The Effect of Possessing Multiple
Intelligences on Success in the Entertainment Industry
by
Carley Kreps, Rick
Koplin, Jeff Schaeffer, Holly Penikas
November 20,
2001
It is the moment everyone dreams of hoisting the Most Valuable
Player trophy, hearing your name called at the Grammy’s, putting on the green
jacket, or seeing your name atop the New York Times best seller list. Entertainment often quantitatively
validates performers through awards and rankings. It is easy to know who was determined the best in their
domain, and this is why we chose the field of entertainment to examine how
possessing multiple intelligences affects a person’s degree of achievement.
In his book, Creating Minds, Howard Gardner proposed that
“the creators differ from one another not only in terms of their dominant
intelligence, but also in terms of breadth and the combination of
intelligences” (Gardner 363). The variety of entertainment media
allows us to examine the affects of intelligence in different domains while
also maintaining cohesiveness between our subjects. Michael Jordan, Madonna, Tiger Woods, and Rob Siegel have
all established themselves as masters of their respective domains in the
post-modern era.
Howard Gardner chose representatives from the modern
era for his model of the seven intelligences. Freud was deemed a prime example of the intra-personal
intelligence for his work with the human mind in reaction to thoughts and
dreams. We strongly agree with
Gardner’s suggestion that Freud was also strong in the linguistic
intelligence. For his creative
ideas to be comprehensively expressed, as in his book, The Interpretation of
Dreams, he
had to find a way to explain radical new ideas in a logical and coherent
manner. Picasso’s legendary
artwork and invention of cubism places him at the top of the special
intelligence as a maker. However,
as depicted in the move, Surviving Picasso, Pablo Picasso also was at
ease interacting with other people in social settings, which is a sign of his
strong interpersonal intelligence.
In the field of bodily movement, Martha Graham undoubtedly possessed an
unmatched intelligence in dance.
The publication of The Notebooks of Martha Graham showed her ability to
express her dance movements verbally, a display of her excellent linguistic
intelligence. With his ability to
influence others and garner a following, Gandhi made strides in the
interpersonal intelligence.
Gardner also believes that Gandhi was proficient in the linguistic
intelligence, stating “few other leaders in any era have laid out their
innermost thoughts more candidly than Gandhi. Throughout his writings, and particularly in his
autobiographical Experiments with Truth, Gandhi reviewed his own behavior, thoughts,
and motivations with precision and sincerity.” (Gardner 336).
Our goal is to show that our examples from the
post-modern era exhibited a similar range of intellectual prowess, which helped
them establish themselves as domain masters.
Robert Siegel, in
addition to the other employees at the Onion, is definitely quite proficient in
the intrapersonal realm of intelligence.
First and most obviously, Siegel must be comfortable enough with
himself, and confident enough to be prepared for the inevitable criticism he
will garner from the articles he publishes in the Onion and reprints in his
“best of” books. Headlines such as
“’98 Homosexual Recruitment Drive Nearing Goal,” God Answers Prayers of
Paralyzed Little Boy: ‘No,’ Says God,” and “Christ Kill 2, Injures 7 in
Abortion Clinic Attack” (Siegel, 2001) all indicate that the staff at the Onion
is prepared to take even the worst of any conservative lambasting with a grain
of salt. For example, when the
Onion ran an article introducing “New Smokable Nicotine Sticks” as a
revolutionary alternative for smokers, many doctors and smokers called up the
Onion asking where they could obtain such a product for their patients. “You can get them anywhere,” skeptical
Onion workers replied, “they’re called cigarettes” (Schillinger, 1997).
As this humorous situation has illustrated, Siegel must have incredible
self-assurance to be able to publish such potentially offensive and misleading
articles with a clear conscious.
In addition to their
self-assurance, the Onion staffers must really be able to understand themselves
to create such novel and poignant pieces.
Every Tuesday, the entire staff meets to discuss new article ideas for
the next week’s issue of the print newspaper. During these meetings, each writer contributes their own
ideas, inspired not by “malevolent glee, but by serious personal problems, evil
politicians, and the sad state the world is in” (Schillinger, 1997). These writers, Siegel included, can use
personal distress as internal motivation for their incredibly novel literary
creations every week. Being able
to convert internal distress into a successful career is clear evidence of a
strong intrapersonal intelligence.
Rob Siegel is as
interpersonally intelligent as a person can get. His business
is
based mainly on communicating an entertaining message to people looking for his
unique variety of humor. This is evidenced by all of the prestigious awards the
Onion has amassed over the past four years, topped off by the 1999 Thurber Prize for American Humor, an
annual award given to “the author and publisher of the outstanding book of
humor writing published in the United States” (Thurber House, 2001). The original book, Our Dumb Century,
was the recipient of the award, based on the humorous facetious accounts of
important historic events. The
same book also topped the New York Times Bestseller list in 1999 when it was
first released, and stayed there for a number of weeks (the Onion.com,
2001). The Onion’s awards are not
limited to proficiency in the field of print journalism and publishing,
however. In the past two years, the Onion’s web-based edition of their
newspaper has been gaining popularity and winning its share of awards as
well. Between winning the
“Entertainment Site of the Year” award from the Academy of Arts and Sciences
and the 2000 Webby Award and People’s Choice Award for “Best Humor Site,” the
Onion has been trying to beef up their internet system to handle the now six
million hits a week they receive on their web page (theOnion.com, 2001).
However many awards the
Onion may have amassed over the years, none of it would have been possible
without a great deal of teamwork among members of the Onion’s staff. As mentioned earlier, the staff meets
every Tuesday to brainstorm for potential future stories for the next week’s
paper. During these meetings there
is a degree of competition among the writers; each one is trying to have his
story picked, and eventually be able to actually write the story he
proposed. Although there may be
one writer in charge of actually writing the first draft of a story, it is then
edited by up to five or six other writers, and possibly changed even more after
that. This means that almost every
Onion staff writer has at least a small part in each story, making
interpersonal communication a must.
Rob Siegel must somehow oversee this anarchic melee of writing,
mediating the communications between writers and keeping things in order. “We’re like a family,” Siegel explains,
“There are stretches of time where we just hate each other” (Schillinger,
1997). Even though there is a
great deal of tension from time to time in the Onion offices, Siegel seems to
do a good job of harnessing this emotion in his writers to create a really
great end result that makes millions laugh every week.
As the editor-in-chief
of a humor newspaper staffed with talented comedy writers, Siegel must excel in
the verbal/linguistic intelligence.
The ability to come up with something novel, or unexpected, is first and
foremost the job of any group of comedy writers. Unless a group can offer something brand new, or something
old presented in an unexpected fashion, they will not achieve very widespread
success. However the Onion has
perfected their own unique style of comedy. They use the template of a very straightforward, serious
sounding newspaper style, and combine it with ridiculously outrageous invented
news stories to create a perfect mix of seriousness and frivolity that appeals
to a wide range of people.
Although the largest demographic of people reading the Onion (31.78% of
all readers) are between the ages of 35 and 49, a great deal (22.53% of all
readers) of college kids between the ages of 18 and 24 are laughing it up every
week as well. And of all the
readers, 23.09% have some form of postgraduate degree, showing that the Onion’s
linguistic style appeals to both casual average people, and highly educated
adults. This is doubtlessly a
direct result of the verbal/linguistic talents of Rob Siegel and all of the
writers on the Onion’s staff.
No newspaper is
complete without telling photos to accompany a juicy story, and the Onion is no
exception. Rob Siegel, as
editor-in-chief, has the final word on which pictures go with which
stories. He does a fine job of
judging which picture are appropriate for a given story.
Every picture in the Onion is carefully and
purposefully placed to add just the right amount of support to the hilarious
stories. The Onion staff
creates, shoots, and digitally edits (if they need to) all of their own unique
pictures for stories in the paper.
Even though it may not have been what made the Onion so popular, it
certainly has entertained the readers even more, showing Rob Siegel and the
other Onion staffers’ proficiency in the visual/spatial realm of intelligence
as well.
Interpersonal:
As the first significant African American,
Tiger Woods has done a tremendous job of drawing a new crowd to PGA Tour
galleries. When he first turned
pro at the Greater Milwaukee Open he is remembered for saying, “Hello World,”
but little did anyone know how true that statement would be. In fact golf has become so popular that
in 1999, Tiger and fellow golf superstar David Duval participated in the first
golf match live in prime time at the Motorola Showdown at Sherwood in Thousand
Oaks to which he won $1.1 million of which he gave $200,000 to charity (St.
Andrews 12). Tiger though usually
focused on the course will usually spark the crowd with a fist pump or his
trademark smile which has made him a hit in his popular Nike commercials where
he bounces a ball repeatedly on his club and then hits it baseball style 150
yards. In the 1999 Memorial
Tournament while in the intense heat of weekend competition, he hit two 2-iron
shots on the green of a 539-yard par 5.
While the crowd gasped in awe he turned to them and cracked, “chicks dig
the long ball.” The fact that he
could say such a thing under tremendous pressure proves why he is marketing
dream. In fact he feels that the
PGA Tour cannot survive without him.
Statistically this seems true.
In 1995, the year before Woods turned pro, the tour’s annual prize money
was $62.2 million. In the year
2000, it was $157 million, an increase of $94.8 million in just five short
years (texnews.com 4-5). This is
due almost single handedly due to Woods’ appearance in tournaments. For example, the 2000 PGA Championship
in which he battled Sergio Garcia posted a 7.7 overnight Nielsen rating and an
18 share, the highest mark since 1986.
It was a 26 percent increase over the 1999 tournament won by the
lesser-known Vijay Singh (synchrocanada.com 1). Basically when Tiger Woods is not lurking near the top of
the leader board, the tournament is insignificant. In the year 2000, arguably his most successful, the PGA’s
ratings went up another 9 percent, including 19 percent on Sundays, when other
sports like baseball, football, and basketball deteriorated (medialifemagazine
1).
Woods has also done a great deal of charity
work through The Tiger Woods Foundation established in 1996. The Foundation “empowers young people
to reach their highest potential by initiating and supporting community based
programs that promote the health, education and welfare of all of America’s
children.” Woods has interacted
with over 85,000 kids through golf clinics, motivational speeches, and
educational programs. Since its
inception, the Tiger Woods Foundation has contributed to 132 youth programs in
68 cities throughout 30 states (twfound.com 1-2). Tiger Woods has made an old man’s game cool to younger
generations, simply through his selfishness and flashy grin.
Intrapersonal:
In the 1996 Texas Open, Tiger Woods spoke
with shocking honesty. “I never
play for second. The idea is to
win the damn thing” (world.std.com 1).
It is this mentality combined with his great physical talent that makes
him the most prolific golf champion in the last twenty years. It’s also what makes the great Jack
Nicklaus say things such as, “I don’t know if anybody can play the way he
does.” This is remarkable for
Woods to hear things like this because a young Woods kept records of Nicklaus
in his bedroom as a motivating factor.
In the 1999 Memorial, Tiger said, “I remember looking up to Jack,
watching him hit those powerful shots.
I hoped someday I could win as many titles as he did. I’ve tried to
challenge myself to do the things he did” (texnews 2). W Realizing that Tiger was a special
talent at age 7; Earl made him listen to subliminal tapes to prepare him for
golf’s mental challenges. He also
performed “psychological warfare” by coughing, laughing, yelling, screaming,
moving, running, and jumping while Tiger was swinging to distract him. Surprisingly in 1999, Woods made
alterations in his swing despite the fact that he had great success his first
few years on tour. “The changes I
was making in my game were going to be beneficial down the long haul. Knowing that, I just had to be patient
with it” (texnews 2). Despite the
fact that large amounts of money can be won in a tournament, that’s not what
motivates Tiger. “The driving force
in my life is to get my game every time I tee it up so I have a chance on the
back nine on Sunday to win.” More
surprisingly, Woods even while on top of his game beats balls on the driving
range for hours. After coming in
the clubhouse with the lead in the 1997 Masters, he left a room full of eager
reporters waiting for a news conference while he hit two bags of balls. “I can always get better. There were a couple of shots I hit out
there that I didn’t like” (texnews 1).
Dominant Intelligence:
Tiger Woods is obviously a master in the
bodily kinesthetic intelligence.
Born December 31, 1975 in Orange County California, his father Earl
Woods introduced him to the game almost immediately, and by the age of two he
was already a star, appearing on “CBS News” and the “Mike Douglas Show”,
putting with the legendary Bob Hope.
The next year he shot a 48 for nine holes at the Navy Golf Club in
Cypress, California. At age five
he appeared on “That’s Incredible”, and he made his first birdie at age 6. Naturally
Tiger had no troubles being the most dominant player in Junior Golf. He won the Optimist International
Junior World Championship six times at the age of eight, nine, twelve,
thirteen, and fourteen, fifteen.
At age fourteen, he competed in a Tournament in Paris, France and was
named the Southern California Player of the Year. At fifteen, he was the youngest ever to win the U.S. Junior
Amateur Championship and repeated as champion the next two years, the only
player to have accomplished this feat.
That same year he won the AJGA player of the year award, the Golf Digest
Player of the Year, the Titleist-Golfweek National Amateur of the Year, and was
named a first team Rolex Junior All-American. At age sixteen he won many of these same awards, and
participated in his first professional event The Nissan Los Angeles Open, and
won the first of his three successive Golf World Player of the Year
Awards. At the age of 17 he won
the Dial Award given to the top national high school male athlete for
1993. That year he also accepted a
full scholarship to Stanford University, an honor reflecting not only his
tremendous golfing ability but also his academic achievements.
Even in the highly competitive college
atmosphere he met no competition.
In his first event at Stanford he won the William Tucker
Invitational. That year he also
played in three PGA Tour events, won the Western Amateur, and became the
youngest champion of the US Amateur unquestionably the most significant
tournament for an amateur. At the
end of the year he was named the PAC-10 Player of the Year, a First Team
All-American, and Stanford’s Male Freshmen of the Year for all sports. That summer he won his second US
Amateur, and came back to school to win the Fred Haskins and Jack Nicklaus
College Players of the Year awards.
He even won the Al Master Award presented to an outstanding Stanford
athlete for attaining the highest standards of athletic performance,
leadership, and academic achievement.
The next year when he won his third consecutive US Amateur, the question
wasn’t whether was to go pro, but rather when will he go pro? Weeks later he debuted as a pro, and
shortly after won his first professional event, The Las Vegas Invitational, and
the next month won his second the Walt Disney Golf Classic. He earned $932,244 to finish 25th on
the PGA Tour, second highest ever for a rookie, which is even more incredible
because this was accomplished in half of the season. It was with this meteoric rise to the top that Tiger Woods
established himself as one of the most popular athletes in the past
century.
The next year at age 21, he won $2,440,832
in prize money, not to mention countless millions in endorsements with Nike,
Titleist, and Buick. He won five worldwide tournaments including the Masters
Tournament regarded as one of the four “major championships” of the golfing
season in which he broke the scoring record. He became not only the youngest champion, but also the first
to descend from African or Asian heritage. He set a record with five victories in his first 16 events as
a professional, and became the second youngest ever to reach. In these 16 events he also reached
$2,000,000 in earnings faster than any person. In only his 42nd week as a professional he became
the youngest player to become number one in the world rankings. The next year he won $2,927,006
worldwide and won two more tournaments.
1999 was a breakthrough year for Woods. He became only the second golfer (and
the seventh person in history) to win the Associated Press Male Athlete of the
Year twice. He was voted as the
PGA Player of the Year, and won the Byron Nelson Award and Vardon Trophy for
having the lowest scoring average (68.43 strokes per round). He earned an astonishing $7,681,625
worldwide which was 100.2% more than the closest competitor. He won nine individual tournaments
including four in a row, and set a record for career victories by any player by
the age of 23 (St. Andrews 1-12).
In 2000, he again finished first on the money list and won 9 more times,
including the U.S Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship, which gave
him victories in all four majors.
In 2001, he was won seven more times in what many have regarded as an
off year. His win at the Masters
in April gave him the current possession of all four major trophies at the
time. (Golf channel 1-2). With 34 career victories including six
majors already and assuming he stays healthy, Tiger makes Jack Nicklaus’ record
of 18 major championships seem within reach.
She has sold over 140 million albums worldwide. She has released just over 60 hit
singles, a dozen of which have topped the charts at number 1. She has won countless awards: MTV Awards, Rolling Stone Awards,
American Music Awards, Grammy Awards, the list goes on… She has experimented with many sounds and
styles, from sultry slow songs, to lively techno beats, and has succeeded time
after time. She has sold out
arenas in five world tours from 1985 to the present, including the 1990 Blond
Ambition Tour. She released her
self-titled debut in 1983, and this year, 20+ albums later, released her
greatest hits, Volume II. Her
musical talents cannot be denied.
She has worked her way into homes across the world on a first name
basis: she is Madonna
While she is most recognized for her musical
intelligence, Madonna’s skills vary widely across Gardner’s scale of intelligences. She was originally promising in the
bodily/kinesthetic intelligence, attending the University of Michigan on a
dance scholarship. From there, she
set off to join a modern dance troupe in New York City. It was only later that she discovered
her singing talents. When a
dancer’s wages no longer made ends meet, she was forced to audition for small
Broadway and off Broadway parts.
“I’m glad that it turned out this way,” Madonna said in a 1999 interview
on Larry King Live, “because as a singer, I can use all of my dance
training. And I think that singing
is much more of an emotional expression.”
At the opposite end of the bodily/kinesthetic spectrum, Madonna has won
many awards for her acting, appearing in seventeen movies since 1979.
Madonna also displayed
proficiency in the more academic intelligences: verbal/linguistic intelligence
and logical/mathematical intelligence.
She tested in at a moderately high IQ of 140, and has collaborated in
the writing of many of her songs, even writing some on her own.
Madonna also
experimented briefly with the visual/spacial intelligence. Her 1992 book entitled Sex contains “artistic”
photographs of her in provocative positions.
How
has Madonna survived as a pop super-star for two decades? Her interpersonal intelligence is the
key. Madonna understands how to
get the public’s attention…and how to hold it. Speaking of her book, Madonna said it was “an ironic
tongue-in-cheek, sticking-my-tongue-out-at-society photo essay… It pissed a lot of people off,
too.” But it worked and people
reacted to it. These somewhat
taboo extremes that Madonna went to created just enough controversy for her to
hold the spotlight, but not be banned from public view. Madonna understands this carefully
balanced relationship, and through the years has drastically re-invented
herself several times to stay ahead of a changing society. Even after her final performance, she
will continue to affect the pop-culture scene. We can already see young pop princess Britney Spears
following in her footsteps.
Madonna’s ability to
relate to others as well as her leadership skills are also apparent in her
business career. She signed a
contract with Time Warner, Inc. to create her own record, publishing, and
motion picture company and has established herself as a marketing
phenomenon.
How does Madonna balance such a full life? Her strong understanding of herself,
Gardner’s intrapersonal intelligence, keeps her centered. Madonna said of herself, “I’m a normal
height. I have a normal
figure. I don’t sing any better
than other people. In fact, there
isn’t anything on the outside of me that is in any way abnormal. I think it’s
what’s underneath, on the inside that’s not normal.” Her down to earth perception is key in a world that is
constantly rattled by publicists.
She knows when she needs time off and is not afraid to take a time-out,
particularly for family. (She is a
devoted mother.) Madonna also
explores her spirituality. She was
raised a Christian. While she
maintains some of those beliefs, she recently began studying Kabbalah, a Jewish
tradition.
Michael Jordan’s
interpersonal skills are expressed in many aspects of his life, especially in
his relationship with his fans and with his teammates. Michael Jordan is a role model, and he
is admired by people all over the globe.
When participating in an exhibition game in Paris, Michael had large crowds
waiting outside his hotel just to catch a glimpse of him. He has lost all anonymity, and is
arguably the most recognizable person in the world. His skills and charming personality have drawn many
followers and he works hard to give these people a person to admire and
emulate. He works closely with charities like the Ronald McDonald House and
helped establish the James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club and Family Life Center
in Chicago in memory of his father.
He also worked to help create the Jordan Institute for Families at the
University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, part of the School of Social Work,
in order to help strengthen families.
Jordan is an exceptional leader and works arduously to help other people
and set a good example for his fans.
He has also been seen
as an ambassador of African-Americans to the public. Tom George, senior VP at the Advantage sports agency, said
“I give credit to Michael Jordan for proving to Madison Avenue that blacks can
sell to mainstream America.” His
good interpersonal skills make him a great spokesperson. In the first year Nike’s Air Jordans
were released, they grossed 130 million dollars. He has been a black entertainer constantly in the public,
and despite minor gambling troubles, he has been a good figure for people of
all races to look up to.
A different outlet for
Michael’s interpersonal intelligence is in the relationship with his
peers. As a master of his sport,
he excels in helping to show the newcomers the intricacies of basketball. When making the announcement that he
was returning to basketball, Michael said he looks forward to the “opportunity
to teach our young players and help them elevate their game to a higher
level.” As great as Michael Jordan
is, basketball is a team sport. He
would not have achieved success without interacting well with the other four
people on the court and communicating well with the coaches. He has the ability to motivate
teammates. He convinces mediocre
players they are capable of greatness which elevates his team’s play and makes
them unstoppable.
Michael Jordan’s
mastery of the intrapersonal intelligence is unquestionable. Throughout his life he has shown that
he knows what his strengths and weaknesses are, and he is able to push himself
to become the greatest player ever.
An obstacle like being cut from his high school varsity basketball team
his sophomore year did not make him question his abilities or quit a game he
enjoyed. He worked harder than
ever. His high school physical
education teacher, Ruby Sutton, said “Michael would be at school before I
would. Every time I’d come in and
open these doors, I’d hear the basketball. Most mornings I had to run Michael out of the gym.”
Later in his career,
Michael’s talents were not in question, but his health was. In Game 5 of the NBA finals against the
Utah Jazz in 1997, Jordan was sick with flu-like symptoms. His teammates questioned whether he
would be well enough to play, and he probably wasn’t. But he played nonetheless. Michael pushed himself, despite physical weakness, to score
thirty-eight points and hit the game winning shot with twenty-five seconds
left. He convinced himself that he
could play, and in a condition that would force most people into bed forced
Michael to be at his best on the biggest stage of his sport.
Finally, Michael has
recently decided to come back to basketball at the age of 38, and he has been
met with much criticism. His
intrapersonal strength has allowed him to return to the game he loves and he
has said that he looks forward to the challenge ahead of him. Most people are not secure enough with
what they desire and they are influenced too easily by others. Michael, however, knows what he wants
and he will not let anyone stand in his way.
Being voted the
greatest North American athlete of the twentieth century by ESPN’s
Sportscentury panel is a good indication that Michael Jordan is a master of the
kinesthetic intelligence. When he
was twelve years old, he pitched several no-hitters leading his Wilmington, NC
team to the Eastern Regional Final of the little league world series. Since then, the only weakness in his
athletic ability was when he was cut from the varsity team in high school. The coach admits that he knew Jordan
was good but he just wasn’t as tall as the other guys. As soon as Jordan had his growth spurt,
he become unstoppable.
At North Carolina, Michael averaged 17.7 points and
helped lead them to a national championship. He was picked third in the NBA draft, and in eleven full
seasons in the NBA, Jordan led the league in scoring ten times. He has also been selected to the
All-Defensive First Team nine times.
He was the second person in history to score more than 3,000 points in a
season. His 31.5 points per game
scoring average is the highest in NBA history. Michael is also in amazing shape. His conditioning has been superb, and he let the league in
minutes played for three straight seasons. The average American male’s percentage of body fat is 15-20%. The average professional athlete’s is
7-8%. Michael Jordan’s body fat
was measured at 4% (Kiger 2001).
When you are good at something, you are compared to
the best. When you are the best,
to whom can people compare you?
After an unbelievable 68-point playoff performance by Jordan, Larry Bird
said “That was God disguised as Michael Jordan.”
Speaking of Jordan, Bill Walton said “When you’re
really great, you believe you can do anything.” Luckily for Jordan, not only does he believe he can do
anything, he has the physical ability to do it. His leaping ability, hand-eye coordination, speed,
conditioning, and muscle strength make him the greatest athlete in history and
puts him at the top of the kinesthetic intelligence.
Already seen as
proficient in the interpersonal, intrapersonal, and kinesthetic intelligences,
Michael Jordan also possesses some other intelligences they may not be apparent
to the casual fan.
Although numerous books
have been written about Michael, he has helped to write a few. I Can’t Accept Not Trying: Michael
Jordan and the Pursuit of Excellence and For the Love of the Game are two examples of books
that were received well. It is
possible that readers were simply interested in hearing what Jordan had to say
and thus were not critical of the writing in the books. Nonetheless, he does a good job of
expressing his thoughts in writing and shows he has a notable verbal/linguistic
intelligence.
Another intelligence that Jordan clearly
demonstrates is the visual/spatial intelligence. This can be seen with his keen understanding of the game of
basketball. Chicago Bulls former
assistant coach Tex Winter in considered a coaching genius and devised what is
known as the “triangle offense.”
This deals with a complicated scheme of where players should be
positioned and also involves a lot of passing. Jordan’s ability to run this offense shows that he
understood the arrangement in space of the players. His ability to thread the ball to other players, read the defense,
and drive to the basket all require strong visual/spatial ability.
Conclusion
The one commonality between our entertainers
is that they all exhibit strong interpersonal and intrapersonal
intelligences. Although these
qualities may not be essential to achieve stardom, they are needed in order to
maintain success. Michael Jordan,
Rob Siegel, Tiger Woods, and Madonna have all proven themselves masters of
their dominant intelligence.
Concurrently, they displayed heightened proficiency in other intelligences,
leading to their prolonged achievement.
Supporting this theory is the inability of
those without interpersonal or intrapersonal intelligences to enjoy a long
career. Kurt Cobain, a maker in
the musical intelligence, lacked intrapersonal skills. His failure to cope with his fame,
fans, and family ultimately contributed to his downfall. His suicide suggested a lack of
understanding of himself and cut short what could have been many more years of
success.
Deficient of a strong interpersonal intelligence,
John Rocker’s baseball career has been less than expected considering his
abilities. With a fastball in the
high ninety’s, he should have no trouble establishing himself as a dominating
pitcher in the major leagues.
However, his statements regarding
minorities have distracted from his career and force him to pitch in a hostile
environment every day. His demise
has been his incapacity to work well with teammates, since they don’t support
his opinions.
In conclusion, we support Howard Gardner’s
postulate that a master or maker in one intelligence will likely possess
strengths in many other intelligences.
Reference
List
Gardner,
Howard. Creating Minds. 1993. BasicBooks: New York, NY.
Dispatches
from the Tenth Circle: the Best of the Onion. ed: Robert Siegel, three Rivers Press: New York, NY.
2001.
“Media
Information Page,” the Onion Media Kit Page. http://mediakit.theonion.com/internet_traffic.html. the Onion, last accessed November 12,
2001.
“National
Presence Thurber Prize.”
2001. http://www.thurberhouse.org/prize/.
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