I Will What I Want - Critical Analysis Essay

Eric Bruce

Freshman Composition

13 April 2015

I Will What I Want

            The end of summer comes as a disappointment for kids and adults alike; however, the end of summer for football players is really just the beginning. Their blood, sweat, and tears flood the grassy fields they play on as they prepare for the new season. The sprints, weight lifting, and the scrimmages all help to better the players' game; their resolve. In high school is where the love of the game is pure; where it strives and resonates with the players for a lifetime. This passion, this strive for greatness in this sport doesn't come without a cost. The cost of greatness is the tools needed to elevate to the next level; these tools are built by only one company: Under Armour, or so the company itself allegedly claims. With the help of Baltimore's very own Ray Lewis leading the narration, Under Armour looks to go back to its roots in Baltimore which is where the headquarters for Under Armour is and the setting for this commercial.

            Inner city kids are seen finding any way possible to get to practice on this August day. By bike, car, train or on foot, they all make it to practice where they leave everything out there on the field,  there is a sense of rivalry between the linebacker and wide receiver. The obvious tension is brought to practice where they fight after every drill. The coaches are fueling this yelling, "That's what I like". The scene cuts to the home lives of both players. The wide receiver in his room throwing a football in the air as his trophies are shown in the background while the linebacker is doing pull-ups in his hallway as Ray Lewis continues his narration. Speaking of the underdog and how hungry one has to be in this game to succeed. If there is someone as hungry as the other for this, who will be the starter and who will ride the bench? Ray Lewis says what sets them apart is not the talent but the hunger, the desire, the effort. The next practice is when the wide receiver and his friend approach the linebacker, challenging him to a race; antagonizing the linebacker until he agrees to it saying, "Who you think is gonna win?". If heard closely the linebacker is heard saying you, but after more teasing amongst the wide receiver and his friend makes him agree. The two push each other before the race leading to another scuffle. But they finally race, with the obvious victor being the wide receiver. Later on in the practice, the linebacker rushes to the field as a drill is about to start. The coach says, " If you don't want it then someone is gonna come in here and take somebody's spot. Who will?" As the question of who will is brought up, the linebacker pulled another player out of the drill and went into his place as the camera zooms in on both of them with the Emblem I WILL on their helmets; while intensity and drive blazes in their eyes. The drill starts, the wide receiver takes the ball and begins running. He did not get far before the linebacker rushed him and puts him to the ground. The two get into another scuffle as the other players cheer on the linebacker. The whole team is chanting I WILL as Ray Lewis says, "Some say talent will take you a long way, well I say effort will last eternity. Effort" as the Under Armour logo is placed on the screen.  

            Coming from Ray Lewis, a 13-time Pro Bowler and 2-time Super Bowl champion, this advice should not be taken lightly. He has lived his life wearing shoulder pads; from pee wee to the pros, football has been his life. He is respected amongst coaches and players alike so a commercial from him as gritty and as down to its roots as this commercial will resonate more than with anyone else. In any form of rhetoric, especially in advertisement, there are modes of persuasion. These modes of persuasion work specifically to lure the person in as to fulfill the seller's agenda; which in this case is selling a product to the consumer.  

            These three modes of persuasion are ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos is the ethical appeal or the ability to convince the reader of the author's credibility. Basically, can the reader trust what the other is trying to say in his message? Credibility holds weight in any form of rhetoric because a person will not listen to someone they either do not trust, do not respect, or the latter. Logos is using reasoning to appeal to the reader.  Meaning that the author will try to use logic and persuasive words to convince the reader that what the author is speaking about is legit and makes sense. An example is someone convincing a person on why smoking is bad. Thos person would state all the facts and back it up with scientific studies and evidence to fully try to convince that person. Pathos on the other hand is using strictly emotion to convince the reader of the author's message. A perfect example being the ASPCA commercials showing the sad and sick animals that need to be helped. That commercial is strictly pathos, causing anyone to feel the urge to donate towards the cause. The two modes of persuasion that are used in this particular commercial are ethos and pathos.

            Anybody who watches football knows of or about Ray Lewis. So when the commercial starts off the credits and shows that Ray Lewis is the executive producer, they already know what to expect. They expect the hardcore and raw passion, the motivating speech that will hit the body and soul ferociously. That's what Under Armour is trying to make a connection to in this commercial. The connection that Under Armour is hard working, gritty, and passionate; not unlike the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. That connection alone builds the character of the company and what they have to sell. The commercial feeds into this by showing football practices and all they have to do to ensure that they become a better team individually then as a whole. This is why Under Armour has the crowned champ and the underdog: two different but similar paths to the same goal. Ray Lewis's narration makes it clear that the only way to get to your goal is through effort, through guts, through determination and preparation. With a few camera shots of Under Armour foot wear, shirts, jerseys, gloves, and helmets, the hint to the subconscious is that the viewer has to buy Under Armour to reach this goal.

            While the ethos works the mind about hard work and effort, pathos is heavily used. The champ and the underdog; Rocky vs. Apollo. The inspiration of watching the underdog make it. The commercial puts you in Rocky's proverbial shoes as the underdog linebacker as you struggle to compete with the champion wide receiver. The two are on the same team but you, the linebacker have to work harder for it, you have to train harder, you have to want it more than he does. That energy along with a nice soundtrack fuels the competitive spirit and launches the viewer into action. The viewer sees the arrogance of the champion, the overall confidence, and because of it wants to see him defeated by their underdog. The underdog has been hungry for the chance to beat him. He's been training and waiting for his moment. The song in the background is slowly built up, each scene it becomes more and more audible until the final scene. The final scene is the moment that the underdog has been waiting for, but there is someone in his way. If the underdog wants it so bad he has to take it and that is exactly what he does and he is victorious in his endeavor. That is what the pathos in the commercial is doing; making the viewer the underdog so that they may rise to the occasion and buy Under Armour gear so that they too can be victorious in their endeavors.

            Kevin Plank, the owner and CEO of Under Armour, has been selling what he built this company on: hard work and passion, the same ethos and pathos that is saturated in this commercial. Plank started this company because he was tired of the sweaty shirts that he had to wear during practice while he was playing college football at the University of Maryland. Starting from his grandmother's basement he created the company Under Armour. He went into debt, he was unsuccessful at times but he ended up on top. He then moved his headquarters from the basement to Baltimore and began expanding at an enormous rate. Under Armour is now worth over a billion dollars and continues to grow. Under Armour is trying to sell the consumer tools to their goals as Plank used his own tools to accomplish his goals. Since the audience are athletes, the company is trying to appeal to their love of the game and their competitive mindset to sell athletic gear. These athletic gears is what sets the viewer apart from winning, from reaching their goal. The only solution is that the viewer must buy the gear to get to the next level.

            The commercial is successful in its message to not only sell their gear to the public but also to inspire athletes to work harder, train harder, so that they may overcome the champion that stands between them and greatness. That the only obstacle is the person in the mirror and it is their job to hop over the hurdle into their dream using Under Armour as the trampoline. Athletes are emotional people and only a message targeted at their work ethic and passion for the game will get their attention. Under Armour knows this and utilizes it to sell their products to the masses of athletes.