Blog Assignment Number 3

My ARP paper is about sports and how many people think it is just a game, but in reality, it can change people’s lives. For my paper I found two secondary sources about sports, motivation, and how sports encourages motivation and changes people lives. However, these sources were both research articles targeted to a highly academic audience. I found two more secondary sources that support my thesis, however these sources are more personal and persuasive and less academic.
The first source was a personal article by a Pittsburgh Steelers fan explaining why sports brings people together. She starts off the article by stating: “Many people are under the impression that sports aren't important and just involve someone throwing or catching a ball. This is simply not true. Sports are just as much a part of our culture as language and television.” (Maddy Pumulia) She further goes on to explain how when she attends a Steelers game she is automatically bonded to the people around her by just being a fan of the same team. They have common ground and she has even hugged complete strangers in the heat of the game. She makes the point that she is Republican, Catholic and loves country music. She then states “I don’t care if the person next to me is a Democrat, Atheist, and loves rap, for the time that game is being played, none of that matters.” The thing I noticed about this source is that it is much more personable. It is not all research, it is personal experiences. This source uses words such as: “I” and “We”. She is trying to connect to her audience by using these words.
My next source was by a sports writer that writes columns for a local newspaper. He write about how people say: “how can being a sports writer make any difference in the world?” He uses the specific example of the when the 10-Year Old Girls Softball team from Washington Township captured the New Jersey State Championship. He explained how the players and the family member rushed the field in celebration, and he, had the job of somehow trying to explain this euphoria in a new article. He said that the most he can hope for is maybe a keepsake for the family, or maybe for a little girl to send that article to her grandmother. At least thats some difference made in their lives. The difference I noticed in his writing, is his tone. He takes up such a personal, friendly tone. He also appears to be addressing you, as opposed to an academic article that appears to be addressing a large audience. The result? An easier, more appealing read to every reader. To accomplish this, he again uses more personal words such as “I” and “We”.
These two sources are the perfect example of how you can take a subject that is largely academic, and make it into a largely persuasive and entertaining article. They also demonstrate how a entertaining and persuasive article can do the same job as a highly academic article.

Sports

My thesis is all about how sports is more than just a game and how it can change lives. Many people view sports as nothing more than silly competition, they see it as black and white. There is a winner, there is a loser. Sports is much deeper than that. It has the ability to make your day happy, sad, gloomy or bright. On an even bigger scale, sports has the ability to inspire hope not only in an individual, but in a whole town, community, state, even the nation. When USA beat the the heavily favored Russian hockey team in 1980 it united America and showed that hockey was more than just a game. It put tensions of the cold war on hold, and more importantly brought all Americans together. This photo is just a spin off the concept that "sports can change a life" because one man's life may be changing forever here. Though, this is not the way sports generally changes lives, it just proves that it can change people's lives in more ways than we can know.

The Horseshoe

Ohio Stadium is perhaps the most recognizable building on Ohio State’s campus. Also known as “The Horseshoe” this is the stadium that The Ohio State football team plays their home games in. The stadium was built in 1922 because the previous stadium was to small to seat everyone who wanted to see the games. Originally built to seat 60,000 there were concerns that the stadium would never be full! Eventually the school made several renovations and the current capacity is now listed at 102,329.

Many people follow and treat Ohio State football religiously. If Ohio State football is a religion, then “The Horseshoe” is the cathedral in which the many faithful followers come to worship. On saturday’s during football season I often feel as if fans are attending their weekly religious session. The stadium contributes greatly to this feeling, but why? Is it the history? Is it the tradition? Is it the actual architecture? All of these things contribute. It could be the victory bell thats played after every win. It could be the rotunda and the columns that give the stadium a very Romanesque feel. Is it just the pure wave of sound that issues from the stadium on gameday. Or is it the traditional singing of "Carmen Ohio" after every game, win or lose? Whatever is it, It makes for the best game day experience in America. I don’t think anyone can answer the question. The only thing people can do is explain the feeling that they receive when they attend a Buckeye game with 105,000 other believers. Trust me, it’s a great feeling.

Aaron Stevenson