ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the rhetorical situation that, through ritual and tropes, weaves militarism into the tapestry of sporting events in the United States and thereby sets up rhetorical entanglement—a multifaceted rhetorical groove that channels the desires experienced by spectators. It highlights two aspects of the rhetorical situation, namely the concepts of devotion and delimitation as they are manifest in the contemporary American sports stadium. Devotion refers to the apparent liturgical and religious function performed by sporting events; and delimitation refers to the concrete linguistic and visual parameters set up by this rhetorical situation. As the idea of rhetorical entanglement suggests, a clear distinction between sport and the ideological impetus of the military becomes unlikely. It is important to recognize this devotionally delimited rhetorical production—this unique formation of rhetorical entanglement—as being capable of shaping the way that the spectators perceive the world. The greater the ability of a rhetorical situation to generate unanimous desire, the stronger its persuasive force will be.
