A Diamond in the Rough

A Diamond in the Rough

            This is the story of a boy that goes from homelessness to NFL super star. At the age of seven years old Michael Oher’s father died and his mother being a drug addict left him to fend for himself on the streets.  At the age of 16 he was six feet four inches tall and 315 pounds.  After staying with a friend one night, the friend’s father was intent on taking his son to a private school to gain admission.  Michael tagged along, and despite concerns from the school about his academic progress, Michael was also accepted to this private Christian school.  On a snowy Memphis day Michael was getting off the bus in t-shirt and shorts.  He was heading to the gym to get warm when the Tuohy family, drove by and stopped him. They had a daughter who went to the same school he did.  They offered him a ride and took him back to their home.  After time with the Tuohy family Michael’s life turned around.  They supported him and gave him food and clothes and were there for him. When Michael started at the private school he had a .4 gpa.  By the time he left he had a 4.0. Not only did he improve in the classes room he also got a chance to play sports after improving his grades.  He ended up playing football and was the number one offensive lineman recruit in the nation.  By this time the Tuohy family had become his own and they adopted him.  With his new dad being a basketball star and him mom being a cheerleader from Old Miss he decided to go in there footsteps and play football there.  Now in 2011 with the support of his new family Michael is getting ready for his third season in the NFL as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

            This is a great example of the functionalist theory.  This kid went from homeless to NFL super star.  All he needed was the right family to raise and nurture him.  This is what is good in sports is when you can take a guy like this with a good heart that just wasn’t given the greatest parents to get a second chance at life. Everybody deservers that second chance in life, when the cards they were dealt were not that good. When he started at the private school he couldn’t even read. He went from a .4 GPA to a 4.0, and then when he went to college he made the dean’s list. That part of the story is amazing in its self that a kid with no schooling until he was sixteen could do that much, all he knew were the streets. This was a great story and I wish more kids out there could get second chances like Michael got.