This article may not belong in the sports pages, yet I believe the analysis I am about to draw out of both Lewis Hamilton's My Story and Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, will reveal common lines between the boy and the man who have revolutionized their fields be it motorsports or politics.
Lewis Hamilton was the first ever black person to become an Formula One driver, he also became the most succesful rookie driver of all times last season scoring 109 points, adding a second place in the driver's standings to show for it, and wow factor beyond and above...
Barack Obama, on the other side of the pond, has clinched the Democratic nommination thus becoming the first ever black person to lead a party into presidential elections in the U.S.A., an achievement considering he beat early favourite Hillary Clinton.
Obama Vs Hamilton
Is there a case to compare a 23 year old athlete who still gets daddy to manage him 24/7 and a family man taking his own decision in the biggest arenas of all only shadowed by advisors and strategist? I definitely think the comparison is appropriate. For although both men are at different stages of their lives and their fates will have different impacts on the world, they are both making huge personal sacrifices to commit to their causes, and both are looking to achieve big things.
It is more than interesting to notice that Hamilton's succesful season last year and Obama's succesful bid for the Democrat Party Nomination this year just goes to demonstrate the opportunity is there for racial minorities to get out there and change the world.
Lewis Hamilton has proven a black driver can hold his own in F1; in the face of harsh critics and racist fans taunting him, Lewis has shown great spirits in not allowing himself to drop, far from it. The same applies for Barack Obama, for he has rallied so many votes behind him, his direct rival Hillary Clinton who kicked off as clear favourite to represent the Democratic party this fall, got caught and overtaken by the Obamania; she had to concede defeat before this summer's Democrat party convention. She has furthermore endorsed Obama's candidacy offering her full support in an attempt to rally the whole party and her voters behind him, which in essence should boost Obama's chance to beat McCain.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Lewis Hamilton may not be running for the big seat in the White House next fall, in the same spirit Barack Obama may have dreamed of it but he is not competing for the Formula One World Driver's Championship; yet equally both men could learn from one another experience and how both made an impact in their respective field. And how their fates could have impact of gargantuan proportions.
Biography - My Story
In my view Lewis Hamilton's biography My Story was premature-An attempt by greedy sponsors to make big bucks selling the young man's first season as an F1 driver. Obviously there were some advantages to publishing this book so early for nobody had done what Lewis achieved beforehand. Add to that his golden boy image and wow factor plus the fact he is the first ever black racer and the most succesful rookie to have raced in F1 and you get the recipe for what should have been a treat of a tome!
However having read this book I was left disappointed by the content and how it was written. On the upside it was an opportunity to learn about Lewis and how he fought his way through hardships and injustice-almost getting himself kicked out of school just proves how tough he really is. The book is interesting until the halfway mark, when Lewis reminesces about last season. What struck me most though is how he praised his then team-mate Fernando Alonso, considering how the media emphasized the rivalry between the two drivers, it was a complete surprise.
Yet my verdict is I have not garnered much from this book that I could not already find on the internet. But also the fact Hamilton's biography coming out this early in his career could be seen as an insult to other great drivers who carefully planned theirs after being in the game for much longer.
An agenda for change - The Audacity of Hope
Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope is not a biography, but more of a manifesto. In this book Obama does introduce himself and some of the daily challenges he faced as a student (back then), a law lecturer, and most importantly as a family man! I personally enjoyed reading The Audacity of Hope for Obama clearly analyses both domestic and international issues the U.S. is currently embedded in and how he intends to fix the music!!! His writting style and the words he uses are ever more exquisit in comparison to Hamilton's biography; which is not a surprise considering he is a law lecturer and a senator too! Obama defends his views ever so well, with sound argumentation, an analytical mind of academia level; what we are left with with is a profound genuine sense things can change for the better. That the alternative is possible.
Furthermore The Audacity of Hope definitely deserves its New York Times Best Seller status. I personally felt revived with hope and optimism in the face of challenging times ahead, with the energy crisis, food prices on the rise, a more unstable global environment as a result of growing concerns in the face of the rise of new superpowers such as China and India, and international threats from terrorist cells. In that context alone Obama clearly understands that America's strategy in the fight on terror will have to change drastically.
Moreover how America will maintain its standing in the world and how we can all benefit from cooperation is another central theme to Obama's foreign policy. This stands as a dramatic alternative to years of Neo-Conservative doctrine of "do as we say or else"...
Conclusion
Both Obama and Hamilton have the chance to write a page of history of their own making; there's never been a black champion in Formula One nor has a black person ever been voted in President of the United States. If both succeed in their quest for silverware for the former and power for the latter, they will mark their names as the first to have achieved the respective feat.
I succinctly believe they could learn from one another's experience and would find they went through similar challenges. Despite diverging career paths these two men will find they both carry hopes and a new vision in the fields they currently compete.
Both men stand on the verge of writing history, all I can say is that I was very pleased with Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope whilst somewhat disappointed by Lewis Hamilton's My Story.
In the end the morality in all matters is: Yes we can...
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5 months ago
I like it ... I feel in this day and age race shouldnt be an issue but in many parts of the world it still seems to be and in world sport its a very VERY touchy issue, you can ask Michael Griffin about the battering he got on certain race issues on a football article, its certainly an issue most will steer clear of however you have managed to capture the issue, throw up some comparisons and to be fair its great to see that we are seeing so many firsts, the first black in F1 and the first black president maybe ... World ... Welcome to the 21st century ! Well done mate ... Risky but you seem to have hit the nail on the head ... Please accept this POTD and 5 stars for your efforts ... Well done that chap !
from 5 months ago
indeed, i did take a battering, but for different reasons. personally i didn't like obama, but now that clinton is gone, ill suport him, i guess. two examples of racial equality.
nice one.
from 5 months ago
Cheers Fellow
I do agree, race is a risky issue to bring sometimes; plus add oil to the flame with some politics on top of it hahaha, then again you liked it and you were not alone to that extent! thanks for the 5 star and POTD vote; your support is always appreciated!!!
5 months ago
Good piece...
But I would think a comparison between Lewis Hamilton and Tiger Woods would have been much more appropriate in keeping with the obvious theme of young black men breaking through and succeeding in a historically whites-only sport.
from 5 months ago
Yeah good point ... Would have made more sense but still, I think Alex captured what he was going for ?!
from 5 months ago
Hey Adam
I totally understand your point and yes comparing Woods with Hamilton would have made for a lengthier and to some extent more relevant article. However Obama and Hamilton have one thing in common : they haven't reached their final ambitions yet; whilst Woods is on the verge of becoming best ever, Hamilton has never won a driver's championship yet,( okay give the guy some credit he's only in his second season in F1) but you see where I'm going with this though.
Any regards I'll let you write the article Woods V Hamilton hahahah:)
5 months ago
I have read Hamilton's My Story and it did seem a bit early to release a book.
Its not a bad book by any means and there are alot of interesting thing he says about his first season in F1 including his relationship with Alonso throughout the season, his emotions in the last races of the season but it definitely isn't a page turner. He doesn't have that much to say and you can tell that from the fact the text is so big.
I have read far better books than this one, for instance I have DC's autobiography and that is a far better book with DC talking about his entire career and life off the track too. Its a very honest book too which makes it a much more satisfying read than Hamilton's My Story.
If you haven't read DC's autobiography(recently released) then I would reccommend it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Autobiography-David-Coulthard/dp/0752874926/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214035215&sr=8-2
from 5 months ago
I did not say it was a bad book. What I meant was I personally was disappointed with it. One of those books I read and just can't seem to be interested past a certain point. Other books like the audacity of hope will keep me awake till 3am until I finish reading them. All personal taste really... anyways I'm taking your considerations on board when I get the chance will get my hands on DC it is the way it is.. thanks for the recommendation.
5 months ago
Disappointment would certainly be the word I would use to describe Lewis's book so I agree with you there.
I am guessing it was a quick cash-in for the publishers more than anything else.
You get some autobiographies which are done really well and are very revealing and then the other group of autobiographies that are a quick cash-in for the publisher and not much effort put in. There is a fine line between the two.
Its great when you get an autobiography in the first category I mention.
from 5 months ago
Absolutely spot on there my friend
Problem with Lewis is that he's surrounded by greedy sponsors looking to "milk the cow" in any ways they possibly can; add to that the tabloid/media attention he gets here in the UK; hold that part of the sum for one moment and add to it the fact Lewis is the first ever black F1 driver + the most succesful rookie ever + the first to have had achieved over 100 points in first season + all sorts of achievements he did , times that with his golden image, the fact he is single as well and you get the recipe for big bucks big time profitability.
What I'm worried about is that Lewis's life is fast becoming a marketing tool for sponsors to ride on the back of, and his biography as you rightly mentioned was just another ride.. written way too quickly, not enough depth nor analysis in the book because let's face the goal was to make money, nothing more nothing less!!!!
I hope Lewis one day will turn this around before the tide turns on him!!!
5 months ago
Great comparison Alex! Both are yet to achieve that coveted crown
from 5 months ago
Hey sara, thanks for the POTD vote I appreciate that; and yes both are yet to get their hands on silverware and power lol!!!
5 months ago
I like this one, it is a prickly issue race isnt it? Even today, but perhaps with these two young guys racial differences are becoming smaller and less important in standing in the way of success. Finally! But those points people are making about My Story being premature, I just would like to point out a small thing I noticed in my local Waterstones this weekend. My Story sat on the shelf next to two other books. They were Jackie Stewarts Autobiography and a book about Jim Clark....
from 5 months ago
Your local waterstone has much more interesting reads. I tend to spend ages in the world history/ Current affairs aisle!! anyways that's just me. In any respect I still think My Story came out too soon not because Hamilton wanted to write it up but because greedy sponsors wanted to milk the cow and My Story is just a working example of that.
3 months ago
Obama, the man of empty promises a non existent voting record and the most dangerous man in America. This is who you chose to compare to a race driver, that has NOTHING in common with Obama. That is apart for the fact that they both have a motormouth and both are black. Although I feel you chose these two because of the later thing they have in common. You wanted to make it a race issue and nothing else, an issue that has no relevance to Barack Hamilton. Next you will be telling us that he lifted himself up from the bonds of slavery and racism to become this great racer. Race is not an issue here, they guy has lived a charmed life and in a strong team with a dominant car. Sensationalism for the sake of a response, is in poor taste.
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