/video on this story? He would know that Demetrius let him win, which would completely erase the gesture of Demetrius helping Michael to have his moment of glory. Also, treating Michael as though he deserves to win because he has Down Syndrome is belittling in itself. I do not argue that Demetrius did a very kind act for Michael, but I think the way in which the story is told degrades Michael as an athlete.


Do you think Demetrius should have received so much attention for what he did for Michael? What ethical concerns do you think are involved when competing against an athlete with Down Syndrome? What would you have done in this situation?


Kali Morgenstern


References:


Stroud, B. (2013, September 23). A Georgia High Schooler Wrestled A Kid With Down Syndrome And Became Our New Hero. Retrieved from http://uproxx.com/sports/2013/09/georgia-high-schooler-wrestled-kid-syndrome-became-new-hero/

10 comments:

  1. Kali,

    Thanks for bringing this story to my attention! When I first read the questions you posed for the class, I started thinking about my last blog post on Austin Hatch. I wrote that I believed Michigan head coach John Beilein deserved praise for honoring Hatch’s scholarship following tragic airplane accidents killing most of his family. Using that logic in this situation for the article you posted, I would then believe that Demetrius de Moors did deserve the praises he received from the media, friends and family for wresting an athlete with down syndrome. However, I do think that the media outlets covering this story should have done a better job incorporating Michael’s story into the mix. That way, the audience gets more of an understanding of both athletes, not just from de Moors’s side. After watching the video, it is clear that de Moors has a heart of gold and is admired everyone around him, not just for what he did at that wrestling tournament, but for how he carries himself on a daily basis.

    -Alexx Klein

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  2. While I do love to see stories like this in the news, I do agree that moments like these are for the person who has the disability. When it gets blown up like this, it diminishes the fact that they both competed and it just so happened that the kid with Down syndrome won. For the rest of his life, he can always have that feeling of satisfaction. Sports and competition should be done for our own personal goals, not for the publicity it may give us. I would think Michael is out there wrestling for the right reasons, because he wants to compete and in the spirit of competition, he won. While I respect and admire what Demetrius did, I would want the focus to remain on Michael and let him have his moment that will never be forgotten.

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  3. After watching the video I wanted to know more about Michael. I agree that the focus was primarily on Demetrius, and I would have liked for that focus to be shifted onto Michael. In the end, this video should portray a story about the high school wrestler with a disability, but rather it is about the humble athlete who agreed to take on the competition. It is still a great story, and I do believe that each athlete will remember that match for the rest of their lives. I would have formatted the video with Demetrius' story in the middle of the video, with the beginning and end focusing on Michael and his achievement. Videos like these are important for youth sports coaches, as they show the value of good sportsmanship. If I were a youth wrestling coach, then I would definitely want athletes on my team who embody the moral compass of Demetrius.

    Matthias E. Reiber

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  4. Wow, this is a very interesting post. Over the last ten years or so, stories like these have been shown all over sports networks. Whether it's a child with down syndrome winning a wrestling match or a child with another condition being allowed to score a basket in a basketball game, stories like this have been showing up constantly. I think there should be recognition on both parts. Yes, it is great that an individual has the humility to wrestle, and lose purposefully, to someone that may have not had a chance to wrestle in the first place. But like you said, at the same time, how does it make the individual with down syndrome feel? This is an interesting issue that I feel should be expressed equally for both sides. Both individuals in this story should be recognized. Because let's face it, for the young man to wrestle the boy with down syndrome, and let him win, there should be some recognition. But at the same time, what an incredible feat for the boy with down syndrome? In my opinion, the video should have expressed both individuals in an equal way. It should have commended both individuals for what they did.

    Derek Shay

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  5. This story is really what I believe sports are about. Sports are an avenue for athletes to be involved and compete at a level and are rewarded with something that may not necessarily be tangible. In this incredible story, both young athletes walked away at the end of the day with a reward. Demetrius and Michael were given something that they may never have the opportunity to have again. Michael achieved a goal and has the satisfaction of winning a high school wrestling match while Demetrius gained the respect and admiration of many because he showed his selfless and mature character. In regards to the documentary that was shown about this event, I do agree that the majority of it was about Demetrius when the focus should have been centered around both of them equally, maybe even a friendship that grew from this great time in both of their lives. Ethically, I believe that Demetrius’ intentions were absolutely in the right place and he should have no ethical concerns because he helped Michael feel accomplished and confident about his abilities and success in wrestling. In this situation, if I were the people who published this video I would have tried to represent both parties equally and discuss a friendship between the two of them and not just praise one or the other. One quote in the video that I was not impressed with states, “Michael was the winner, but Demetrius was the champion.” This statement absolutely jarred me and I cant believe this statement would make it through all of the editing that needed to happen for this video to be published because they are both champions in this story and should be recognized as such.

    Marissa Tashenberg

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    Replies
    1. Marissa,

      What you said about being jarred by that statement (i.e., that "Michael was the winner, but Demetrius was the champion") was a good way to put it. I must admit that it didn't sit right with me either. We should talk about this more in class.

      Dr. Spencer

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  6. I basically agree with everything that was stated in the previous comments. In my opinion stories like Michael Lind’s are kind of a double edged sword. On the one hand, a childhood dream for a mentally disabled person is fulfilled, on the other hand, the situation bears the risk of being exploited by the respective institutions, such as the school or the media. Especially with regard to the latter, for me, the question comes up, whether it is even necessary to broadcast such events on TV or radio. As some of you have pointed out already, the video clip is not necessarily directed towards the two athletes, but aims more to create a feel-good story.

    Andreas Khuny

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  7. Wow, what a powerful story. I think what Demetrius did for Michael was incredibly heroic and selfless. It takes a ton of character and maturity to make a decision like that at his age. My favorite part about the story is that he didn't just lay down and let Michael have it, he actually competed with him and made him work for it. I think Demetrius definitely deserves the attention he received from this story. What he did displays a perfect example of how to build unity of the people and how to be a leader. He made that moment bigger than himself, that's an honorable thing. Ethical concerns with wrestling or competing with someone who has down syndrome would definitely be how its handled. Although I don't think it would be fair to penalize an athlete for winning or giving it their all. In order to be wrong in this situation I think you would have to refuse to wrestle Michael, which would be discrimination. I can honestly say that if it were me, I would have probably won the match. I know after reading the story a lot of people would say they would have done the same thing but honestly, I'm not sure I would have been as compassionate. Not that my heart wouldn't go out toward his situation, it definitely would but Demetrius was completely selfless in this situation and I don't believe my competitive nature would of allowed my mind to think like Demetrius, unfortunately.

    Jonathan Robinson

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  8. Kali,

    The ethical dilemmas you may face in such a scenario would, from my perspective, be deciding to take this match as you would against any other wrestler or to take it as Demetrius did and allow Michael a special moment in life. I personally think Demetrius did a great thing, and deserves the attention he received from doing so. I would definitely do the same as Demetrius if I were in that situation. I would consider it a blessing to be able to be a part of such a special moment for Michael, and would definitely want to help make it as memorable as possible for him.

    Joey Durant

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  9. Kali,

    Having just discussed disability sport in our Sport & Gender class, this scenario really makes me think about how I would respond. For one thing, many athletes with disabilities say that they do not like to be stereotyped as being inspirational. The fact that they would give this story so much coverage suggests to me that someone assumes Michael will not be able to comprehend what 'really' happened. This seems to patronize him.

    You asked some great questions, Kali. I don't know what I would have done. I wish there was a way to know how someone in Michael's shoes would have felt about what Demetrius did.

    This is a provocative entry. Thanks for sharing it.

    Dr. Spencer

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