In his essay,“Baseball or Soccer,” David Brooks puts in perspective an analogy that describes the life that we live as either basketball or soccer. To him, he thinks that life is more like soccer as opposed to being like baseball. Soccer is largely a team sport that has players working together to contribute each on their part to win a game. That is how life is where we live through networks to get things going. In essence, the influence happens through three aspects that include the contagion, the structure of someone’s network and then the power of the extended mind (Brooks).The text concludes with the author’s thoughts that once people acknowledge that aspect, it is a reality that demonstrates a measure of wisdom. It will also be clear that there is less use of predictive models and in effect just like a 90-minute game or dream for that matter, “there is always something in the way (Brooks par. 12).”
Brooks primary purpose is interpretative. It is a characteristic of writing seen in the examples he uses of texts and events. For example, in the third paragraph, he says, “as Critchley writes, Soccer is a collective game…..which means they have to understand it spatiallypositionally, and intelligently and make it effective” (Brooks par. 3).He uses the analogy of soccer as a sport to show how life is, compared baseball. In essence, he is interpreting the meaning of texts and events to paint the life scenario. Through parts of the essay, he is also seen comparing the two and offering his opinion why life is more of soccer as opposed to being like the baseball game. For example, in the opening paragraph he says despite baseball technically being a team sport, much of it is about individual achievement such as “fielding a grounder, hitting a line drive or throwing a strike” (Brooks par. 1). He then begins the second paragraph by saying “soccer is not like that…..” These are two comparisons of a game that he is drawing from to affirm his position that can be seen in many parts of the essay in driving his point home.
The secondary purpose of the essay is the largely on the focus of language that can be seen throughout. Brooks practically uses an analogy that is metaphorical in nature. For example, he says that we sometimes spend much of our life “thinking that we playing baseball but in the actual sense we are playing soccer” (Brooks par. 4). Such an analogical comparison is explicitly metaphorical in driving the intended message home. He is seen adapting to that kind of language in most parts of the essay as if to emphasize his points. In the true sense of the matter, Brooks lets his thoughts flow as much without having to necessary appear as if he is struggling to state his point. In the larger picture, there is what he wants the reader to learn from the analogy beyond seeing it as such. At the same time, he also adopts a style of writing that is succinct in the points he makes. What this means is that in as much as it is an analogy that is metaphorical in its perspective, there are not much of verbatim incidences that are sometimes associated with such a style of writing. He is seen summarizing his points in a manner that the reader will be able to understand and make his own conclusions (Lance).
Brooks style and pattern of writing is also seen revealing an element of persuasiveness. He manages to engage the mind of the reader creatively in the flow of his thoughts step by step. He does this by incorporating examples to solidify his line of argument cum thoughts. It is a style of writing that in one way or another adopts an argumentative tone. That shows that he wants the reader to see the sense of his way of thinking without appearing as someone who wants to ram down his thoughts to the readers. Brooks goes step by in capturing the mind of the reader. He organizes his text by introducing the reader to the subject, supporting his line of argument using real-life examples such as past matches involving Brazil and Germany, and then gives his final expressive thoughts. At some point, he also reminds the reader to look back and reflect on their lives and see where he is coming from in his exposition. He suggests there could be an element of delusion in our perception about the way we view life. That shows some level of engagement in his style for the reader. It is also evident in the way he adopts the use of “us” in parts of the text. Once again, that also demonstrates the interpretive purpose of the essay that is quite evident.
The essay in its own unique way succeeds in its interpretive and persuasive literary purpose through the use of an analogy that is interpreted in a metaphorical perspective. It invites the reader to see the point of argument that that author puts forward. The good thing is that he does not appear to have a firm or a hardline stand about his point of argument. It is for the reader’s choosing to see if his opinion has got validity in its scope.
In conclusion, Brooks demonstrates why he thinks that life is much of soccer compared to baseball when given the two options. According to him, just like soccer that has individuals playing as a team to win a game, so is life that has a network of things that work together in shaping someone’s life. He is quick to point out that we should not be deluded that life is much like baseball where the individual way of doing things is what defines us. As a matter of fact, it is like playing soccer. It is something that human beings must acknowledge and then come to the realization that there is just so much wisdom in that, and we should, in fact, think through such a thought.
- Brooks, David. “Baseball or Soccer”?The New York Times.10 Jul 2014. Internet Source.Accessed 03 Aug 2016 from
- Lance. Are You Playing Baseball or Soccer? 3 Dec 2015. Internet Source.Accessed 03 Aug 2016 from
