Sue Bird: Reflection Portfolio

Looking at my practical assignment on Sue Bird’s biography, I picked her as a subjected because she represents the minority- successful women athletes and a lesbian. Even though the world is slowly becoming receptive towards the LGBT community, it is debatable when it comes to how society views them. Therefore, Sue Bird serves as an example of how successful women in sport thrive against all the odds. In addition, her personal life is of interest due to her sexuality. In most cases, people who are in the limelight strive to portray a picture-perfect image because it is what the fans expect of them as for Sue Bird, defining herself as a lesbian was a bold step because of her career. Picking her as a subject, was due to the inspiration that she reflects not only as an athlete but also as a woman belonging in the minority group.

While writing the biography, what was contrary to my beliefs is that a girl that went to a Catholic school and was an American-Israeli would be a lesbian. The common notion is that people from specific religious backgrounds could not be part of the LGBT community. Moreover, being not a typical female athlete is also hard to reconcile as one would expect Bird to face opposition. However, she manages to get past that and continue to excel in her career. As such, this proves that being gay is not by choice, and anyone can come out as one. Moreover, Bird beat the odds by becoming the number one overall pick, and it was unique because it was the first time the position was given to a point guard. Therefore, Bird was extraordinary when she played in the field and also demonstrated that she did not conform to societal norms. By going contrary to the expectations of the society, she set herself a mark in the sports world and the LGBT community.

It was upsetting to learn that Bird developed a knee injury and had to skip the 2013 season. She fell ill again in 2017 and also missed the opportunity to participate. While this is a normal part of an athlete’s life, it is difficult as a fan to digest what she went through that time. Bird’s biography only pointed out her strengths and her representation of the LGBT people. Despite this project, Bird Sue already earned her place in athletic because of her extraordinary skills. She was a remarkable basketball player who won many accolades in her career. Therefore, Bird is a known superstar whose career started to rise since 2002.  She has fans who adore her and voted her as one of WNBA top 15 players of all time. Despite the lack of this project, Bird is already a shining star who is a hard worker known by many across the globe.

To sum it up, I left out most of Bird’s early life because I was aiming to capture the most significant parts- her career and relationship. In the biography, the inclusion of the two aspects was vital because they impact more on society. Since Bird was discovered because of her talent, the journal focused on that. Her coming out as a lesbian was also crucial because it was essential to show another side of athletes that the society rarely talks about. 

As for most of Bird’s childhood, the biography only focused on when Bird was starting to shape her career in sports. However, given more space, I believe that Birds life is significant from when she was born, to date. Starting a biography from the beginning presents the reader with a chance to view a subject’s life from when they are young. It also provides them with an understanding of the influences that the subject has to face. However, despite missing out on the childhood part, the biography strives to cover the parts that best represent who Bird is an athlete and an lesbian woman.