A Rhetorical Analysis Of Speeches By Jim Valvano

On March 4, 1993, Jim Valvano was presented the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award on live television at the ESPY Awards. Highlighting the great performances and stories of the sports season, the ESPY Awards recognizes individuals and teams that have demonstrated a variety of admirable qualities and ascertained a high level of performance and success. The Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award was established in honor of Ashe, a former world #1 tennis player who worked earnestly for HIV/AIDS research after contracting the disease himself in the early 1980s; the award acknowledges individuals whose contributions to the world transcend sports. In the case of Valvano, he used his platform as the awardee to publicly announce

Valvano opens the speech very graciously, even stating that he was honored “to even be mentioned in the same breath as Arthur Ashe”. By recognizing the amazing achievements and attitude of a renowned celebrity such as Ashe, Valvano is also simultaneously boosting his own credibility as being a recipient of such a prestigious, special award. As the speech continues, he provides a brief anecdote about his first coaching job at Rutgers University. Inspired by a Vince Lombardi (former Green Bay Packers coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee) speech, he waited until the very last minute before the game to deliver his speech to make the players wonder where he was at. Bursting through the locker room doors—and humorously hurting himself in the process—Valvano bellowed, “All eyes on me!” and with passion and fervor announced to his Rutgers players that they needed to focus on three things to be successful during the season: “Your family, your religion, and the Green Bay Packers.” While this story obviously relives a quite embarrassing experience for Valvano, it serves two different purposes in developing his character and purpose. First of all, the comedic relief of the narrative breaks the ice with the audience and puts them at ease; it was important for him to connect with the audience in a very natural and down to earth way in order

The language Valvano uses throughout of his speech contains tremendous power in building relational connection with his audience. Towards the beginning, he communicates the importance of living life to the fullest, suggesting “there are three things we all should do every day”—laugh, think, and be emotionally moved to tears. This early inspiring message builds a conversational tone and an intense relational connection to everyone in the room. When introducing the Jimmy V Foundation, he asserts that cancer research conducted by the foundation might not save his life, but “it may save my children’s lives” and “it may save someone you love”. The deeply emotional and personal rhetoric advocates that everyone has a responsibility to support cancer research to help save the lives of their loved ones. Later on, Valvano quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson, expressing that “nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm,” which he later expounds upon through the unveiling of the foundation’s motto, “Don’t give up… don’t ever give up.” Ultimately, Valvano’s message relates that because he will never allow cancer to steal his passion or energy for life, no one else should give up their enthusiasm when facing life trials. As the speech draws towards a close, Valvano tells the audience that if they ever