RA 3: Article/Editorial

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/neuheisel-game-bruins-2166335-fans-bruin

1. This article was printed in the Sports page of the Orange County Register. The audience is clearly sports fans, especially UCLA football fans.

2. What are the consequences of a football team's high exectations of success on the number of games they win?

3. The UCLA football team's high expectations of success have caused and will cause them to win less games because high expectations cause disappointment that messes with players heads.

4. Ethos: The author, Marcia C. Smith, publishes lots of articles in this newspaper, so many readers who pick up this article already know her and value her opinion. Several quotes by coach Rick Neuheisel are used to show that the opinion has come largely from the mouth of the coach himself.
Pathos: I see pathos in the way the author brings up the disappointment of players and fans alike, as if to say "you don't want to feel like this again, right?"
Logos: Showing quotes of what the coach is saying now "I appreciate the fans for staying" compared to what he used to say about contending for a national championship appeals to the logic that there is a clear difference in the outlook of the team from when the season started to now. There is also a connection made between the disappointment the fans feel and that which the players feel. The author points more than once how dejected the fans were after the losses. A reader of the column can't relate with how a player feels, but they certainly understand the feelings the fans have, considering many of the readers are fans. The author seems to use this feeling to say "if fans are feeling dejected, players are feeling the same way."

5. Sufficient: Several quotes from the coach and players are used, which are a perfect source for describing what has happened to the team. However, I don't feel like there was enough used, especially when the author describes the coach's expectations about the up-coming year. No quotes are used that show him talking about all they will accomplish. Also, there are no quotes from players or anyone on the team to back up the claim that disappointment and discouragement had anything to do with the losses. They might have simply been the worse team, and only the author's opinion contends that, which may or may not be enough for readers.
Typical: The author uses the feelings of the UCLA fan-base as a whole as a reference, so it is a typical opinion.
Accurate: The description of the coach firing up the team may or may not be exaggerated, as there are no direct quotes. The quotes by players and the coach are good sources.
Relevant: The sources, especially the scores of the last three games and reaction of the team to each of those games, are very relevant.

6. The author's purpose seems to be to not only point out what the problem has been for the UCLA team thus far, but to encourage readers who coach teams to not give their teams unjustified expectations. I think it would have the effect of giving a coach something to think about, however I feel that the claims the author makes are too stretched and not backed up enough to really cause a change of mindset.