The exceedingly assertive essay “How Soccer is Ruining America: A Jeremiad,” by Stephen H. Webb appoints many rhetorical strategies while also pointing out every imperfection in the game of soccer. The most powerful rhetorical strategy that stands out in Webb’s writing is his ironic tone. It takes a meticulous understanding of the English language, along with a dry sense humor, to depict such irony. Webb argues that “every kid is a winner, and nobody is ever left behind, no matter how many times they watch the ball going the other way” (267), yet his sarcastic tone forces his audience to believe the opposite of what he writes. Webb also judiciously builds his ethos through his essay which helps the reader to see the humor in it.
Along with his influential ironic tone, Webb uses many similes in his essay. While sarcastically comparing baseball to soccer, “The spectacle of your failure was so public that it was like having all of your friends invited to your home to watch your dad forcing you to eat your vegetables” (268), he is stating that baseball is a superior sport over soccer for children to play without writing it in those exact words. Webb believes that the failure caused by a strike out builds the child’s competitiveness which then thrust them to try harder next time whereas soccer children are cheered on by their screaming parents whether they score a goal or not. Webb's rhetorical strategies help the audience see his perspective on how soccer is indeed running America into the ground.
Along with his influential ironic tone, Webb uses many similes in his essay. While sarcastically comparing baseball to soccer, “The spectacle of your failure was so public that it was like having all of your friends invited to your home to watch your dad forcing you to eat your vegetables” (268), he is stating that baseball is a superior sport over soccer for children to play without writing it in those exact words. Webb believes that the failure caused by a strike out builds the child’s competitiveness which then thrust them to try harder next time whereas soccer children are cheered on by their screaming parents whether they score a goal or not. Webb's rhetorical strategies help the audience see his perspective on how soccer is indeed running America into the ground.