TOW #14 "Stand Up and Speak Out"

During the past year, two star athletes, R.A. Dickey and Kayla Harrison, have come forth to describe the abuse they faced as children.  In an article in Sports Illustrated, Gary White, a sports writer who has written for the magazine since 1983, details the emotional journeys of these two individuals.  Throughout the piece, titled “Stand Up and Speak Out”, White writes as if the article were a transcript of a class discussion held one hundred years in the future.  For example, he writes, “Sitting in this classroom as we enter the 22^nd century it’s difficult to believe such an epidemic could occur, devouring boys and girls simply because they couldn’t open their lips to utter its name.”  By contrasting the present social stigma surrounding child abuse with what he believes will be a much more open and engaged public stance in the future, White attempts to highlights our society’s ignorance towards this increasingly prevalent problem.  In addition, he compares the lives of R.A. Dickey and Kayla Harrison to reveal the similarities between the fears and attitudes often experienced by children who are abused. 

White also employs logos in order to emphasize the point that adults must be more proactive in preventing pedophilia.  He writes, “One in 10 men had molested a child, their likelihood of being caught only 3%.” Ultimately, White uses this article as a way to encourage serious discussion about the presence of child abuse and to discuss ways in which it can be stopped.  By focusing on two athlete victims, he makes the article more interesting and accessible to the average Sports Illustrated reader and enables his audience to reconsider their views on the impact and scope of child abuse in this country.