Fibros Vs. Silvertails Tirawa Gristwood: Documentary Analysis

In Rick Bragg’s article, “Down Here,” he portrays the importance of football in the South through his use of the rhetoric triangle. He establishes ethos through his stories of growing up in the South and giving various examples of Southerners that held football in such a bright light. He gives a logical reason for why the South is so dominant in the sport, establishing logos. Finally, Bragg uses the hardships of the South to create an overwhelming sense of pathos. Bragg is able to combine all three of these elements, ethos, logos, and pathos, to create a story that draws in the readers attention and has them hanging on to every word.

Football is America’s go to entertainment sport. The NFL hit its peak in 2015, with an average of 114.1 million television viewers throughout the year (“Statista,” 2017). This sport is loved by all, the players, parents, coaches, and fans. But, is football merely entertainment? Is it just a simple game, teaching young boys the value of teamwork, dedication, and discipline? Are parents spending their Friday nights to support their boys, or is there something bigger happening? In H.G Bissinger’s novel, Friday Night Lights, one can see the true effects of this toxic drug through the mindset of the players and the actions of the coaches. While society sees football as entertainment, it actually functions more like a drug.

Football remains the most popular sport in America and the ninth most popular sport in the world for a reason. Since its creation in 1869, football has played a fundamental part of American society. Every Sunday, my family along with millions of other Americans turn the television to CBS, NBC or FOX to watch their favorite football team go to battle. My family and I bleed burgundy and gold and root for the home team the Washington Redskins. Americans including myself display great intensity and passion for the game of football and the result of the game often changes my attitude for the better or worse. Watching the game on television may come as exhilarating and entertaining, but playing the game creates the best times. Overall football has made a severe impact on many people’s lives. Football teaches unique lessons in a hands on manner which helps athletes like myself sustain a much more adventurous life. Football has made an immeasurably positive influence upon my life, but the sport has its dangers. Football changes lives.

“I am here to start a fight, because I’m a man and that’s how I solve problems” (Phillips) The main argument presented in Brian Phillips’s essay “Man Up” is what ‘being a man’ means in the football world. In football, being a man means dealing with your problems and not being afraid to fight back physically. Phillips says that football players put on this tough guy act on the field, they fight like real men, and do not run from their problems. In this essay, Phillips argues against this idea of toughness by redefining it. All aspects of football, not just the player, but the networks and the fans treat football as a man’s sport. Phillips addresses mental/emotional issues as a problem in football by describing the abusive relationship between Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. Since football is a man's sport, emotional issues are just unacceptable, but Phillips challenges this idea.

American football is an intense sport in which two teams of 11 tough players endeavour to bringing the football to the opposite team’s end zone in order to succeed a touchdown or a field goal. The quarterback, who carries the ball, scrambles to avoid being sacked by the defense. Their aggressive behaviour on the football field causes them to act roughly at home, notably by using brute force against their wife or girlfriend. Louisa Thomas, the author of the essay “Together We Make Football”, published on September 17 in 2014, argue that domestic

These weren’t athletes, they were gladiators. Anyone not blind could see that they were out to hurt each other and that the crowd loved them for it.” (Van Der Galien, 2012, para. 4). Using personal experiences and his opinions on experiences watching the NFL gave the reader some credibility that the author has an understanding of the topic.

The Editor’s commiserative style attempts to elicit a feeling that the ruling was unjust and that the “promising young athletes” who are faced with bans are victims who were under the control of Essendon management. Similarly to Panahi’s article, the cartoon by Mark Knight is not overly sympathetic towards those involved, and contends that the AFL was culpable as they “cleared [Essendon] for take off” despite clear evidence to the contrary. Utilising a satirical style, Knight appeals to both the reader’s sense of humour and their likely frustration towards the AFL and Essendon to make it clear that the AFL is the group most at fault for this

intense hours of work tire you out. While the waves of the turf spread throughout the field. Weeks of training for eight minutes on a football field takes a lot of labor, that most people don't think much about. For the second time this year, the Red n’ Black Brigade performs on an foreign school field, in risk of making the first finals of the year. However, the time

Since the introduction of organized team sports into American culture, numerous sports have stepped into the limelight for certain periods of time but none have stuck around as long as football has. Just as with everything else in life, football has had it’s fair share of drawbacks since its invention in the mid-19th century. Despite the drawbacks and criticism football has faced, its role and influence on American culture between the 1890’s and 1930’s far outweigh the negative aspects of its past.

By looking at the cultural aspects of sport, one can learn about class struggles, politics, and religion. When studying the formation of football in Victorian England, William Baker takes a Marxist view. In his article “The Making of a Working-Class Football Culture in Victorian England”, he focuses on the class divide that football created during this time. In this article, the main focus in on the lower working class, and how football affected them. In Alan Metcalfe’s article “Organized Sport in the Mining Communities of South Northumberland”, he focuses on the creation of different sports in isolated mining communities.

At the age of 19 John Kirwan was recognised as having talent for playing rugby and having great potential which led to his selection for the ‘All Blacks’, an ambition realised for him. He joined an established team which understandably had established protocols. His dichotomy was being proud and overwhelmed by joining the national squad but shocked by the hierarchy singling out the young players blaming them if the team didn’t win. Fitzpatrick (2010) tells of Kirwan having self-confidence enabling him to speak up and challenge this behaviour, but also being able to reinforce his position within the team through his ability on the field, which gained him respect. The respect came from the focus he had for his performance and his challenging

Mounties reasserted their Intrust Super Premiership NSW credentials on Saturday, with an exciting display over the Wentworthville Magpies at Pirtek Stadium. The highly-anticipated clash – which featured the first and second-placed sides vying for top spot – looked to be won early for the visitors, but they were made to work for their win throughout the second half. Ultimately, a man-of-the-match performance from (insert MOM here) helped earn a valuable two points for the men from Mount Pritchard.

The intention of this piece is to inform the reader of the recent happenings involving Mark Halsey and how his situation raises the bigger question of the introduction of video assistant referees in top flight football. Targeted for football fans who follow high level football.

As a theater artist, I’ve never had time for sports. I looked at the world and it’s people through the eyes of a Shakespeare geek, and thought throwing around a ball and cheering for people wearing certain colors was a waste of time. Never in my wildest dreams would I think of giving football the time of day, but that was before I became a mascot. By some kind of luck and desperation for a job I have ended up as the Piper: the red and grey sports mascot of Hamline. Through this job I have come to see how sports can help bring together diverse groups of people, and inspire the spectators to be their best selves.

Rugby Union is a sport that has been a key part of Australian culture for hundreds of years. It began as a modest competition between a few clubs but slowly went through many changes over the last century. In this paper, I will discuss the history and outcomes of the gradual commercialization of Rugby Union and relate it to my experience at a Super Rugby game.