A Rhetorical Analysis Of Kid Sports By John Gregory

Standing in the batter’s box, I twirled the bat once and placed it on my shoulder. As my heart thumped and sweat rolled down my cheek, I raised the bat and exhaled. The score was 6–6 in the bottom of the seventh inning; our team had two outs and the bases were loaded. With the weight of the game on my shoulders, I waited anxiously for the pitch. The softball whipped furiously through the air until it came to a sudden halt; the ball had crashed into my thigh. I walked to first as the winning run proceeded home. During this game, I was seventeen years old, and still the pressure seemed too much to bear. Is it reasonable to expect children to perform under this stressful situation? Sean Gregory examines this question and much more in his article

At first glance, the vast amount numbers within the article can be overwhelming; Sean did this intentionally. By placing graphs, figures, and prices frequently throughout the article, the author forces the reader into a sea of numbers, letting them drown in confusion. Gregory wants readers to feel overwhelmed by the numbers because he wants readers to understand “the cost for parents is steep.” The burden of paying for a child’s sport can drive a parent insane because kid sports have transformed into “crazy costs [and] crazy stress.” Furthermore, an illustration is depicted with a softball player and a baseball player as well as prices of team fees, equipment, travel, and training. Gregory lists very high prices for each component, especially equipment. At the bottom of the image, Gregory notes in tiny print “prices may vary.” Audiences may overlook this detail and assumer every glove costs $250 even though this price represents a small number of high-end gloves, but the higher prices further Gregory’s argument that the youth sports industry is growing exponentially and parents are giving in to the

Gregory effectively relates to the parents and writes about common fears they have. “The dream of free college” drives parents to invest more and more into their children’s sports. As kids grow older, they soon feel the pressure to impress college scouts. Of course, Gregory relays the truth about the probability of receiving a scholarship for the top-level college sports. As a former NCAA Division I basketball player, Gregory has personal experience in the recruiting process, and his rare opportunity gives life to the “2% of high school athletes” that play at high levels like this. Sean Gregory accurately and truthfully informs parents about the very small probability of receiving a significant return from expensive youth sports. Gregory’s odds are confirmed by the NCAA itself reporting that on average roughly 6.3% of high school athletes advance to NCAA Division I, II, or III. Indeed, Gregory is correct and creates a successful argument about the outcomes of this