A lot of people have an excuse for why they can’t do something, but such things pale in comparison when hearing a story such as this since to be fair, being able to hear is a sense we take for granted far too often. William “Dummy” Hoy proved to be the kind of person in his own time that wasn’t bound to be bogged down by a disability he’d had since the age of three, though it did slow him down a bit when he went to play in the Majors. Without being able to hear the umpire calling strikes and balls he had to suffer for a bit when it came to his time at the plate. But thankfully he did work with his third base coach and eventually learned how to adjust his game accordingly. Plus, the size of Hoy worked against him since he only stood 5’4″ and weighed around 148 lbs., meaning he was one of the smallest guys out there and wasn’t built to contend with the bigger guys in terms of physical strength. But what Hoy did have was a lot of heart, and this showed in a big way since he was able to hang in and make it work, which is why The Silent Natural should be the type of inspirational movie that will get a lot of people to pay attention and realize just how good we have it when taking our senses for granted.
Hoy wasn’t the only deaf athlete to go as far as he could in a professional sport, but he is one of many that have made it a point to remind people that a disability doesn’t necessarily make you useless. Playing any sport that requires the utmost attention when you’re deaf is going to be a huge challenge, but if a person looks across the wide spectrum of sports they’ll no doubt find a great number of people that have hearing disabilities, or are just as deaf as Hoy was in his day. This impediment is something that has to be worked through no doubt, but the fact that people find a way to do this is the kind of inspiration that many folks look at and admit is undeniably huge when it comes to any athlete, as it should be. If a person can function within the sporting world with a disability such as this then it leaves no excuse for anyone else that might wonder why they’re not getting as far as they want. Athletic ability and the desire to go as far as one can, that’s a must without any doubt, but being able to overcome adversity, that’s something that a few people in the sporting world tend to forget now and again. It could be that they’ve forgotten what they have in relation to what they don’t, or are simply pining for the advantage that they were once given without realizing just what else they can do with what they have. Hoy is one of many examples that could be held up to young athletes to remind them that failure is what happens when you don’t get back up and keep going, it’s not something that just happens. Striking out, being made fun of, and being held back because of a disability when you have the skill to accomplish great things isn’t a failure, it’s not stepping up to the plate once again and showing people that you can do whatever they say you can’t.
The hope of course for a movie such as this is to bring a certain amount of inspiration to people and to possibly get their minds off of anything else, but whether or not it’s going to work is hard to say since the nation is currently in an uproar that’s been going on for a little while now. If a movie like The Silent Natural could get the attention it needs however it could be that people might forget about their troubles for a little bit and reflect on things for a while. When it comes down to it a lot of people have more than they think they do, especially when it comes to their health, their senses, and their overall well-being. The Silent Natural could be a way for people to finally realize that their lives aren’t as bad as they think, but the likelihood of this sounds slim since as good as the movie might be, and it does look like something worth watching, it will be seen as just another bit of entertainment and a distraction that people will talk about for a while and then forget. The message that comes from the movie though is bound to be a powerful one, that pushing forward when everyone says you can’t is one of the best ways to succeed.
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