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Guillermo Cabrera, Iris Garcia, Nick Oddo, and John McCarthy

Dr. McLaughlin
Multimedia: Writing & Rhetoric
December 5, 2016
NDs Finest: The Strength of the Student Athlete
Although athletic events around Notre Dames campus draw millions of spectators every
year, the daily life of these Fighting Irish and the dedication they have often goes unnoticed.
While on the field, in the pool, on the court, or around the track, these student-athletes shine as
they represent the school proudly. However, once the uniform is hung and the lights fade, how
much of their life is actually known by the rest of the student body on campus? Are they treated
as respectfully outside their sport? In order to demonstrate the reality of a student athlete, this
documentary strives to identify common stereotypes that categorize all student-athletes and
refute these misconceptions by accurately depicting their unique lifestyles.
This documentary was created to better understand the relationship between non-student
athletes and student athletes. From personal observation, student athletes seem to be favored on
campus with special privileges in academics and the social scene. Notre Dame Athletics are of
high priority due to the universitys well-respected Division I position, and top performance is
expected by its fanbase. Because the university appears to favor athletes by prioritizing them
over the rest of the students, there is a tension that arises which results in athlete stereotyping
around campus. With almost of the Notre Dame's undergraduates as athletes, it is important to
understand how this large portion of the student body plays a role in the community as a whole.
Stereotypes about the way athletes are treated in college and how they differ from other students
impacts the community as a whole. Grouping all athletes to fit certain stereotypes doesn't fully

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reflect each individual. If the goal is to have a healthy community, everyone should be treated as
individuals and not judged by stereotypes. Additionally, athletes have to deal with much
adversity that is not present for nonathletes, such as managing school and sport; having to go to
academic tutorials regardless of performance in school; and having increased responsibility as a
student-athlete. It is important to be aware of these differences that are demanded from the
athlete on a day to day basis to better understand their Notre Dame experience. Stereotypes that
form about student athletes are present not only within the Notre Dame community but within
many universities across the world. Due to this natural tendency to stereotype student-athletes,
the goal of this project centers on identifying these stereotypes and testing their validity on the
Notre Dame campus.
In order to shed new light on this pre-existing problem, topics such as the difficulties in a
student athlete's daily life throughout their time at Notre Dame and how athlete stereotypes are
not representative of reality are depicted within the documentary. Some of these issues include
social stereotypes, social groups, study halls, time management, practices, and athlete required
events. The goal is to bring their struggles to mind in order to help other students appreciate what
their fellow athletes deal with on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, the organization of the
documentary challenges viewers to reflect on the stereotypes. The beginning of the film showing
the various athletic facilities around campus, setting up the theme of the documentary: the
athletics of Notre Dame. Short clips follow of non-athletes who provide stereotypes of athletes
and their general feelings about them. This establishes the stereotypes being addressed. Then the
athletes are interviewed separately to express their opinions about these stereotypes. By
allowing athletes to share their stories through interviews, the documentary offers a more
accurate depiction of how athletes should be perceived. The documentary attempts to sway

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viewers to reflect upon these stereotypes and reevaluate their opinions. However, it will not
provide concrete ways for viewers to eradicate the stereotypes due to the time constraint.
Similarly, the solution to get rid of the stereotypes differs based on the individual.
The pre-existing discussion of athletic life paired with academics is an ongoing and everchanging debate. By depicting the side of the athlete, this documentary sheds new light on the
topic and aspires to stimulate growth and understanding among the members of the Notre Dame
community. It offers a way to help develop community across campus by treating every
individual with importance and an equal chance to understand the life of a student-athlete. By
giving athletes a chance express their feelings towards athlete stereotypes, we are giving athletes
a voice in the community where they can speak out against these stereotypes and express how
they would like to be perceived.
The intended audience for this documentary includes the individuals that are affected or
affect the spread of these stereotypes. The athletes represent those who are affected while the
rests of the campus community- non-student athletes, faculty, staff, alumni, Notre Dame fans,
and athletes themselves - are the ones that create, develop, and maintain the stereotypes. Another
important audience is the administration of Notre Dame because of the logistical power they hold
to help influence how student athletes are perceived. Promotional videos, campus-wide events,
support at sporting events, and encouraging more inclusion with student athletes and non-athletes
should be stressed in the future by the administration to combat this stereotypes.
Within the documentary, cinematographic techniques are used to help create and its
argument. Panning--a film technique showing a desired object or focus of the shot by moving
across it--was used when shooting the background setting in order to create a sense of meaning
for the film. As stressed by Judith Lancioni in her excerpt discussing the rhetoric of photography

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in documentaries, long takes, slow pans, and tight close-ups invite viewers to explore images,
reflect on their possible meaning, and wonder how that meaning is arrived (109). These shots
allow the viewers to understand and analyze the setting being depicted. It also allows the
audience to have a personal connection with the people being interviewed--each shot paired with
a common location around Notre Dame. These long takes and slow pans of the different settings,
such as the dome and the library, help viewers to personally identify with the Notre Dame
community. This also helps to establish the setting of the documentary and the general feeling of
the Notre Dame campus. Thus, viewers are able to reflect on the ideas presented by the
documentary in the context of their personal experience. With regards to iconic shots within the
film, the structures that are filmed have predefined connotations associated with each image.
Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, authors of the article Practices of Looking, express the
importance of these shots when they say, over time, images have been used to represent, make
meaning of, and convey various sentiments about nature, society, and culture as well as to
represent abstract concepts (12). In other words, the shots in the mini-documentary, such as
the golden dome and the Purcell Pavilion, are essential because they develop a sense of value
and community in the viewers. As a result, the argument produces more of a personal impact.
Effectively, this documentary uses cinematic techniques to identify athlete stereotypes
and refute these stereotypes through athlete and non-athlete interviews. By using cinematic
techniques such as panning; using long takes of iconic shots; and carefully choosing
backgrounds, the documentary establishes a personal argument for the viewers. By interviewing
nonathletes the film identifies these stereotypes and begins to question their validity--by
interviewing student-athletes, their voice in the conversation finally is heard. Thus, the film is
able to address the larger audience of the Notre Dame community, allowing for more awareness

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on the categorization of student-athletes as a result of stereotypes. Therefore, if a greater
awareness for athlete stereotypes is fostered, a more positive, cohesive Notre Dame community
is formed.

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Works Cited
Lancioni, Judith. The Rhetoric of the Frame: Revisioning Archival Photographs in The Civil
War. Western States Communication Association, 1996.
Sturken, Marita, and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture.
Oxford University Press, 2009.

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Interview Release Forms:

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