The Ball of Rhetoric
Rhetoric is like the ball in any sport. It gets all the players involved and communicating with each other. Every team comes together and in order to play they must communicate with each other to win. Without the ball they are disconnected individuals. Rhetoric is what makes up the conversation which could sometimes lead to trying to persuade the other team in a different direction. It stirs the communication without the words there is only silence and with that defeat.
In sports the ball gets everyone at the game communicating in different ways from the players to the fans. Each team has their own play book. This book is a list of possible ways of scoring the ball. Each player is responsible for understanding their role in the play and also must know how to communicate to the others in the correct ways. The team could also use these plays to confuse or persuade the other team to go a different way, hopefully with a different result in their favor.
The fans get very involved each season. They know all the information and lingo of their favorite players and teams. Many get so rowdy they argue and try to persuade others of who they think are the great players and awesome teams. Each fan makes their own decisions and opinions despite many persuasive advertisements that try to persuade them against their own loyal favorites.
Advertisements at each sporting event, sponsoring the teams or plays to help place their own goals and rhetoric on the ball. These sponsors are always trying to persuade the fans to buy their products in the name of the game. Many go as far as to incorporate the most popular plays to sell their products for them. This way they can almost ensure a certain percentage of their sales. I cannot help but to think of how after every Super bowl win one person always asks a winner player, “What are you going to do next?” and each player always answers, “I am going to Disneyland!” I am sure we have all heard this by now, but the advertisement of that phrase alone is trying to persuade the average person to go to Disneyland because that is where the winners of the Super bowl go and you have a chance of running into them. Things like this playing off the popularity of the sport involving the ball.
Coaches and Managers are also highly involved in the communication of the ball to the players and to the fans. Coaches use their knowledge and rhetoric in finding suitable players to join their teams every season. Once the season has begun they use their rhetoric to communicate with the players and give them direction at the appropriate times, coordinating with the captains and other coaches to fulfill their desired outcome for each game. Timing is a big part of sports. With the timing comes great communication of the rhetoric they have all learned from the ball in play.
The managers use their rhetoric of the ball to push their players and teams into the spotlight. They persuade fans to favor teams and players with advertisements and promotions and getting them out into the world in a more public way. Their own personal knowledge of the rhetoric helps them finding the appropriate times when to put certain teams or players in the limelight.
All of these work together using the ball of rhetoric to be involved and current in their desires for the season. By the use of rhetoric for each individual involved they are not only communicating with each other but often times trying to persuade others of their own goals. The ball brings them all together picking and choosing things for the appropriate time and place and the possibility of seeing things from a different perspective if giving the right information using rhetoric.
