Analysis of an Argumentative Essay by Marc Andrada

In the argumentative essay “The Reasons Why The NFL Is The Best Sport In The World” written by Marc Andrada there is an abundance of writing techniques throughout the essay. Marc Andrada's argument is that football is the best sport to ever be played and watched. He is directing his argument towards sports fans who may see sports such as baseball or soccer as the best sport ever. Andrada uses key points such as the fandom culture around football and the scale of popularity among the sport to strengthen his point. All in all, Andrada creates a compelling argument that is well put together through many writing techniques.

From the very first paragraph in Andrada’s essay, he uses writing techniques to enhance his argument. For example, Andrada writes, “Football continues to delight fans and has never lost its spark” (Andrada 1). The use of pathos, which can be described as appealing to a readers emotions, can be seen through his phrasing of the way fans enjoy the game. Andrada writes that fans delight over the game, rather than simply saying that fans like the game. He writes about how the spark in football is still the same it's always been, which makes the sport feel special, the sport creates a spark. Another great example of Andrada’s use of pathos is shown in the essay when he highlights the dramatic feeling that can be felt while watching intense moments during games. In the essay he says, “There is, of course, nothing more dramatic than watching one of the NFL league’s finest quarterbacks driving his teammates down the field when there are seconds left on the clock” (Andrada 4). Andrada uses pathos to create the feel of how enticing a clutch moment on the field can be, and the drama that can be felt when a fan’s favorite team is pursuing their final push towards victory.

Andrada uses another rhetorical strategy that focuses on logic, and he incorporates it in his essay by appealing to what readers already know to be true. Andrada states, “Let’s face it, no sporting event in the world can compete with the Super Bowl… with a reported 111.3 million people tuning in across the world to watch the players in action” (Andrada 7). Andrada is wise in his use of statistics and creating logical implications surrounding the popularity of the superbowl. For the point Andrada is trying to prove, he appeals to the common knowledge that most everyone knows whether they believe football is the best sport or not, the super bowl is the most viewed sporting event of all time. 

Andrada also includes the use of a few logical fallacies. The use of antanagoge, a logical fallacy that means rebuttalling a claim with a counterclaim, is obvious in Andrada’s argument. He says, “Every sport on the planet offers intense rivalries. Soccer has Liverpool FC and Manchester United. Baseball has the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Basketball has the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics. However, these rivalries cannot compare to the passion between fans of the Packers and Bears, Steelers and Raiders or Cowboys and Redskins” (Andrada 5). Andrada shows the claims of sports fans that may believe soccer or baseball are the best sport of all time, and then belittles the claim by stating how the rivalries in football are more well known and more intense than the others. Another logical fallacy used by Andrada is known as an adynaton, which can be simply described as an excessive exaggeration. In the text, Adrada writes, “It will have fans sitting on the edge of their seat, holding their breath while praying their team will be victorious” (Andrada 4). While Andrada writes that fans will be sitting on the edge of their seat, and holding their breath, he simply means that fans are filled with suspense and are eager to see what is going to happen next. By using this exaggeration, it gives the reader a clear picture as to what can be seen, or even felt during these intense moments in a football game.

However, there are a few weak points in Andrada’s argument. In the essay Andrada drops the names of a few players, which is an attempt at using ethos. He says, “For example, it is hard not to be inspired by the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady, who was originally the sixth round pick and only had an opportunity to play when Drew Bledsoe sustained an injury” (Andrada 8). While many football fans know who these players are, there are certainly fans of other sports that these names mean nothing to. This is a failed attempt at incorporating ethos into his essay because the whole argument is written to convince other sports fans that football is the best sport ever, which is not accomplished by name dropping players that the audience may have never even heard of. A great way to make this section stronger would be to compare the players name dropped to players from other sports. Andrada could describe Tom Brady as the Babe Ruth of football or the Leo Messi of football, appealing to both Baseball and Soccer fans.

Overall, Andradas' essay is well written and is full of good writing techniques to strengthen his claims. Through his effective use of pathos, logos, and a handful of logical fallacies, Andrada built a strong argument that could toe-to-toe with any other claim. While there is a small amount of failed writing techniques in his essay, the strength of Andrada’s argument and successful rhetorical strategies outweigh the weak points tremendously.