We emulate the ancient philosophers because of the ability they had to maintain peace through their words.  Yet, we condemn them for the enjoyment they derived from violence.  For example, the Romans believed in finding solutions through rhetoric, but they also cheered as gladiators brutally slaughtered each other.  In today’s society, we yell over each other instead of patiently debating.  However, our forms of entertainment have evolved into athletic competitions instead of battles to the death.  How is it that we have lost our ability to be civil though language, yet have increased our ability to be civil in athletic activities?

The answer to this question is simple enough when considering athletic competition.  As society has advanced, we have learned to value human life to a much greater extent.  Unfortunately, in this transition to modern society, we have lost the ability to value perception and opinion.  This imbalance in values seems like a paradox, because valuing human life should logically correspond with valuing human opinion.  Society is not always logical though, which is why this strange trait exists.

Although our present world experiences difficulty utilizing rhetoric in the ebb and flow of everyday life, applications of rhetoric can still be found in surprising places.  For example, opponents in athletic competitions make appeals of a pathos nature when they “go down” from an aggressive play.  In soccer, many players exaggerate injuries in order to persuade the crowd that they deserve a free kick (which can lead to good opportunities on goal).  As a result, the crowd and referees usually favor the hurt player and his or her team.  Another example of rhetoric within soccer occurs when participants are penalized for yelling at a referee instead of calmly debating with him.  While today’s athletic competitions are a far cry from the debates of ancient rhetoricians, they are often more civil than the violent arguments that commonly occur in modern society.  This could imply that we respect the implications of being a civic society within boundaries (such as a game that has explicit rules), but we lose sight of civic duties within undefined settings such as everyday life.