De Crèvecœur - Americans Re-made and Renewed

"Here the rewards of his industry follow, with equal steps, the progress of his labour."

An American Re-Made - Isiah Thomas

In this quotation de Crèvecœur is expressing the ideal that is so intrinsic with the myth of America and the American Dream it could arguably be considered the foundation block, that with hard work one can achieve social mobility and success. In the picture above you find Isiah Thomas, a 12-time NBA All-Star and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a man considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, who long before his sporting success was born into relative poverty in one of Chicago's poorest neighbourhoods, who famously earned a scholarship to St. Josephs High School that required him to travel more than 90 minutes each way. Who through "the progress of his labour" in basketball managed to re-make himself and achieve the success many can only dream of. Although this is an extreme example, it is a great example of an American achieving the "rewards of his industry" through the "progress of his labour," albeit I highly doubt de Crèvecœur was talking about basketball when he wrote the letter. 

Americans Renewed - Curse of the Bambino

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnqbf2Vpv0

While hard work and "progress of... labour," can lead to success, the nature of sport being the way it is, there are always going to be winners and losers and when the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth (known as "The Bambino") to the New York Yankees on January 3rd 1920 they embarked on one of the worst championship droughts in sporting history going 84 years without winning the World Series. "How can it pervade every corner , as they were driven there by misfortunes," and while de Crèvecœur may have been talking about the "Last inhabited districts" when he wrote the letter it fits the Red Sox perfectly, as this idea of a curse seemed to forever relegate them to perpetual failure, leading to wacky attempts to break the curse - including attempted exorcisms and the rescuing of a piano supposedly owned by Ruth - however it was finally broken with the "progress of... labour" when the Sox came from 3-0 down to beat the Yankees in the ALCS and reach the 2004 World Series, in which they swept the St. Louis Cardinals to win for the first time in 84 years, finally receiving the "rewards of... industry," and finally renewing the Red Sox's and their fans with success - the result of hard work throughout the 2004 season - see youtube link.