Stephen H. Webb’s essay on How Soccer Is Ruining America: A Jeremiad is jam-packed with various rhetorical strategies. Webb's greatest influential rhetorical strategy is his satirical interpretation of the other side of the argument he is constructing. Webb uses a twisted, deceitful role-reversal. Through this position against his arguments his tone is sought out to be much more sarcastic, dry humor. His sarcastic comments and sharp remarks give him an unpleasant appearance. Webb comes off as an obnoxious character, which usually is damaging to one's character. Generally, through his fulfilling of role he displays his most prominent rhetorical strategies are his appeal to an extremely narrow audience, his sarcastic and patronizing remarks, and his often complete absence of supporting details or rational reasoning.
Through Webb’s role-reversal his sarcastic remarks insult a wide-range audience. Webb appears to be very arrogant to any reader outside his designated audience. Webb ends his soccer “bashing” essay with the reveal that all three of his children were on traveling soccer teams. The last paragraph is where it becomes most apparent to the reader that he was not being serious throughout the essay, “Last year all three of my kids were on three different soccer teams at the same time” (269). With this quote one can assume, Webb’s essay can be categorized as a satire.
Through Webb’s role-reversal his sarcastic remarks insult a wide-range audience. Webb appears to be very arrogant to any reader outside his designated audience. Webb ends his soccer “bashing” essay with the reveal that all three of his children were on traveling soccer teams. The last paragraph is where it becomes most apparent to the reader that he was not being serious throughout the essay, “Last year all three of my kids were on three different soccer teams at the same time” (269). With this quote one can assume, Webb’s essay can be categorized as a satire.