The Rhetorical Playbook
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THE RHETORICAL PLAYBOOK: FOOTBALL, RACE, RHETORIC, AND PLAY POSSIBILITY SPACES OF THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY By JOSIAH MEINTS Bachelor of Arts in English Mississippi State University Mississippi State, Mississippi 2009 Master of Arts in English Mississippi State University Mississippi State, Mississippi 2011 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December, 2019 THE RHETORICAL PLAYBOOK: FOOTBALL, RACE, RHETORIC, AND PLAY POSSIBILITY SPACES OF THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY Dissertation Approved: Dr. Joshua Daniel-Wariya Dissertation Adviser Dr. Lynn Lewis Dr. Anna Sicari Dr. Laura Arata ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Above all else and others, to God be any and all glory. In sports, no one player’s success is entirely their own doing, and similarly this project would never have reached completion without the support of many people: My advisory committee: Dr. Joshua Daniel-Wariya, Dr. Lynn Lewis, Dr. Anna Sicari, and Dr. Laura Arata for their feedback and encouragement throughout the process. My advisor, Dr. Daniel-Wariya, in particular was instrumental during my transition to a new area of research and in undertaking a project this nontraditional in rhetoric and writing studies. Dr. Rebecca Damron who gave me space to process during a significant shift in my plan of study; Dr. Ron Brooks who told me “There’s a paper in that” when I brought up a germ of this project during class discussion; and Dr. Elizabeth Grubgeld who has always been a supporter of my work, regardless of its focus, and an advisor when I had none. Kyle Porter of Pistols Firing Blog who gave me the opportunity to write satire about the Big 12 sports for over two years. While writing for him, I was given the chance to try out ideas that would eventually form the basis of this dissertation, and I also saw in some small way that my work had value. Tia Harrington and the folks at OSU Athletics for giving me access to game day media. Amber Damicone for letting me work with student-athletes in her writing center. Working with student-athletes gave me an opportunity to serve the people most affected by the NCAA cartel and to understand how best we can leverage our privilege to their benefit. Sharon Dougherty, Dr. Challenger, and Dr. Curtis for helping me manage my mental health. My many peers who have been sounding boards and support when I was struggled to keep going: Alex Hughes, Dillon Hawkins, Eric Riddle, Jacqueline Alnes, Jeaneen Canfield, William Tunningley, Laura Tunningley, Hillary Coenen, Christina Lane, Jake Euteneuer, Emilie Tallent, Alison Green, Jean Alger, and many, many others. Last but certainly not least, my parents, Paul and Donna, and my siblings, Zach and Anna, who have always encouraged me and my academic pursuits. I am grateful for my in-laws and extended family, who have supported my family even when academic schedules made that difficult. My two sons, Graham and Flynn, have been a constant source of encouragement, and my wife was been a willing discussion partner and editor throughout the entire process. Without her most of all, this project may have never even happened. iii Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University. Name: JOSIAH MEINTS Date of Degree: DECEMBER, 2019 Title of Study: THE RHETORICAL PLAYBOOK: FOOTBALL, RACE, RHETORIC, AND PLAY POSSIBILITY SPACES IN THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY Major Field: ENGLISH Abstract: My dissertation examines and defines the relationship of college football within the culture of the American university, especially at larger Division I athletic schools. In my first two chapters, I argue that universities are complex rhetorical objects formed from an amalgam of physical buildings, fans, merchandise, traditions, icons, narrative, and fans, among many other components. As such, college football works as an effective shorthand for the university and thus has significant import and control over university culture and identity. In my third chapter, I argue that the rules of college football restrict the identities of student-athletes through rules around eligibility and amateurism. Because student-athletes are constantly responsible for maintaining their eligibility, they are constantly playing their sport on the football field and in the classroom. In my fourth chapter, I track the racist motivations of rule changes during football’s early years and how this has continued throughout the history of the sport, particularly in recent rules around player conduct. Conduct rules primarily revolve around White norms and deviations from those White norms, however minor, are punished with penalties on the field and off the field. In my fifth and final chapter, I demonstrate how employing antiracist pedagogy and empathy in our classrooms can help us give student-athletes more agency over their identity in our classrooms and beyond. Antiracist pedagogy can be a humanizing force for them despite the dehumanizing nature of collegiate athletics. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. PREGAME WARMUP ..............................................................................................1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Definitions................................................................................................................5 Triangulating the Research Gap...............................................................................8 Sports Sociology ................................................................................................8 Game Studies .....................................................................................................9 Sports Journalism and History .........................................................................10 Sports Rhetoric.................................................................................................12 Organization ...........................................................................................................12 II. SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM ................................................................15 Introduction ............................................................................................................15 Research Questions and Methods ..........................................................................20 The Origins of Football as College Sport ..............................................................20 Institutional Identity as a Rhetorical Constellation ................................................28 The University Constellation as Self-propagating .................................................39 Oklahoma State University’s New Jumbotron ................................................40 Land Appeals and Constellations at Mississippi State, NC State, and Miami 50 Repairing the University Constellation at TCU, Oklahoma State, and OU.....53 University and Game as Inseparable......................................................................57 III. KICKOFF ..............................................................................................................60 Introduction ............................................................................................................60 Research Questions and Methods ..........................................................................62 Games and the Magic Circle ..................................................................................63 The Magic Circle .............................................................................................66 Complicating the Magic Circle ........................................................................68 Play Possibility Spaces and Procedural Rhetoric.............................................72 The Idealized Possibility Space of College Football .............................................75 The Rules of the Game ....................................................................................80 The Functional Possibility Space of College Football ...........................................85 Football as Hegemony ...........................................................................................98 v Chapter Page IV. FLAG ON THE PLAY ..........................................................................................99 Introduction ............................................................................................................99 Research Questions and Methods ........................................................................101 The Roots of Conduct and Play ...........................................................................102 Rules of Conduct..................................................................................................106 “It’s all about the U” ......................................................................................110 Student-Athlete as Totem ....................................................................................118 Implications..........................................................................................................123 V. CALLING THE PLAY ........................................................................................125 Introduction ..........................................................................................................125 Research Questions and Methods