Ray Lewis motivational speech

Ethos: Ray Lewis... Must I say more? 17 years in the NFL, going to be in the NFL Hall of Fame, one of the best linebackers to ever play the game. He is an athlete who has been in this same win or go home situation, the same situation these Stanford players are faced with in this video.

Pathos: The entire speech is emotional appeal. He uses some of his own experiences to relate to and pump up the stanford players. You can also hear the emotion in his voice when he talks. At the end of the speech you can hear and see how the players react to the speech.

Logos: There is some logical appeal in this speech but you have to look for it. The logic isn't direct and you really have to listen to what he is saying because he is such an emotional speaker it may distract you from the meaning behind the words.

Response to Wesley Morris' essay "Rise of the NBA Nerd: Basketball Style and Black Identity"

After reading Wesley Morris' essay "Rise of the NBA Nerd: Basketball Style and Black Identity" I think the reason why players are beginning to dress like "nerds" are because that’s what's in style culturally. The “nerd” style is becoming popular, and the players want to stay on top of the style not because they actually want to wear it. If you look around the sports world or just the community around you, you will notice there aren’t many “nerds” around - if there is they stand out because of the way they look. I think this is why these players have chosen to wear this particular style.   The "nerd" style draws attention to them because it is something not seen every day especially in the African American culture and they seek the attention that it brings. Not only do they play in the NBA, some didn't even attend college and were nowhere near qualified to be a "nerd". LeBron James for example had a GPA of a 2.8 in high school that's not even good enough to get in college let alone to be qualified as a "nerd". LeBron also had his famous "The Decision" special on ESPN before he went to Miami another example of how the players are just looking for attention anyway they can get it. The reason why I feel most players just want to stay on top of the style and don’t actually want to wear it is because the point Wesley Morris said in the essay referring to Dwight Howard and the comments on his cardigan. The way Dwight Howard reacted to this comment shows that he isn’t mature enough to wear it. Instead of taking the compliment and moving on he over reacts with a said “disgusted belief” saying, “Whoa, whoa.” Most people you see wearing cardigans are mature grown intellectual men and would’ve responded in a more professional manner. These few reasons are why I believe that the NBA players are just trying to keep up with the culture.