Rhetorical Analysis: High School Football

The citizens in the small town of Odessa, Texas live for high school football. Most of their attention and resources are poured into this extracurricular activity, resulting in numerous drawbacks. To discover more about this phenomenon, H. G. Bissinger incorporates himself into the Odessa lifestyle and comes to the conclusion that focusing this much energy on football greatly affects the students academically, physically, and mentally. In a town so captivated by sports, this news could invoke disbelief and outrage, but Bissinger prevents this by using strategies to lessen the blow of his argument. Bissinger sympathizes with the citizens of Odessa and presents himself as a qualified and unbiased author as well as employs devices such as tone

In order to keep his audience considering his opinion, and to prevent his argument from turning into an attack, Bissinger must continue to recognize Odessa’s stance. Tone is a subtle way to display his empathy and remind his reader that he is not fighting against them. Bissinger describes “The family reunion atmosphere of each practice” (40). Using the words ‘family reunion’ connotes warmth and fun times with loved ones. His lighthearted tone proves that Bissinger is not wholeheartedly opposed to the idea of football, but rather sees some flaws that he feels need to be addressed. This ensures that the reader feels that their opinions are represented and prevents Bissinger’s argument from being too one-sided. Bissinger also takes this precaution when describing the players of the football team. Bissinger describes Booblie Miles when he was young, saying, “He had a thick lisp when he was growing up and a craving for honey buns” (62). Bissinger’s use of small, personal details conveys a level of caring and sympathy towards Boobie, as if he is a close friend or relative. Bissinger is careful to use a sympathetic tone when discussing all of the players on the team, who he knows the citizens of Odessa are wildly protective over. This lets the audience know that he is not attacking the players or pointing to them as the source of the problem, but rather suggesting ways in which the community can better itself to provide a safer environment for their beloved team. Bissinger makes sure to make it clear through his tone he is not attacking the phenomenon of the Friday night lights, and thus his reader is more accepting to his argument. Besides tone, Bissinger employs the use of quotes from a variety of