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Rhetorical Devices Analysis
All through the years, football has been a cherished sport for most Americans. It has been attaining immense popularity since its establishment. Colleges and various educational institutions have taken a particular interest in football with the belief that it is worth investing in compared to other sports. These institutions have spent a lot of money on recruiting, planning football events and various equipment. In the article “Get Football out of our Universities,” author Steven Salzberg at Forbes addresses his arguments concerning the nationally acknowledged sport. Steven Salzberg makes a strong point with the use of several rhetorical devices to prove his claim about why football should not be allowed in all American universities. This essay is going to touch on various Rhetorical devices employed by Steven Salzberg in his essay “Get Football Out of Our Universities.”
The author has employed the use of logical reference in his article as a rhetorical device. He supports his claims and concerns with various real-world examples concerning football and its effects on the nation. For instance, Salzberg states, “universities are providing for the super-wealthy owners of professional football teams while getting little in return” (Salzberg 1). It is a logical appeal since the author is informing the audience about the economic choices the American schools are developing. The author talks about how the marginal cost is more than the marginal profit, telling his audience that the universities are gaining less and losing more. The writer has also introduced a personal instance from his university about his views on football. He states that new president paying out 2mllion to the old football coach is a wrong move since the money should preferably be used in education.
The author has occasionally employed logos in the article. He states that “Nothing else can explain how we spend so much money and time on football, which contributes almost nothing to students’ education, while academic departments are cutting faculty and staff” (Salzberg 3). Salzberg is presenting his argument for the reason behind the unjust distribution of resources between academic departments and sports departments. He reasons out to the audience through logic and states that the reason for the injustice is because football has so much power over institutions.
The author’s constant use of pathos results in the readers questioning the decisions made by the universities to incorporate sports in the learning institutions. Additionally, the author also states, “President Obama is right: students do come from all over the world to study in our universities. But they don’t come because of the football teams…” (Salzberg 3). This quote cannot be disputed in any way since the sole purpose of universities is to provide education and not entertainment. The author also goes ahead to explain how football does not benefit the American states. He states that football only serves as an entertainment and its disappearance will not be of much impact when compared to science and technology. He says,” If we stop producing scientists, other countries will make the discoveries that solve the technological, medical, and engineering problems of the future, and that form the basis for great civilizations…”
The author employs the use of ethos in the article. He compares America to other states that do not practice football. The author says that countries such as India and China are educating the children early and for a long time, unlike American universities that spend so much time in various sports especially football. In the article, the author also clearly states that America will in future be nothing more than a big dumb jock that is only good for entertainment during the weekends. By the use of ethos, the author gives the audience a clear picture of how the American future will be, compared to other nations, if the universities do not stop the practice of football.
The author also uses connotations to impact the audience’s emotional feelings. The author states that America will be nothing other than a big, dumb jock if the universities keep practicing football. He symbolizes America’s future with a big, dumb jock portraying a vivid image of how much America’s future is at jeopardy due to the practice of football rather than the study of science and technology which according to the author is of more importance. This trigger emotional feelings of the author’s audience.
The author employs the use of empirical evidence and sources to support his claim of prohibiting football in the universities. When the author says “…It is undermining our education system and hurting our competitiveness in technology, science, and engineering…”(Salzberg 1), the audience knows it to be true because it can be observed and experienced. Also, the author employs a harsh tone all through the article which conveys the viewpoint of the author on football in universities to the audience.
In conclusion, Steven Salzberg has set up an outstanding stance in the use of rhetorical devices, his tone, and sources to establish facts about why football should not be allowed in universities. He uses rhetorical devices throughout his article and employs the use of personal examples and events in support of his claim. The use of logos, ethos, and pathos, are continuously employed throughout the article to support the claim as to why football should not be permitted in schools. The author has robustly validated his claim as to why football should be banned in universities.
Work Cited
Salzberg, Steven. Get Football Out of Our Universities. Forbes, 2011