Amateur

The movie “Amateur,” is about a young basketball player who has caught the attention of basketball coach “Coach Gains,” and invites him to play for his basketball team. Little did the main character know (Terron) that his coach paid his father for him to only join Coach Gains team which is not allowed. Terron is a player who has trouble reading comprehending numbers and that is his learning disability.

My favourite character has to be the main character Terron. I chose this character because he is a very talented and hard working player. Throughout the movie, his teammates would pick on him because he is very young and has a learning disability and they would often make fun of him not being able to read numbers. A point in time in the movie where he was bullied was when he first entered the team’s dormitory. Upon entering his teammates already started laughing at him. But this reason didn’t stop him from playing basketball. He continued to push and would eventually be a nationally ranked highschool player. I can sort of relate to this but not in the way Terron has faced. When I play football and I make a bad play, my teammates would criticize me and tell me that I should’ve done better. 

A message I took from the text is to not be arrogant. Despite being a nationally ranked player and catching the attention of several teams, he still chooses not to boast to his teammates and instead makes himself one in the team. A point in time in the movie where this happens is when the team is driving home from a game and the coach calls out that Terron is nationally ranked and doesn’t boast about it.  Athletes who are humble often receive the most respect from fans and teammates. I can sort of relate to this because I am the same. I also try not to boast to my teammates whenever I score a goal or make a really good play but they compliment me for it so I take the compliment. The director put this message in the movie because he knew the majority of views would be athletes and values humbleness and that is why he put that message in the story. Personally, I believe that being humble is one of the best attributes a person can have and being humble can often lead you very far in life.

Terron Forte was very lucky because he got to play in an older league of basketball at a young age and was provided a school to go to. But he had some struggles. He has a learning disability which puts him at a disadvantage to focus on his education and was often bullied by his teammates because he was young. I believe that he is a very strong character and has really pushed himself and most people at his stage would just give up. I think this is a very good habit people should take. Kids in the real world also struggle just like Terron. Learning disabilities are a real struggle to deal with and everyone being one step ahead of you can be quite hard. This is because people with learning disabilities tend to find school harder than normal kids. Like for example a teen with dyslexia will have trouble learning with others because of their difficulty to read to understand certain school things. They are hard to deal with because you will be put at a very high disadvantage in terms of learning while everyone can learn normally, people who have learning difficulties struggle a lot. If I had a learning disability similar to Terron, I would feel quite disadvantaged and would find learning things very very difficult. While Terron was practicing, he is approached by the team coach and is asked to play for his high-school team and promises he would get a better education. He takes this offer and it goes on from there. 

The movie title and the movie itself fits perfectly. Terron is a young basketball player who is playing professional highschool teams and is well known across the basketball community, but he is playing unpaid. The world ‘amateur’ means a person who pursues a sport without being paid and that is what the main character is exactly like. I can relate to this as well. Although I may not be playing in high ranked sports leagues, I still play sports but I am unpaid because I am young. But my situation is still very different to his as he is playing to go pro and is playing in a big country that has a very big sport culture, compared to me I only play my sports for fun and enjoyment and I have no interest in going professional and I play in a small town in a small country.

I would recommend this story to athletes who want a little bit more motivation or athletes who want to know what it’s like playing division one sports. This movie really shows the things you would need to go through, what can happen if you succeed and that no matter the situation, you can always come out on top.