Take No Days Off: An Approach to the Offseason
In the article “There is no Offseason,” Tim Grover is addressing the lack of concern regarding the poor training habits of many professional athletes. While it may appear as if Grover is addressing the athletes, the article primarily focuses on informing sports fans about the problems that these athletes face. Grover begins the article by directly addressing, and blaming, the athletes for injuries that they suffer throughout the season. Although this may seem to be a strong approach to the start of the article, it helps explain that Grover feels that all injuries are earned, through a lack of effort in the offseason.
Despite this harsh statement, Grover fails to mention his qualifications at the start of the article. It is, however, later explained that Grover is “the CEO of ATTACK Athletics, world-renowned for his work with championship and Hall of Fame athletes.” If this were explained at the start of the article, Grover’s readers would have a better idea as to the basis of his claims. After learning of his qualifications, readers become much more open to Grover’s arguments. This is done by using language and logic that appeals to the readers.
Grover first uses appealing language by acknowledging that all players “work out.” Here, he offers a generality that most readers would agree with, and reverses it by stating that “there’s a big difference between working out, and training like a pro.” By stating this, Grover is able to establish some credibility by showing that he knows how professionals are supposed to train. He, next, provides a series of rhetorical questions that further support his argument. Grover follows these rhetorical questions by stating, “you can’t be surprised when you get to training camp and go down with a You Gotta Be Kidding Me. Or a torn ACL.” In this quote, Grover uses a the phrase “You Gotta Be Kidding Me” as a means of expressing the emotions of the viewers when they see an injury occur. His use of the example of an ACL tear is useful in describing an injury that is very common in professional sports.
After providing the readers with football-centric examples, Grover expands his argument to the NBA, where he offers more examples that adhere to a logical sequence. By doing this, Grover is able to further support his claim, while showing that this issue is larger than just one sport. Grover, now, is able to show the importance of addressing this issue.
Grover ends the article by referring to a quote by Michael Jordan. This quote established his credibility and appeals to the readers emotions through the use of Jordan’s credibility and celebrity persona. He claims that “MJ used to say practicing hard made the game easier.” It is never made clear if MJ actually used to say that, but providing the readers with a quote from a popular professional athlete definitely helps support his argument.
Plenty of ‘You Gotta Be Kidding Me’ injuries today–hamstrings, quads…dehydration? You gotta be kidding me. Column: http://t.co/MvNWHjnstn
— Tim S. Grover (@ATTACKATHLETICS) September 8, 2014
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I definitely agree that the key to Tim Grover’s appeal is his logos. He throws out so many facts and recommendations for athletes throughout the article. All that information created a credibility for him. I never questioned whether or not he knew what he was talking about. However, while I was reading I did wonder how he was full of so much knowledge about training and injuries. It was almost distracting because every time I read a fact, all of his possible occupations ran through my head. Was he a former player? A coach? A trainer? His job description at the end puts the reader at ease for why he was such a credible source. However, if this was placed at the beginning it would have avoided the distracting thoughts while reading the article and may have allowed more focus being put towards the content.