12 September 2013
Major Enhancements to the League
Do the names Mark
McGuire, Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, and Alex Rodriguez have any significance
in conjunction with one another? What is the common thread between these
individuals and hundreds of other major league baseball players? It is no
secret that these four men and scores of others have used performance-enhancing
drugs illegally in an attempt to gain a competitive edge over the competition. Now,
let it be made clear that there are abusers of performance-enhancing drugs,
such as steroids, in every avenue of athletics. However, baseball has become
prolific in the past decade as being a sport with quite a large percentage of
“juiced” athletes. There may be a specific reason why baseball has become the
playing field for so many abusers of PED’s (performance enhancing drugs), but
it is not clear. Regardless, it is suspected that a very large percentage of
professional baseball players use PEDs such as steroids on a regular basis in
order to improve their performance. In both examples of visual rhetoric on the
previous page, the ad creators are effective through creativity and the use of
pathos, ethos, and logos to persuade their audience.
The
authors of both advertisements shown above are effective in communicating a
certain idea to their audiences due to the visual appeal of their ads. The
first image is that of the classic MLB logo, created by Jerry Dior in 1968.
Simple in its design, the logo consists of a silhouetted batter and a baseball.
The baseball player seems to be eyeing the ball as it approaches. The colors,
red, white, and blue, point to the national influence of major league baseball
as “America’s great past time.” Furthermore, the symbol is very inclusive,
because, as a silhouette, the batter could be either right or left-handed, and
be from any ethnic background. This logo, however, was created as a
representation of the MLB at a time when performance-enhancing drugs were
uncommon in athletics. The second image shown above is very similar to the
previous image, except that the batter is instead wielding an enlarged syringe
instead of a baseball bat. Additionally, the individual letters making up the
words “Major League Baseball” below the image are covered in needles. The authors
of this spoof ad are very straightforward in proclaiming their views of MLB.
Their point being that the game of baseball has drastically changed since its
humble beginnings. The theme of needles and syringes in the ad is obviously
pointing out the excessive use of steroids and other PEDs in professional
baseball. Both ads, while representing opposing viewpoints of a specific
organization, are still very effective in conveying their intended message.
In
addition to the thoughtfulness that went into the image of each ad, even more
thought was required to persuade and evoke appeal from the audience through pathos,
ethos, and logos. The art of persuasion, or rhetoric, is difficult to master, but
when implemented correctly in the form of an ad, for instance, the results are
tremendous. The original ad of the official MLB logo contains powerful ethos
(ethical appeal), because professional baseball is something that is highly
respected by the American people due to its historical significance and classic
nature. Although the spoof ad does not persuade much through ethos, it does a
fantastic job of arguing through the use of pathos (emotional appeal), because
several people, mainly baseball fans, have become somewhat enraged in the past decade,
as more and more players have been found guilty of doping. For example, the loyalty
of many Yankee fans has probably decreased in the past couple months because of
Alex Rodriguez’s recent confession of being an abuser of steroids. An ad such
as this spoof would emotionally entice people who maybe feel somewhat deceived
by their “hero.” At the same time, an ad such as this would also appeal to
those who have looked down on the game of baseball for whatever reason, and now
have found an argument that backs up their opinions. The actual logo also
employs a certain amount of pathos, mainly because of the colors red, white,
and blue. These colors symbolize the unity and freedom of America, something
that is unique and that citizens of the US should never take for granted. In
addition to ethos and pathos, another component of rhetoric is logos, or
logical appeal. Logos is particularly relevant to the second ad because of a
negative generalization that could be conveyed to viewers. Because the MLB logo
is representative of a very large organization, one may assume that the authors
of the spoof are saying that everyone in the industry is directly involved in
the illegal distribution and use of PEDs. This may not be the intended purpose,
but the viewers could perceive it that way. Together, ethos, pathos, and logos
are directly responsible for the ultimate success of an ad, or any type
authorship for that matter.
Both
the original logo and the spoof ad belittling it, are successful types of
advertisement. Of course the second ad is entirely dependent on the
significance of the original in order to have any influence whatsoever. Because
of the history and importance of the MLB logo, the spoof ad is able to draw
from that in order to effectively defame it. Although the spoof ad does make a
great point, it is nothing more than a toad crossing the road as the car that
is professional baseball squishes it while cruising onward. A single ad will
never be able to completely undermine an established organization such as Major
League Baseball. Therefore, I conclude that the original logo is more
persuasive than the spoof ad that attempts to disgrace it.
Works Cited
Davis, David. "The Man Behind the MLB Logo." The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 23 Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.
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