Final+Proposal

__**Background**__

I found this to be a topic of interest because several Christmases ago, my uncle gave me a DVD all about the history of the Philadelphia Eagles. At one point, the video mentioned that during World War II so many professional football players were drafted or enlisted in the military that it was necessary for teams to merge with one another. The Eagles were one of those teams and merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers to form the "Steagles." Both head coaches and players clashed with one another and were forced to come together as enemies. From there, I learned that teams began to experience financial crises because the league was losing interest from fans who regularly poured in to stadiums to watch their favorite teams battle on Sundays. My goal is to gain a greater understanding of just how much of an impact World War II had on individual football teams and the league itself.

__**Vision**__

I hope to bring knowledge to the masses about an era of sports clouded by a bigger story going on overseas. Even though professional football was still in what one could call its "developmental stages," the game was still far enough along to garner the attention of fans every weekend. With morale so low back in the States, citizens and soldiers looked to sports as a form of cheap entertainment to raise their spirits. But as I have mentioned in the past, there is very little information about professional football during this era. Therefore, by looking at the history behind several teams that merged during this time, I hope to gather a better understanding of how it was possible for the NFL to stay afloat in a time of widespread hardship.

__**Goals**__

- Explore how the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers merger saved professional football from total decline - Gather information about how NFL compensated for players who joined the military during World War II - To raise at least $100 for my charity as part of my hands-on project, a flag football tournament where the proceeds will most likely go towards NFL Play 60 - Provide enough factual, intriguing information so that those who I present my project to will walk away with a better understanding and appreciation for professional football

__**Products**__

Naturally, my final presentation will be the most clear-cut example that I have met all of my goals in the research and informational field. It is my hope that by that time I will have gathered enough information to prove that my case study backs up my thesis statement. In addition, my hands-on project will be a flag football tournament. I will charge admission and the proceeds will most likely go to some type of NFL-sponsored charity.

__**Task Analysis**__

My hands-on project, in which I plan on hosting a flag football tournament, will require several weeks of planning with hopes that the event will take place some time during the first week of December. Within the second week of November, I would like to get in contact with the high school, particularly Mr. Hackney and Mr. Puckett, about possibly using one of the athletic fields (the football field or soccer field, for instance). If not, an alternate plan is to hold it at Cisco Park/Hillcrest Pond. I will also need to mass advertise the event, most likely by Facebook and putting up flyers around the school. Once I have permission from the school to use the athletic fields, I will start advertising, hopefully between the second and third week of November. In addition, if the school cannot be provide me with necessary equipment, I will also need to purchase flags, extra footballs, pinnies, field markers, and the like.

__**Mentor and Topic Expert Analysis**__

My mentor is my mother, Maria Pileggi. I have chosen my mom as my mentor because I trust her to make sure that I can remain focused on accomplishing each and every one of the goals that I set out to complete during this project. In addition, I will look to my mom for guidance when I find myself stuck at any particular stage in my project. We frequently keep in contact with one another. Almost every day, my mom asks me what stage of my project is due and makes sure that it is completed in a timely matter.

__**Conclusion**__

In my opinion, this project measures one's true potential in the post-high school world of research. With eight years of database training provided by Mrs. Becker in the middle school and Dr. Valenza in the high school, I feel as though I should be an expert on where to conduct my searches, and yet I still find it difficult to do so. That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that I will have to sharpen my research skills in order to extract every piece of information that is necessary to complete my project research. And, of course, as senior year has finally dawned on us, it will be difficult to maintain focus and keep myself on a consistent timeline. However, it is my hope that the fact that this project is completely student-driven will help me improve my time management ability and initiative to be proactive and responsible.