Because the world revolves around media, sports broadcasting is dependent on media as well.  Different television and radio outlets broadcast men's sports games over women's because the majority of the world simply finds men's sports (most notably football, baseball, basketball, and hockey) more entertaining than sports played by females.  Even with the institution of Title IX, which guaranteed equal funding for female sports in both high school and college, mens sports teams will always remain dominant.  Messner references ESPN's flagship show, SportsCenter, as "devoting only 2.2 percent of its coverage to women's sports.  In order for SportsCenter to stay relevant, the program has to provide what the viewer wants, and the average viewers almost always prefers men's sports.

1.  Intro/Similarities

2.  Contrast setting and socioeconomics of characters

3.  Contrast the two games/perception of game/pace

4.  Conclusion/Big Picture/Restate Thesis

Working Thesis: 

While both poems vividly portray their characters' passionate and never ending love for the game, in reality, the games are played in completely different manners, one as an unorganized pickup game, the other in a gym with authentic hardwood floors, a scoreboard, referees, and uniforms.

Prompt for compare/contrast essay of Slam, Dunk, and Hook and Fast Break:

What are the different poetic devices used by Komunyakaa and Hirsch in their respective poems.  How do these devices make the poems different or similar?