The Designed Player By Peter F. Martin: Article Analysis

Both the articles “Destroyed” by Peter F Martin and “The Designed Player” by Rodrigo Villagomez discuss the presence of having steroids in sports. Martin explains in his article how he thinks it is a form of “cheating,” and steroids should not be allowed. However, Villagomez portrays how he thinks steroids are increasing the popularity of sports and should be authorized. Although the articles “Destroyed” and “The Designed Player” bear minor similarities, the differences of author’s craft and author’s point of view are much more pronounced. In Peter Martin’s article “Destroyed,” Martin emphasizes that steroids are a negative factor in sports. Martin is very strict about his thoughts when discussing his point of view. He discusses how there …show more content…
One of the ways Villagomez shows this is through point of view. Villagomez talks about how baseball players are just people, not necessarily perfect. These players showcase their skills for us; should we really care if they are being a little shady about their talent? He says, “They should thank them. Without those players, they might not even have a game to watch” (Villagomez). Villagomez explains how he thinks baseball players are amazing; they go onto the field and specially perform their special talent for thousands and thousands of people. He is also implying that steroids help to make the game more exciting by saying “they might not even have a game to watch.” Villagomez’s point of view is clear that baseball players are inspiring people, and that people should not think that something as small as steroids should stop them from enjoying the game. Villagomez also has a different author’s craft that helps to present his argument. He crafts his essay through facts and quotes. For example, Villagomez explains the dictionary definition of steroid; “Let’s first look at the clinical definition of a steroid. A steroid is “any group of organic compounds belonging to the general class of biochemicals called lipids, which are easily soluble in organic solvents and slightly soluble in water”(Dempsey)” (Villagomez). Villagomez incorporates this into …show more content…
A similarity between these 2 articles is that they both try to put the reader into a specific mood. For example, in “Destroyed,” Martin uses an analogy to amp up the idea of steroids being a form of cheating. He says, “Head to Vegas and you can drop money on your guesses. Just make sure you cover the spread, because it’s not enough to say slammin’ Sammy Sosa’s been hitting the juice” (Martin). Martin does this to really bring out that so many athletes are cheating that you can go to Las Vegas and bet on if they are or not. This puts the reader in a bias sort of mood against the other side, so they could side with the idea that steroids are a form of cheating. Similarly, in “the Designed Player,” Villagomez puts the reader in a similar mood when talking about the success of steroid-using athletes; “But if it were not for the small percentage of players who have recently been found to use steroids, baseball would not be enjoying the success it does today. We should be thanking these players for keeping the game popular” (Villagomez). Once again, Villagomez mentions how we should thank the players for using steroids and keeping the game popular. He says this to put the readers into a similar mood. He wants the reader to feel that steroids are a beneficial factor in sports’ success, and we should be pro-steroids in sports. Martin and Villagomez both put the reader into a