Examine the following paragraphs with special attention to the wording of each.  How would you revise the wording to be more precise?

1. The image of the African-American basketball player has created a stereotype that portrays these individuals as simply athletes.  The perception that African Americans are better basketball players than whites is a negative stereotype.  What is a negative stereotype?  Basically, a negative stereotype is an overall view of society (like gossip) that is not necessarily true but that picks out the negatives and limits chances for people.  Researchers have defined in many ways that this stereotype is not true.  Furthermore, the research that I have done gave me the opportunity to be able to identify the truth of the stereotypes, additionally; I also was able to identify the reasons taht lead people to believe that they are true.  In correlation to the scholarly journals used, I was able to come up with my own definition of African Americans in relation to sports.
    
2. “For thousands of years,” wrote 1960s world champion surfer Fred Hemmings, “cultures living and prospering on the coastlines of the world’s great oceans viewed waves as an adversary of nature” (Gault-Williams).  For all this time the waves were regarded as enemies, the Polynesians saw the excitement in them.  Dated back around 2000 B.C., the Polynesians utilized these waves to travel, explore, and survive.  Once they reached the coasts of Hawaii, they established the credentials necessary for becoming an acceptable seaman -- one of those credentials? -- surfing.  As surfing became established as an activity, its popularity augmented.  “While there is no specific date as to when the first wave was ever surfed, it is generally known that by the 1700s Hawaiians had begun to amaze foreign sailors and explorers with their wave riding skills” (Aguerre).  Ever since, surfers have left beachgoers in awe over their movements in the ocean and the sheer beauty of it all.  For centuries, surfing was more than a lifestyle; it was an obsession.
    
3. With the ever-growing popularity of sports in today’s culture and the very big money-making industry it has become, it is starting to evolve from just the fun pastimes it used to be.  The competition is fiercer now than it has ever been, and the athlete is always looking for an edge over his opponent.  One way of doing this is by taking sports supplements.  The taking of supplements brings a great deal of controversy with it, however.  It is important that the true meaning of sport is not effected by taking these supplements, and that the fairness between the competitors is upheld.  The most popular of the sports supplements in today’s time is creatine, which has grown in popularity ever since it’s much publicized use by many famous athletes, such as Mark McGwire.  Creatine is a safe and equitable supplement to be taken by athletes for the competition of sport.

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