Professor Stephen H. Webb, in his jeremiad "How Soccer is Ruining America" attempts to discredit the argument that soccer is, in fact, ruining America. He does this by listing the arguments of the people who believe that this sport is destroying this nation, and seemingly agreeing with them. However, his satirical tone throughout the entirety of the jeremiad makes his point very clear; the last thing he does is agree with their arguments.
Webb starts off the essay with the claim that soccer is ruining America. His first three paragraphs explain the reasoning that he will further divulge into in his paper. He is very explicit in doing so, using several similes to make sure that the reader fully understands exactly what his argument is, which is ironic considering his argument is the exact opposite of what he writes. No matter how explicit he is, it cannot be denied that his opening claims appear to only be opinions with barely any factual information to back it up, for example his comparison of soccer to the pointless rocking of a boat. In the third paragraph, Webb acknowledges this, and introduces the four points that the paper will focus on, and claims that these four points will illustrate exactly how soccer is detrimental to America's success.
The first of Webb's grievances towards soccer is the usage of mainly the feet, and not the hands, in the sport. The author continuously uses God to create the argument that hands are more divine than feet, as feet are the unholy parts of the body. While using God may work to build up the argument of feet being inferior to hands, there is barely a connection to how this relates to soccer. He creates a Toulmin model where the claim is that soccer is bad, the data, is that it uses feet and not hands, and the warrant, instead of being a universal rule that can usually be left unsaid, is another claim that must be proven. The author jumps to the conclusion that because feet are used in soccer, it is not a reasonable sport to be practiced. This is an easily refutable claim, something that the author did on purpose. The readers at this point can now begin to realize that there is some satire in the article, as he has not made any solid claims as he so promised to do at the beginning of the jeremiad.
The second point made is that soccer does not break kids down enough before bringing them back up. This relates to what the author mentioned in the opening of the essay, in which he stated that soccer was making children less competitive and, overall, softer. He proceeds to relate the essay to his childhood when he would play the demanding sport of baseball. He lists the hardships of baseball, but his tone is one of almost nostalgia, which distracts the reader from realizing that the hardships are in fact hardships. However at this point, if the reader has recognized that this is a satirical jeremiad, this relation to his childhood greatly improves his argument. The reader can recognize the faux nostalgia and know that the author is not nostalgic at all, and it illuminates how flawed the idea of breaking down children are.
The third point that Webb makes regards the origins of soccer: Europe. He goes on to explain that soccer is recognizable as a European sport because it is all about death and despair, and how Americans would never create a sport like this. However, all of his explanation is futile, as Webb has created a classic genetic fallacy. He uses the fact that soccer came from Europe to discredit the entire sport, which makes his argument seem completely invalid.
By the fourth section, the true intentions of the author are starting to show more explicitly. This section makes the claim that soccer is for girls. Webb, in this section, writes many sexist remarks about women and soccer, and how the sport is better suited for them. While in this section he does not explicitly say this is a bad thing, the fact that he uses it as a reason why soccer is ruining America makes women being related to soccer a bad thing. In a time period where the feminist movement is gaining more and support, the appearance of gender roles can completely deter a reader from even considering his argument, therefore pushing them in the opposite direction- the one he actually wants the reader to go in.
In the closing of this jeremiad, the author reminds the reader of what he stated in the beginning, "... and there is very little anyone can do about [soccer]" (267). This section states that even though the sport came from Europe, it sticking with us is entirely the fault of our own. Because of overworked parents and their overweight children, Americans are more inclined to use soccer as a means of distracting their children in a seemingly good way. This section seems to state all the good things about soccer, but again the author uses an accusatory tone to make them seem like bad things. In the last paragraph of the essay, the author appeals to ethos by revealing that he should know of the dilemmas the American parent faces, as he is one too. While this seemingly builds up his ethos, as he further explains his situation, and that all his daughters play soccer, questions start to be raised on why a man who spent an entire essay bashing soccer, participates in it wholeheartedly. If the reader has not realized by this point, the end of the paper makes the writers feelings towards soccer strikingly obvious. The author states that him and his entire family are happy whenever they come back from soccer games, completely discrediting everything that he has previously said.
Webb's satirical paper does a good job of making the claims of his opponents seem ridiculous. The essay is riddled with bias and arguments that have many holes in them, which discredits the notion that soccer is ruining America. However Webb may have stumbled into the "Straw Man" fallacy. This type of fallacy occurs when a person sets up a ridiculous version of an argument that an opponent has, and uses this crazy argument to build up their own. While he may not have explicitly refuted the arguments of his opponents, the satire in the entire paper strongly implies it. For example, many people who believe that soccer is causing children to become less motivated and competitive might not agree with the statement that "sporting should be about breaking down kids before you start building them up" (268). This statement seems absolutely ridiculous. While a lot of his opponents arguments represented in the paper may be true, because of his exaggeration, it may lead the reader to think Webb is attacking a distorted view of their arguments.
Webb starts off the essay with the claim that soccer is ruining America. His first three paragraphs explain the reasoning that he will further divulge into in his paper. He is very explicit in doing so, using several similes to make sure that the reader fully understands exactly what his argument is, which is ironic considering his argument is the exact opposite of what he writes. No matter how explicit he is, it cannot be denied that his opening claims appear to only be opinions with barely any factual information to back it up, for example his comparison of soccer to the pointless rocking of a boat. In the third paragraph, Webb acknowledges this, and introduces the four points that the paper will focus on, and claims that these four points will illustrate exactly how soccer is detrimental to America's success.
The first of Webb's grievances towards soccer is the usage of mainly the feet, and not the hands, in the sport. The author continuously uses God to create the argument that hands are more divine than feet, as feet are the unholy parts of the body. While using God may work to build up the argument of feet being inferior to hands, there is barely a connection to how this relates to soccer. He creates a Toulmin model where the claim is that soccer is bad, the data, is that it uses feet and not hands, and the warrant, instead of being a universal rule that can usually be left unsaid, is another claim that must be proven. The author jumps to the conclusion that because feet are used in soccer, it is not a reasonable sport to be practiced. This is an easily refutable claim, something that the author did on purpose. The readers at this point can now begin to realize that there is some satire in the article, as he has not made any solid claims as he so promised to do at the beginning of the jeremiad.
The second point made is that soccer does not break kids down enough before bringing them back up. This relates to what the author mentioned in the opening of the essay, in which he stated that soccer was making children less competitive and, overall, softer. He proceeds to relate the essay to his childhood when he would play the demanding sport of baseball. He lists the hardships of baseball, but his tone is one of almost nostalgia, which distracts the reader from realizing that the hardships are in fact hardships. However at this point, if the reader has recognized that this is a satirical jeremiad, this relation to his childhood greatly improves his argument. The reader can recognize the faux nostalgia and know that the author is not nostalgic at all, and it illuminates how flawed the idea of breaking down children are.
The third point that Webb makes regards the origins of soccer: Europe. He goes on to explain that soccer is recognizable as a European sport because it is all about death and despair, and how Americans would never create a sport like this. However, all of his explanation is futile, as Webb has created a classic genetic fallacy. He uses the fact that soccer came from Europe to discredit the entire sport, which makes his argument seem completely invalid.
By the fourth section, the true intentions of the author are starting to show more explicitly. This section makes the claim that soccer is for girls. Webb, in this section, writes many sexist remarks about women and soccer, and how the sport is better suited for them. While in this section he does not explicitly say this is a bad thing, the fact that he uses it as a reason why soccer is ruining America makes women being related to soccer a bad thing. In a time period where the feminist movement is gaining more and support, the appearance of gender roles can completely deter a reader from even considering his argument, therefore pushing them in the opposite direction- the one he actually wants the reader to go in.
In the closing of this jeremiad, the author reminds the reader of what he stated in the beginning, "... and there is very little anyone can do about [soccer]" (267). This section states that even though the sport came from Europe, it sticking with us is entirely the fault of our own. Because of overworked parents and their overweight children, Americans are more inclined to use soccer as a means of distracting their children in a seemingly good way. This section seems to state all the good things about soccer, but again the author uses an accusatory tone to make them seem like bad things. In the last paragraph of the essay, the author appeals to ethos by revealing that he should know of the dilemmas the American parent faces, as he is one too. While this seemingly builds up his ethos, as he further explains his situation, and that all his daughters play soccer, questions start to be raised on why a man who spent an entire essay bashing soccer, participates in it wholeheartedly. If the reader has not realized by this point, the end of the paper makes the writers feelings towards soccer strikingly obvious. The author states that him and his entire family are happy whenever they come back from soccer games, completely discrediting everything that he has previously said.
Webb's satirical paper does a good job of making the claims of his opponents seem ridiculous. The essay is riddled with bias and arguments that have many holes in them, which discredits the notion that soccer is ruining America. However Webb may have stumbled into the "Straw Man" fallacy. This type of fallacy occurs when a person sets up a ridiculous version of an argument that an opponent has, and uses this crazy argument to build up their own. While he may not have explicitly refuted the arguments of his opponents, the satire in the entire paper strongly implies it. For example, many people who believe that soccer is causing children to become less motivated and competitive might not agree with the statement that "sporting should be about breaking down kids before you start building them up" (268). This statement seems absolutely ridiculous. While a lot of his opponents arguments represented in the paper may be true, because of his exaggeration, it may lead the reader to think Webb is attacking a distorted view of their arguments.