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Assignment #2 Official Paper

Assignment #2: Rhetorical Analysis

Alberto Ramirez

ENG 2150

05 April 2024

A lot of the time, the desire for greatness and success in sports comes with the risk of getting hurt. The physical and mental effects of sports injuries can have a big effect on athletes, making them decide whether to keep going through tough times or look for new possibilities. When someone gets hurt, it’s important for athletes, coaches, and health experts to understand the factors that affect their decision to continue or stop playing sports. By looking into the details of this decision-making process, one can better make injury prevention plans, support systems, and job transition paths that are better for the overall health and happiness of athletes. Two important articles that shed light on this complicated relationship between sports injuries and how athletes make decisions afterward. Ross Wadey, an Associate Professor at St Mary’s University in the UK, conducted the initial study. It looks into how athletes’ negative experiences affect their choices to quit sports and look for new possibilities. It gives information about the mental and emotional aspects of these changes. The second study by The Norris twins, Gareth and Heather, dives into the injury profiles of university-level athletes across different sport disciplines, highlighting the prevalence of injuries and the differences in injury patterns between team and individual sports. Athletes’ injuries not only change their physical abilities, but they also have a big impact on their personal growth and job paths. One can find out what emotional, physical, and social factors affect athletes’ decisions by looking at how injuries affect their decision-making processes. This provides a reasoning for how important it is for athletes to have personalized support systems and methods for building resilience. 

The impact of injuries on athletes extends beyond their physical abilities, influencing their career trajectories and personal growth. The first study by Ross Wadey looks at how mental problems can affect people in sports. The in-depth look at the theoretical foundations and current arguments surrounding the issue puts light on the emotional toll that tough situations can have on athletes. Problems in sports, like illness, poor performance, or disagreements with other players, can make a person question their identity and belief in their own abilities. Wadey focuses on a detailed discussion of the subject that shows how tough situations can make athletes rethink their dedication to sports and think about trying new things that might offer a fresh start or a new set of challenges. The addition of expert opinions and case studies makes the point even stronger that hardship can change the way a person makes decisions. 

It’s clear that tough situations play a big part in why someone decides to quit sports and look for new possibilities. The in-depth description of a study by Gareth and Heather Norris on the accident histories of college players shows how playing sports can hurt people physically. The high number of reported injuries, which range from sprains to concussions, demonstrate how difficult and dangerous sports are. These accidents can hurt an athlete’s health, but they can also make them less mentally strong and less motivated to keep playing the sport. The study’s results show that the nature of the sport, especially the amount of contact, may play a role in people quitting sports because they are afraid of getting hurt again and want to try something else that they think will be easier on their bodies.

Ross Wadey does a good job of showing logos in his piece by making a strong case backed up by evidence, and rational explanations. Also, Ross Wadey demonstrates ethos by exhibiting an in-depth expertise of the subject matter and delivering complicated material in a manner that is both clear and accessible. He incorporates particular details, statistics, and research findings to back his ideas, which contributes to the trustworthiness of the content that he produces. Ross Wadey uses pathos in his article by making readers feel emotions through interesting stories, vivid images, and gripping narratives. Wadey makes an emotional link with the audience by using real-life examples, and situations that people can relate to. The Norris siblings, Gareth and Heather, are able to exhibit ethos, which demonstrates that they are aware and have expertise in the subject matter. They were able to convincingly demonstrate logos because they provided facts and statistics to back up their logical arguments. Through the use of storytelling techniques and the effective but less precise induction of feelings in the audience, the authors successfully demonstrated pathos.

It is essential to point out that the combination of data from the study on injury trends among college athletes and the in-depth look at a complex issue demonstrates how different kinds of adversity can cause an individual to decide to stop participating in sports and look for other opportunities. It is possible that people would reflect on themselves and their aspirations as a result of the challenges they face in athletics, which can contribute to personal development. It is possible that it will cause them to reconsider their objectives, ambitions, and impetuses. In the beginning, people may experience difficulties and failures as a result of adversity; but, it may also help them become more resilient, capable of adapting to new circumstances, and eager to discover new ways that lead to progress and pleasure. At the end of the day, it is a process that is very personal and life-altering, and it is influenced by a wide variety of internal and external circumstances. When it comes to breaking out of old patterns and beginning over, the key to success is frequent adversity. During this phase, one will be required to make the decision to quit participating in sports and instead begin concentrating on other tasks.