Blog Post #7: Rhetorical Precis and Summary

          In Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin, and Jonathan Paley's documentary "Schooled- The Price of College Sports" (2013) the directors display the problem that the NCAA mistreats their athletes. College sports are a huge part of American culture, and the directors show that through beginning clips of sports throughout history. However, since college sports are so important to America, the NCAA can slide through the cracks and get away with unjust things. The directors first inform the audience by presenting the athletes struggles as a student-athlete and their opinion of the NCAA. The athletes explain how the concept of amateurism has been completely destroyed by the NCAA. Amateurism is defined as playing the sport for the love of the game and not the money. But, the NCAA has used their athletes to skyrocket the organization in a way to get the NCAA the most money. The directors then contribute to the evidence of the NCAA's manipulative ways such as claiming they have no obligation to pay the athletes even though the NCAA has made playing college sports like a job. To conclude, the directors state that the NCAA claims they have no obligation as to how the athletes act as a student. The NCAA stands by this even when the student part in "student-athlete" comes first and the ruthless sport/press from the NCAA is interfering with that. The directors purpose is to inform the audience about the NCAA's unfairness in order to persuade the audience to take the athletes' side and be aware of what they are forced to endure. The directors seem to have an audience that cares about sports in mind because the tone is serious, informative, and persuasive. On a personal note, I agree with the directors. I think the athletes
are being horribly mistreated and should get what they deserve which is respect and pay for the exploitions the NCAA puts them through. The NCAA should also be held accountable for the student portion of the athlete's college experience. The athlete's sport and the extra things the NCAA forces them to do interferes with school, and the NCAA should be more forgiving and understanding of when the athlete struggles in school. By and large, I think the NCAA needs to learn and respect the idea of what it really means to be a student athlete, and enforce that principle.

          "Schooled- The Price of College Sports" can be summarized as a persuasive film to make the audience advocate for the athletes after seeing several pieces of evidence that demonstrate the NCAA's mistreatment toward their athletes. The film brings up several points in the film that make the audience want to take the athletes' side. However, in all fairness, it does bring up the NCAA's points that can make for a good argument. The film takes the audience through the course of several college athlete's lives and it is able to see what they have to go through. The film also shows the audience the NCAA's point of view so it can justify each situation according to how he/she feels about it. "Schooled- The Price of College Sports" has a serious and persuasive tone to stand up for the athletes of the NCAA, but does not refuse to give the organization its fair say in the situation.

Blog Post #6- Article Summary and Analysis

          In the article "JJ Nelson: Adidas never offered deal" by Darren Rovell, he argues the two sides of JJ Nelson's endorsement deal with Adidas. Rovell takes JJ's side, but he brings up all relevant points of the argument. The deal stated that any athletes wearing the new Adidas cleats, signed a contract to endorse the brand before they ran, and who got the top three fastest times in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine would receive $100,000. Before JJ Nelson ran, he was given the option between Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas cleats. JJ selected the Adidas cleats because they were decently comfortable, but he also had the endorsement money in the back of his mind. "I wasn't completely focused on it at the time, I was obviously focused on getting a good time first,"

Rovell quotes Nelson. JJ was mostly focused on running well, but it would be a lie to say that he was not thinking about the money. After Nelson ran the dash and came out with the best overall time of 4.28, he was shocked and confused as to why he was not paid the $100,000 from Adidas. Rovell quotes Nelson, "I signed some waiver at some point, but I was never given a chance to sign an endorsement deal." It could be argued that Adidas never gave JJ the opportunity to sign the official endorsement, therefore being the reason he did not receive what he deserved. 

          In my opinion, Adidas treated JJ Nelson unfairly and it is their fault that this controversy is occurring. It is understandable that Adidas would want the athlete to sign an endorsement deal before running to assure that the athlete would represent them. However, there is no way that Adidas can expect JJ Nelson to sign an endorsement deal if he was never given one. JJ selected the Adidas cleats and ran in the top three fastest overall times, yet he was actually the fastest overall in the whole combine. Nelson qualified in all of Adidas' requirements, but did not receive his reward because he did not sign an endorsement deal he was never presented with. I personally think that is no one else's fault besides Adidas. They failed to communicate the deal with JJ Nelson which caused him to unfairly lose the money and the endorsement itself. 

Blog Post #5: Celtics vs. Hornets

          The Charlotte Hornets came into the Boston Celtics' house at TD Garden on Friday, February 27th. The Celtics won 106-98 with the recently signed Isaiah Thomas who led his team to victory with a stellar performance. Boston was able to put a rough second quarter behind them and come out with a win adding a third game to their winning streak. 

          The top scorer for the Celtics was Isaiah Thomas with 28, and Avery Bradley trailing behind him by 9 with scoring 19 points. Thomas and Turner each had 7 assists. The points and assists was enough for a season-high for Thomas. 

          Leading for the Hornets was Mo Williams with 31 points. Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson were under Williams by 17 points and put up 14 for the team. 

          Celtic guard Avery Bradley told "Celtics 24/7" that Isaiah Thomas and Jonas Bradley make the team look better both offensively and defensively. Writer Adam Himmelsbach for the Boston Globe caught Thomas saying, "Coach just wants me to make plays, and the guys want me to make plays.[They're] like, 'We're gonna follow you. Just make the right play.' When your teammates are saying that, it's unbelievable confidence. It makes it easy for me." 

          The Celtics expected to struggle after the trades of Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green. However, the team has a spark of confidence going for them because they are winning. Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe covered forward Jae Crowder saying, "But I'm a winner. You brought me here, and I like to win games."

          The game was truly a nail biter for any Boston fan. After a horrendous second quarter, the fans began to worry that the C's blew their lead. The determined team picked it up in the third quarter and gave the fans a thrilling fourth quarter. Avery Bradley had a few dunks, Isaiah Thomas drove in for several layups, and various players hit three pointers. 

          Marc D'Amico of the Boston Celtics page writes, "It didn't really feel as if the Celtics trailed by 16 points during this game. That's because they erased that deficit in a heartbeat."