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Native Americans in Sports

When asked for the name of the greatest American athlete of the early part of the 20th century, far and away the most often named athlete is Jim Thorpe.

You may be asking, "Who was Jim Thorpe and why do I need to know who he is?"

Jim Thorpe was important not only as the most famous Native American athlete ever, but for the role he played in American history. A member of the U.S. Olympic team at the 1912 Summer Games in Stockholm, Sweden, Thorpe was a product of Indian boarding schools, which, while they stripped Native American children and teens of their culture, families and language, were also fertile ground at the time for developing Native American athletes.

"The Fighter": A Movie To Watch With Your Teen

Sometimes you need other people to convey to your teen a message that they might not listen to if it comes from a parent. Its not always that you can't say it, it's just that you don't have the credibility to say it. You need to find another way. You need to find another person sometimes. Sometimes, it's a movie that can get the message across.

"The Fighter" is such a movie, featuring a riveting performance by Mark Wahlberg, the rapper turned amazing actor.  Like the heroes Wahlberg most likely needed as role models to change his life, he brings to the screen the struggle of an ordinary person doing something extraordinary: getting up off the canvas when he's been knocked down.

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