The All-American Addiction

Rhetorical Analysis
In the article “Sports: The All-American Addiction”, written by John R. Gerdy, he argues about American’s love affair with sports and how he thinks sports have gone beyond a healthy interest to an addiction. One of his big points is that sports have become an addiction, saying people need sports to feel normal and they seem to create their whole schedule around it. On the other hand, he claims that there are also some positive aspects to sports. He explains that sports bring people together. Gerdy writes, “Sport can bind a community, and it can promote social change” (13). He goes on to say that sport can also teach lessons and have good impact on your health. Gerdy himself believes that he has an addiction to sports. He explains “I have spent countless hours at games, watching them on television, or reading about them in newspapers and magazines” (Gerdy 13). The author does achieve his purpose because of his use of

Gerdy’s purpose while writing his article is to persuade them that sports have become an addiction. He writes “Like a drug addiction, we need to repeat the act again and again and again just to feel normal” (Gredy 14). To add to his claim, he talks about how sport’s lure is powerful: “We invest our effort and emotion in sports stars and teams rather than improving our own lives . . .” (Gerdy 14). He believes Americans spend too much time watching sports instead of bettering their lives with something like reading, writing, or learning a new skill.
Gerdy intended his article to speak to the American people. He writes “The advantages of organized sports participation on the athletes and our society generally have become so ingrained in our collective American psyche, that they have become American “truths”– unquestioned and virtually unassailable” (Gerdy 12). Sports influence on American culture has never been bigger. Gerdy believes Americans embrace their addiction, even going on to explain how it embodies the “American