Rhetorical Analysis: High School Football

The citizens in the small town of Odessa, Texas live for high school football. Most of their attention and resources are poured into this extracurricular activity, resulting in numerous drawbacks. To discover more about this phenomenon, H. G. Bissinger incorporates himself into the Odessa lifestyle and comes to the conclusion that focusing this much energy on football greatly affects the students academically, physically, and mentally. In a town so captivated by sports, this news could invoke disbelief and outrage, but Bissinger prevents this by using strategies to lessen the blow of his argument. Bissinger sympathizes with the citizens of Odessa and presents himself as a qualified and unbiased author as well as employs devices such as tone

and quotations from other sources to gain the trust and respect of his readers. In his novel Friday Night Lights, H. G. Bissinger keeps his audience in mind by creating an ethical appeal. By establishing himself and his sources in this way, Bissinger is able to persuade his audience to accept his argument and actually consider implementing the changes he suggests.
To gain the trust of his audience, Bissinger first establishes himself as a credible and unbiased author as well as acknowledges the context of Odessa’s problem. If Bissinger had simply researched the material for his book on his computer, his readers could easily dismiss his argument and say that he has no idea what he is talking about. But Bissinger is proactive about this, saying “for the next four months I was with them through every practice” (xiii). Bissinger lived in Odessa, was with the football team through every practice and game, and even befriended the citizens of the town. By proving that he has first hand experience with what he is discussing, Bissinger fortifies his credibility, and shows that he really has explored every facet of his argument. This in turn makes the audience trust him more because they know that he has thoroughly researched his topic. Bissinger also clears himself of any bias by admitting to his “own past as an addicted sports fan” (xi). By relating to the reader, Bissinger shows that he is not trying to slander the tradition of high school football. Instead, he loves sports and any criticisms that he has of football are constructive and not a malicious attack based off of his own bias. Next, to ensure that his audience receives his argument well, Bissinger acknowledges and respects the causes of Odessa’s football obsession. Bissinger begins his argument with a chapter on the history of Odessa. He explains the history of violence, the unstable economy, and the general difficulty of living in a small town in Texas. Bissinger writes “From the twenties through the eighties, whatever else there hadn’t been in Odessa, there had always been high school football” (35). Bissinger shows that he understands that football is the one place where Odessa can truly excel and that their fierce pride in the Panthers stems from a lack of other things to be proud of. By acknowledging the root of their fixation and presenting Odessa’s side of the argument, Bissinger makes the audience more likely to listen to his opinion because they know he understands them and respects their love for football. In order to persuade his readers to accept his argument, Bissinger proves himself as a trustworthy author and shows he understands where the citizens of Odessa are coming from.
After he first establishes his lack of bias, Bissinger next preserves his unbiased attitude by using tone to convey his sympathy towards the citizens of Odessa.

In order to keep his audience considering his opinion, and to prevent his argument from turning into an attack, Bissinger must continue to recognize Odessa’s stance. Tone is a subtle way to display his empathy and remind his reader that he is not fighting against them. Bissinger describes “The family reunion atmosphere of each practice” (40). Using the words ‘family reunion’ connotes warmth and fun times with loved ones. His lighthearted tone proves that Bissinger is not wholeheartedly opposed to the idea of football, but rather sees some flaws that he feels need to be addressed. This ensures that the reader feels that their opinions are represented and prevents Bissinger’s argument from being too one-sided. Bissinger also takes this precaution when describing the players of the football team. Bissinger describes Booblie Miles when he was young, saying, “He had a thick lisp when he was growing up and a craving for honey buns” (62). Bissinger’s use of small, personal details conveys a level of caring and sympathy towards Boobie, as if he is a close friend or relative. Bissinger is careful to use a sympathetic tone when discussing all of the players on the team, who he knows the citizens of Odessa are wildly protective over. This lets the audience know that he is not attacking the players or pointing to them as the source of the problem, but rather suggesting ways in which the community can better itself to provide a safer environment for their beloved team. Bissinger makes sure to make it clear through his tone he is not attacking the phenomenon of the Friday night lights, and thus his reader is more accepting to his argument. Besides tone, Bissinger employs the use of quotes from a variety of

sources to incorporate different perspectives and keep the trust of the audience. Bissinger is careful to present both sides of the argument and acknowledge what the citizens of Odessa have to say. When Bissinger mentions how the town is criticized for over spending on a new football stadium, he includes this quote from a citizen saying the stadium is “something the community took a lot of pride in” (42). If Bissinger had left out this side of the argument and only presented the ways the football stadium was damaging to the town, the reader might suspect him of being biased and lose trust in him. But because Bissinger includes different perspectives and potential counter arguments, the reader is able to trust that he is presenting the entire truth and is therefore more likely to take Bissinger’s argument into consideration. Bissinger also uses quotes to present a controversial opinion without having to outright say it himself. Bissinger quotes a teacher as saying, “this community doesn’t want academic excellence. It wants a gladiatorial spectacle on a Friday night” (147). Through the teacher, Bissinger is able to present his argument that the town’s obsession with football is taking away from education without having to say this inflammatory statement himself and potentially enraging his reader. Bissinger is able to stay an unbiased author and remain trustworthy to his audience when presenting his argument, making the reader listen to his opinion. By including a variety of perspectives in his book, Bissinger is able to gain and preserve the trust of his reader so that his argument can have its intended effect.
H. G. Bissinger creates an ethical appeal in his novel Friday Night Lights in order to gain the trust of his audience and make them more receptive to his opinion. Bissinger is careful to preserve his image as a credible author by using a multitude of strategic devices, some of which are establishing his own trustworthiness, using a sympathetic tone, and including diverse quotations. Because football is such a time-honored tradition, people are fiercely protective over it and what it stands for. But Bissinger recognized that just because something is a tradition, that does not mean that it is the best thing for a community. Sometimes radical change is necessary, and although it is never easy or comfortable, the outcome is always superior to what was given up. It was crucial for Bissinger to tiptoe lightly around this subject and ease the public into a new mindset in order to change a community, and many more places like it, for the better.