Brady Shoemaker

Professor Kashtan
UWRT 1101
October 31, 2016
Major Assignment #2
I chose the October 19, 2015 edition of Sports Illustrated entitled Leonard
Fournette, The Next Herschel Walker? Earl Campbell? Marshall Faulk? Bo Jackson?
as my cultural artifact. I settled on this specific magazine after seeing Fournette on the
cover (He recently had one of the most dominant games is SEC football history). In this
issue author (Alan Shipnuck) gives his thoughts on why Fournette will be the next great
running back. In my personal opinion Leonard
Fournette is the best running back in college football
and this article really does a good job at proving my
point.
On the cover of the magazine Leonard
Fournette is shown in a pose that highlights his
menacing physique. Fournette is a physical specimen,
standing 6

1 and weighing in at 236 pounds. He

appears to be in his mid-30s due to a thick beard and

muscular build but was only a sophomore in college at the time. The photographer

highlights the attributes by having him pose in uniform (minus the helmet) and flex his
bicep. I believe this is the use of Ethos or the attempt to establish Fournettes credibility
as the future of the NFL.
In the article, several quotes are highlighted in bold and displayed at a larger size.
These quotes from various sources on the Louisiana State University coaching staff, all
point to Fournettes potential or freakish athleticism. He can spin you, run through you
or hurdle you. Says his LSU running back coach Frank Wilson. Hes so fast, hes gone
in a hiccup says Head coach Les Miles. I believe this was an attempt to establish the
authors credibility. Rather than just stating his opinions, he got the perspective of those
around Fournette on a daily basis.
Kairos is another important factor in the article. At the time it was written LSU
was 5-0 and Leonard Fournette was viewed as far and away the favorite to win the
Heisman trophy (which was later awarded to Alabamas Derrick Henry). The timeliness
of the article is important. Sports Illustrated is a well-respected publication, and many of
the Heisman voters probably read this article. The author is attempting to persuade the
readers (including potential Heisman trophy voters) that Fournette is the best player in
the country and should therefore win the Heisman trophy award. LSU would go on to
lose several games (no fault of Fournette). Alabama would eventually win the National
Championship, and Derrick Heisman would win the Heisman. In my opinion this is due
to the flawed voting of the Heisman award, but thats another argument for another time.

The author also uses Logos to appeal to the readers logic. I believe Logos is the
most effective device used in this article. The author appeals to the readers logic by
including Fournettes stats from his high school days at St. Augustine High School in
New Orleans through his Freshman year at LSU. He also includes background info from
Fournettes high school days, which further his claim of Leonard Fournettes greatness.
He points out that Fournette was the number 1 recruit in the nation and played running
back, wide receiver and defense. He also pointed out that Fournette set high school state
records in track in the 200 meter. Jaw dropping feats of athleticism such as these, really
do point to Fournette having the potential to be the greatest running back of all time. If a
guy is considered the best football player in the nation by college coaches across the
nation, and has the stats to back it up (in multiple sports), then logically he must be pretty
good at what he does.
Pathos is an appeal to the readers emotion, in this article pathos is used when the
author attempts to show Fournettes human side. It might be kind of hard to relate
emotionally to a future multi-millionaire, freak athlete. But when youre told he came
from the inner city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and he spends every day hes not playing
football with his baby daughter you might be a little emotionally connected. Leonard
Fournette didnt have an easy ride to the top. He overcame many obstacles to become the
man he is today. Hurricane Katrina and the Violent Streets of New Orleans couldnt stop
him. And hes not the typical dumb jock. Many athletes are constantly getting into
trouble by partying and just acting plain stupid. Not Fournette though, hed rather spend

time with his daughter Lyric and eat his mothers home cooked Jambalaya. The author
points all of this out to draw the reader in emotionally. After throwing out facts and
athletic accomplishments, the author does a really good job of humanizing such an unhuman figure.
Some of the pictures featured in the article try connect Fournette with past greats.
Fournette is shown with the likes of Earl Campbell, Erick Dickerson, Herschel Walker,
Bo Jackson and Adrian Peterson. For those who dont know football, the names just
mentioned are a whos who of all-time great NFL and College football running backs.
When the reader sees these images they will automatically correlate Fournette with men
previously mentioned. On top of the pictures the author list traits Fournette shares with
each individual player. Campbell Speed, Balance. Dickerson Vision, Acceleration,
Walker Size, Strength, Jackson Speed, Power, Peterson Cutting, Hands. It really
puts Fournettes ability when you see the traits he shares with legends. After seeing this
most readers would think, wow, if those legends have a few of those traits each but
Leonard Fournette has them all he must be really good.
The author uses sports illustrateds unique platform to further his argument. The
magazine is universally viewed as the premier sports publication. Therefore, if the author
writing for the best sports magazine in the world says Leonard Fournette is the future he
must know what hes talking about. The target audience for this magazine would be
sports fans. More specifically, LSU fans, college football fans or football fans in general.

In summary, this magazine uses a combination of rhetorical devices to put together

a compelling argument claiming Leonard Fournette is the next great football running
back. The use of ethos, pathos, logos and Kairos solidify the argument much further than
the typical pro/con argument ever could. All the rhetorical devices work well together
to tie the argument together. It seems difficult to go from talking about Fournettes stats,
to his high school track and field records, to his daughter and stay on topic. Using
rhetorical devices however allows the author to use a wide range of evidence to prove his
point about Fournette. I really do think this article proves that Leonard Fournette is the
best running back in college football.