Cultural Icon Research

Josh Hamilton

                    I choose Josh Hamilton, because he is an amzing athlete, and has overcome some obstacles. He has turned his life around , and made it oustanding.

               http://www.popcrunch.com/josh-hamilton-drunk-photos/

“I’m embarrassed about it for my wife Katie, for my kids and for the organization,” Hamilton said. “I’m not perfect. It’s an ongoing struggle, and it’s real. It’s amazing how these things can creep back in. But I am human and I have struggles.”
“If I think I can have one drink, I think I can have two, and then it snowballs to 10 or 12,” Hamilton said. “As soon as it happened, I called my support staff — Katie, the organization and MLB — and told them what happened. I was open and honest about it. People with an addiction can make a mistake.

Joshua Holt Hamilton was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on May 21, 1981. As far back as Josh remembers, he has wanted to be a pro baseball player. In high school Josh was being compared to some of the big league sluggers. Heading into the June draft, Josh was guaranteed a top five pick.  

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/devilrays/2006-06-06-hamilton-cover_x.htm

Josh Hamilton takes practice cuts on a tee during extended spring with the Tampa Bay Devils Rays, who are giving him another shot after years of drug problems. "I love this game. It's the only thing I've been good at," says Hamilton.

Josh was the number one draft pick in 1999. He was chosen by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He signed for a record $3.96 million bonus. He predicted 3 years in the minors, 15 in the majors, and a 5 year wait for the Hall of Fame. He was doing an amazing job during the season. Then an injury affected him. He was put on the disabled list. He was at a tattoo shop with a group of guys. He said they weren’t bad guys; they were just guy into some bad things. For the first time in his life he began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Mike Chadwick was a business man who talked about drugs. Mike’s daughter Katie has known Josh from high school days. In the winter of 2004 Josh and Katie got married. They had a daughter by the name of Julia. Josh’s parents gave him the last $200,000 from his bonus, so they could buy a small house. Josh had blown the money on drugs. Josh gave up drugs on October 6.

       http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/albert_chen/05/27/hamilton0602/

Josh Hamilton is at peace now, at peace even when he sleeps. "I used to have dreams all the time," he says. "They were so real, I'd wake up and take a real deep breath in, like I was hitting the crack pipe."

Josh made the Reds in 2007. At the end of the season Josh had a wrist injury, and many worried that without baseball he would relapse. After that season Josh went to the Texas Rangers, because they needed a center fielder. In 2008 Josh was in Home Run Derby. He set a record in the second round. He hit 35 homers, but he still lost. Josh’s life has progressed from then.