In Stephen H. Webb's article, How Soccer is Ruining America: A Jeremiad, he claims that soccer is running America into the ground & there is little anyone can do about it. Webb observed that we live in a therapeutic society that treats young people as if they can do no wrong. According to Webb, whether the dumbing down of America or soccer came first is hard to say, but soccer is clearly an important means by which American energy, drive & competitiveness are being undermined to the point of no return. Throughout his article, Webb builds on claims in attack of the sport using sarcastic statements. Upon reading the article, Webb most definietly comes off as an unlikable person, one that not only hates soccer but one that is sexist. Yet, to counterargument, in his last paragraph, Webb displays his support for soccer especially for his own children. Webb argued that soccer ia an ungodly, female, European sport. Sounds ridiculous, right? However, his rhetorical strategies are apprehended by few and his snide claims lack in rationale and evidence.
Due to the fact this is a jeremiad, Webb claims that feet are unholy and hands are favored by God and that “any sport that limits you to using your feet, with the occasional bang of the head, has something very wrong with it.” This statement is nothing but bias and is not backed by any factual that afirms that faults of soccer because it is a sport played with feet. Webb alludes to the Bible and states that God crrated man to be distinguished from animals by the thumbs on our hands. Webb implies hands are of divinity, & any task done by the feet is unholy. Webb continues by providing the Biblical event where Jesus washed the feet of his apostles at The Last Supper. He claims that the hands were not washed because hands are divine whilst feet are in need of redemption. However, one can argue that if hands are so divine, why should they be subjected to such lowly activities as cleaning yourself in the bathroom? That sounds like foot work, to me.
For a predominately male-dominated sport, Webb attacks soccer by stating it is meant for girls because they are not meant to play any other sport: “Girls are too smart to waste an entire day playing baseball, & they do not have the bloodlust for football.” He supports this claim by asserting that soccer mimics the experience of childbirth, more than the masculine business of destroying your opponent with insurmountable power; soccer is a weak game and should only be played by females. Webb's insulting of females turns off the his audience (horrible strategy) and cripples his credibility but little do they know, that his offensive statements are actually opposing his actual ideals. However, Webb's arguements only hold a convenient reliance on double standards. Baseball is a great sport because it’s so hard to accomplish your goal of hitting the ball; soccer is horrible because it is so hard to score a goal. Football is great because it requires so much physical exertion; soccer sucks because…it requires so much physical exertion. Getting ejected for shoving in baseball is just but getting penalized for shoving in soccer is un-American (despite the same being true for basketball).
According to Webb, we Americans live in a society that everyone is the winner so at the end of the day, we feel good about ourselves so therefore Americans couldn't have created the game of soccer since soccer is a European sport of death and despair. He continues to claim that Americans would not invent a sport where the better you get, the less you score. Well since Webb likes to reference baseball, Americans actually did create a sport where the better you get, less you score. A six-inning in the little league is much higher than in the MLB. If you were to take a professional baseball player's high school numbers, I would be amazed to find a player that hits a lower average the he does in the major league. While I will agree it’s true that soccer was an European invention, but it should be noted that foot-and-ball games has roots in almost every game. There are some who will understand his dry humor, but the majority don't. Key to any of his argumentation is Webb's use opposing to his true arguments. His crude commentation presents him as an unfavorable character, which in turn destroys the foundation credibility towards any against his arguments.
The last paragraph in the article shocks the reader, as Webb starts to reveal his participation and support of a sport he has been bashing throughout the article. Once the reader realizes exactly what Webb has been doing the whole entire article (isn't he so tricky?), the reader is utterly shocked. His lack of logic throughout the article acts as the obstacle to his credibility and has made him an unplesant person (Amy Amestri SURELY thought he was unplesant). By doing this, the reader has a true grasp of what he has done, & just how much he didn't discredit anything against soccer thus demonstrating his rhetorical skills.
Due to the fact this is a jeremiad, Webb claims that feet are unholy and hands are favored by God and that “any sport that limits you to using your feet, with the occasional bang of the head, has something very wrong with it.” This statement is nothing but bias and is not backed by any factual that afirms that faults of soccer because it is a sport played with feet. Webb alludes to the Bible and states that God crrated man to be distinguished from animals by the thumbs on our hands. Webb implies hands are of divinity, & any task done by the feet is unholy. Webb continues by providing the Biblical event where Jesus washed the feet of his apostles at The Last Supper. He claims that the hands were not washed because hands are divine whilst feet are in need of redemption. However, one can argue that if hands are so divine, why should they be subjected to such lowly activities as cleaning yourself in the bathroom? That sounds like foot work, to me.
For a predominately male-dominated sport, Webb attacks soccer by stating it is meant for girls because they are not meant to play any other sport: “Girls are too smart to waste an entire day playing baseball, & they do not have the bloodlust for football.” He supports this claim by asserting that soccer mimics the experience of childbirth, more than the masculine business of destroying your opponent with insurmountable power; soccer is a weak game and should only be played by females. Webb's insulting of females turns off the his audience (horrible strategy) and cripples his credibility but little do they know, that his offensive statements are actually opposing his actual ideals. However, Webb's arguements only hold a convenient reliance on double standards. Baseball is a great sport because it’s so hard to accomplish your goal of hitting the ball; soccer is horrible because it is so hard to score a goal. Football is great because it requires so much physical exertion; soccer sucks because…it requires so much physical exertion. Getting ejected for shoving in baseball is just but getting penalized for shoving in soccer is un-American (despite the same being true for basketball).
According to Webb, we Americans live in a society that everyone is the winner so at the end of the day, we feel good about ourselves so therefore Americans couldn't have created the game of soccer since soccer is a European sport of death and despair. He continues to claim that Americans would not invent a sport where the better you get, the less you score. Well since Webb likes to reference baseball, Americans actually did create a sport where the better you get, less you score. A six-inning in the little league is much higher than in the MLB. If you were to take a professional baseball player's high school numbers, I would be amazed to find a player that hits a lower average the he does in the major league. While I will agree it’s true that soccer was an European invention, but it should be noted that foot-and-ball games has roots in almost every game. There are some who will understand his dry humor, but the majority don't. Key to any of his argumentation is Webb's use opposing to his true arguments. His crude commentation presents him as an unfavorable character, which in turn destroys the foundation credibility towards any against his arguments.
The last paragraph in the article shocks the reader, as Webb starts to reveal his participation and support of a sport he has been bashing throughout the article. Once the reader realizes exactly what Webb has been doing the whole entire article (isn't he so tricky?), the reader is utterly shocked. His lack of logic throughout the article acts as the obstacle to his credibility and has made him an unplesant person (Amy Amestri SURELY thought he was unplesant). By doing this, the reader has a true grasp of what he has done, & just how much he didn't discredit anything against soccer thus demonstrating his rhetorical skills.