As long as there has been Pro-athletic sports and media, athletes has been interviewed countless times to gain their perspective as they excelled in their respective sport. Athlete interviews began with newspaper reporting. When the radio gained popularity, games would be broadcast as well as post-game interviews. Naturally, when televisions became a home staple, viewers could actually see the athlete's emotions. However, there are not many athletes who are trained in public speaking and may have trouble describing what they have just experienced or their current feelings. This issue is what the author, Joel Stein decided to address when he wrote the article, “110 Percent!” He felt as if athletes use a general, basic, unwritten script and he wanted to give at least one player some pointers. He was able to interview Ryan Clark, a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers who were waiting for the Super Bowl.
What is interesting about the article itself is that the author and the player talk about using rhetoric in their interviews and how having a lack of word play usually works best in order to avoid situations. Ryan Clark mentions that he tries not to draw attention to the team. He stated to a reporter that the only story in Pittsburgh is that the team has six Lombardi trophies and is trying to get another. The reporter turned out to be an employee for the New York Post, a newspaper who has a history of writing sensationalized articles. The reporter took Clark's comments and reworked them as “Steel City became Snob City yesterday when the snooty Steelers offered to let the poor, little Jets kiss their six rings.” Clark said that the Jets used it for motivation. “The Jets' LaDainian Tomlinson came to me at the beginning of the game and said, 'We don't care about your six trophies,'” and the Jets played a hard game because of those false quotes.
The New York Post author used several Rhetorical devices when that sentence was written. First, Ethos was used when the author used “snooty Steelers” and “six rings.” This Ad Hominem attack made the Pittsburgh Steelers look like a dominating, overconfident team who believed that they can beat the Jets without a sweat. This appeal to character helped out the Jets because most people who don't have a vested interest in a game will usually root for the underdog. The more people who root for a team, the more momentum and confidence that team will have.
The other rhetoric that is used is the Pathos, or the appeal to emotion. Again, the use of “snooty Steelers” and “poor little Jets” are used to get an emotional response from the reader. Any Jets fan will probably get angry over a comment like that because it appears as if Ryan Clark is trash talking and that the Jets have no chance.
In addition, the “quote” that the New York Post used is clearly an exaggeration. This tactic is also rhetoric because it can bring about all the different emotions I stated earlier from the reader. Most of the readers of the Post probably did not know what Clark originally said. Even the Jets players took the quote seriously and put up a bigger fight because of it (Stein).
Another device used in the quote that one can easily miss is the Alliteration of the letter S in the phrase. “Steel City because Snob City yesterday when the snooty Steelers offered to let the poor, little Jets kiss their six rings,” has eight significant S sounds. This technique is normally used in poetry and helps us remember terms such as “sink or swim,” or “bigger and better.” The alliteration helps readers remember the phrase, thus helps readers remember their emotional response.
Clark learned from his quote mistake and did not want to give out any more firepower to the opposing team. Joel Stein realized this because although he found Clark to be witty, Clark denied that the team was interesting and went so far as to call the Steelers, “a boring team,” when Stein stated that Clark used “boring-ass quotes.” Stein was sick of athletes stating that “they're going to play their own game, keep doing what they did to get there and give 110%.” A fine balance must be found between interesting quotes but avoiding language that can be misinterpreted.
Joel Stein realized that Ryan Clark will probably be interviewed several times during the two weeks before the Super Bowl, so he gave Clark a few pointers to punch up his quotes before the big game. The first strategy for Clark was to use humor as a response to questions. If any of the reporters asked Clark for any predictions on the game, his response should be that he's pretty sure the other two guys in the Black Eyed Peas aren't going to get a lot of camera time (Stein). The Rhetorical device that is used in that answer is the Red Herring. It is used to divert attention from the original issue, which is exactly what Clark wants.
Another strategy that Stein wants Clark to use is misdirection. If the reporters ask him what he learned from appearing at the Super Bowl two years ago, Clark should state that he was disappointed to learn that they don't show the commercials on the field (Stein). This answer is another Red Herring. Instead of commenting on strategy, he made a comment on something that only benefits the viewers at home. That was another way to divert attention from the original issue.
Apparently, the word “disappointing” is Rhetoric for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Clark told Stein never to use that word because it is a symbol that stands for something else (Foss, 4). The word stems from controversy for the Steelers earlier in the season. The Steelers former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was accused of assault on a woman and the president of the Pittsburgh Steelers stated that he was “disappointed' in the allegations. The charges upset Steelers fans and Clark wants to avoid using language that reminds fans of the controversy.
Joel Stein wants to pretty up the speech of athletes but realizes that too much substance should be avoided in the quotes. Answers to questions should be lighthearted and not be taken serious. Rhetoric should definitely be used along with humor. These techniques should enhance any interview an athlete conducts and get rid of the old boring cliches.
Article: 110 Percent! By Joel Stein
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2044714,00.html
