Genre Analysis

Pay College Athletes? - A Genre Analysis

By Daniel Seegers

If anything describes this modern era, it is the age of communication. So then, the method in which one communicates is vitally important. The genre one chooses becomes a decision upon which the entire reception and effectiveness of the exchange rests. Communication is dialogue, and dialogue always involves a speaker and an audience. Thus when one chooses a genre to fit his purposes, it must be one in which he can successfully complete a dialogue with the audience in the best and most efficient manner. Considering this, take the following analysis of two genres, an image and an article, as an example of the effectiveness of different kinds of communication.

The topic under consideration by the genres is the recurring question of whether college athletes should be paid. This is a controversial topic that seems to appear and disappear in seasons (quite literally sports’ seasons). The first genre is an image by Sara Cwynar (2011) with the caption “Lets Start Paying College Athletes.” (For the purposes of this analysis it is important to note that this image was accompanied by an article of the same topic). The second genre is an article “Pay College Athletes? They’re Already Paid Up To $125,000 Per Year” by Jeffrey Dorfman (2013), describing the numerous ways college athletes are compensated without being salaried.

These genres are advocating for opposite agendas and purposes. The image is blatantly trying to persuade the viewer of the need to pay college athletes through its use of text bubbles describing the difference in the combined salary of the highest paid football coaches and the combined salary of Division I college football players ($54.4 Million and $0 respectively), and the difference in the number of coaches compared to players (15 and 13,877 respectively). With the article, the intent is similar, though more subtle. Though the article too intends to persuade, its purpose is more an attempt to inform. The author is trying to inform the reader that while no, college athletes are not paid a salary, they are paid in a number of different ways, often including full-ride scholarships, housing, food, books, and training, among other things.

These two genres appeal to a range of audiences including sports fans and sports related workers, students, athletes, and those affiliated to universities and university sports programs, as well as universities themselves. The audience, then, ties in with the purpose of both the image and the article by being familiar with the issues. They have a vested interest in the debate. It is likely that most of them already know that college athletes are not paid, but in the case of the image, they likely do not know the extent of the difference in the salaries, and in the case of the article, the audience likely does not know all the ways in which college athletes are compensated.

Something very important to genres and their audiences is credibility. The image and the article must be able to establish credibility among their audience in order for their message to be received. For the image, this credibility is established through its appearance on the website of a major newspaper - The New York Times, which has received 114 Pulitzer Prizes (The New York Times Company, 2014) - and well as the fact that it provides statistical information (the numbers of coaches and college athletes and their respective salaries). People have a tendency to trust numbers. As far as the article is concerned, the author establishes his credibility in a number of ways. In the second paragraph, the author establishes his credibility by stating that he was himself a college athlete and that he served on his university’s athletic association board of directors. Also, the fact that the article is presented through a prestigious magazine, Forbes, lends the article credibility. Once the audience knows the source is credible, it will more likely trust the information.

Both the image and the article use formal language (the image, for example, just states the statistics regarding the salaries and numbers of the coaches and athletes and nothing more), though the article leans slightly more toward an informal tone. The article has certain narrative aspects to it, as the author uses his own experiences to further his claims. The article and the image both utilize specialized language. The image uses the phrase “Division I”, for example, and the article uses “NCAA,” “BCS,” and “Division I” as well. The use of these specialized terms further unites the genres with their audience, as these are terms that would likely be familiar. Specialized language also has the effect of narrowing the audience, as not everyone will be familiar with the terms.

 These two genres vary significantly in their presentation of information. The image depicts coaches on one side of the image and football players on the other, with two text-filled balloons next to each group describing the difference in salaries between the two. The text-filled balloons read “$53.4 Million Combined 2011 Salaries Of The 15 Highest-Paid College Football Coaches,” and “$0 The Combined Salaries Of 13,877 Division I College Football Players” (Cwynar, 2011). In the article, the author organizes his information in a way that first deals with how student athletes are compensated and need not be salaried, backing these claims up with evidence (which will be discussed later). He then writes about why paying the athletes a salary would be a difficult change under the current system. He then concludes, further reiterating his claims.

 While it might only take a viewer a minute of looking at the image to grasp its meaning, a reader could spend 8-10 minutes (judging from actual readings) reading the article. Right away one can understand that the two are very different in style and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The image must make its point, that college athletes should be paid, clear in a very small amount of time and space, while the article can spend entire paragraphs fleshing out ideas. Thus the image has a severe limitation. It can only present limited information, and likely will not be able to form a well-rounded argument. For example, while the image touches on the salary difference between coaches and college players, it says nothing of the other benefits college athletes receive. Conversely, the article spends plenty of time describing the benefits college athletes receive without being salaried, while also discussing why changing the system would be difficult.

What the image lacks in informational depth it makes up for in emotional impact. In all the information and detail of an article a reader can get lost and not arrive as easily at the conclusion the author has attempted to guide him towards. The image, to the contrary, is able to bring the viewer to an emotional climax in a very short time. In the image “Let’s Start Paying College Athletes” the artist uses the seemingly obscene difference in the salaries of the players and coaches to make a very quick but powerful point. Just the difference between the numbers in the image ($53.4 Million and $0) paints a very sharp contrast. It evokes anger and contempt in its viewers, as well as a feeling of inequality. The article, on the other hand, must take time to develop its argument and thus may not elicit as strong an emotional response. The author does not seem to appeal to a specific emotion, but rather seems to appeal to a sense of rationality and logic through the use of the numerous examples of how college athletes are already compensated. Still, though this information is backed by more evidence than the image, these responses may be more difficult to grasp for the reader than the very direct and easily understood point of the image.

Evidence, as mentioned above, is another important aspect of any genre. Evidence bears a strong relationship to credibility. As with credibility, without evidence the information presented through the genres cannot be considered viable. The evidence presented by the image is the numerical data describing the salaries and numbers of college athletes and coaches. This evidence is easily grasped and is able to very effectively make its point using very little information. The article, however, has much more evidence at its disposal. The experience gained by the author on the athletic association board examining financial statements enables him to provide convincing insights into college athlete’s compensation. He makes very good use of numbers and statistics, and also utilizes an outside source.

The question of which genre is more effective is difficult to answer. Each genre is more effective in certain scenarios than the other. The image, for example, is very effective in capturing an audience’s attention and delivering a profound message in a short amount of time. However, the article is longer and takes the time to examine the issue in depth. It is for this reason that the article will likely be more effective in the discussion on paying college athletes. While the image is very effective in quick delivery and strong emotional appeal, it is not as effective in covering a complex issue. The image concentrated on only the difference in salaries among coaches and their college athletes. While this will likely have a strong appeal, it does not have the depth to comprehensively discuss the issue, as the article does. As mentioned earlier, the image was accompanied by an article, as the authors likely realized this weakness. 
              Different situations require the utilization of different genres. Using the correct genre to communicate with an audience has a profound impact on discourse. Should only one genre be used for every purpose, there would be no relationship between the speaker and his listeners, and for effective communication to exist there must be this relationship. One cannot sell to somebody he does not understand, and one cannot communicate without a genre that caters to the needs and expectations of the audience. A genre is a powerful weapon of influence, and it can only be wielded properly by those who understand its applications.

References

Cwynar, S. (Collage Maker). (2011). Let’s start paying college athletes [Collage], Retrieved September 9, 2014, from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

Dorfman, J. (2013, August 29). Pay college athletes? They’re already paid up to $125,000 per year. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2013/08/29/pay-college-athletes-theyre-already-paid-up-to-125000year/

The New York Times Company. (2014). Pulitzer prizes. Retrieved from http://www.nytco.com/pulitzer-prizes/