Rhetoric Analysis for “CrossFit’s Dirty Little Secret” by Tabatha Fritchman

Link to article: https://medium.com/@ericrobertson/crossfits-dirty-little-secret-97bcce70356d

In September 2013, the physical therapist Eric Robertson wrote an article published on
Medium to address the dangers of CrossFit. Medium a publication that tries to appeal to a
curious audience who is open to learning new things. Eric Robertson wrote about his concern
that the CrossFit culture was doing more harm than good after his co-worker gets injured.

Robertson is a physical trainer and knows how to detect injuries that different activities
can cause. In his article titled “CrossFit’s Dirty Little Secret,” he was reacting to the CrossFit
community’s unofficial mascot Uncle Rhabdo. Uncle Rhabdo is a fit clown who appears to be
suffering from Rhabdomyolysis a rare and sometimes fatal disorder. Since Mediums' target
audience are curious to learn new things, the article “CrossFit’s Dirty Little Secret” might appeal
to readers interested in fitness.

Eric Robertson starts his article by introducing Uncle Rhabdo the unofficial mascot for
CrossFit. Robertson describes Uncle Rhabdo as being a clown suffering from Rhabdomyolysis.
Rhabdomyolysis is muscle tissue breakdown where muscle fiber enters the circulatory system.
This is a rare condition that could be fatal. Robertson begins his story by talking about his young
and fit colleague who did a vigorous CrossFit partner workout. His colleague's arms swelled and
lost their ability to move. Robertson explained that since her mindset was "deplete, endure,
repeat" she waited a few days before getting treatment.

Robertson’s colleague's diagnosis was acute rhabdomyolysis which required

hospitalization for a week. When she called to cancel her CrossFit membership her instructor
asked, “Is it rhabdo?” that introduced the reader to what CrossFit’s dirty little secret was.
Rhabdomyolysis is rare but CrossFit trainers know it enough to create a mascot that makes light
of the serious condition. Robertson explained that some medical journals said the condition
mostly affected well-trained athletes. Since rhabdomyolysis sends muscle tissue into the
bloodstream your kidneys could become damaged. Robertson explained that Crossfitters are
unaware of the risk despite the founder of CrossFit saying that “it can kill you”. He ends his
paper by saying that the CrossFit health risks shouldn't ruin the health benefits you get from
exercising.

Eric Robertson relied on ethos, and pathos to both show creditability and to make an
emotional connection to the reader. Robertson also used tone, to show different emotions and
imagery to make his points relatable, and to guide the article along. Robertson was trying to
convince his audience that the CrossFit culture doesn't care that people are being injured.

Robertson used pathos and imagery when he wrote “her slender arms had continued to
swell into plump hotdogs of ache and regret, and she was starting to come to the realization that
the morning’s danger alarms were legitimate” this sentence would be relatable to anyone who
has overdone an exercise. An example of where Robertson used ethos was when he said “As
physical therapists, we’re finely tuned detection machines looking for normal versus abnormal
response to exercise and activity” this sentence makes the reader realize that he does know what
he's talking about. Robertson's use of pathos and tone tried to convince the reader that CrossFit
culture had dangerous exercise practices, by using his friends experience as an example. He then
provided evidence by quoting the founder Greg Glassman who said, “It can kill you”. When he
pointed out the gynecologist who said “Ladies, in my professional opinion, it is okay to pee
during double unders” he was showing that CrossFitters were irresponsible and may not have the
best judgment. Robertson’s response of “No, peeing during a workout is not alright. Ever” was
using tone to show the reader he gives good advice. He then backed up his point by sharing the
link to the radio show on the American Physical Therapy Associations where they were
responding to “glorification of stress induced” urination. He again was using ethos, by showing
the reader that other professionals agreed with him.

Although he was able to make a claim, and then follow it up with evidence he was not
persuasive enough. Since the time when he wrote his article CrossFit has grown and is still
popular despite continued injuries. He had excellent creditability because he was a physical
therapist. Having that creditability allowed him to build on ethos when he explained that his job
was to determine whether it would be safe for a client to continue exercise or if they are showing
signs for needing a break.

Eric Robertson appeals to ethos, where he discusses Jason Kessler’s article “Why I Quit
CrossFit”. Jason Kessler explained that you're expected to push yourself to the max, but when
you injure yourself then it’s your fault. In my opinion, their attitude towards those who get
injured likely explains why they created Uncle Rhabdo. On the last page, he quotes his colleague
about how she flares after doing resistance training, that she was once in top shape, and that her
muscle tissue has degraded significantly; it was a good place for him to use pathos.

I think Eric Robertson’s argument about the dangerous CrossFit culture would have been
more persuasive to readers of Shape magazine because it has a large audience full of people who
are seeking out knowledge about fitness and health. Eric provided good examples and data to
support his main claim, but without the ability to persuade a large audience it hindered the
effectiveness of his article. With CrossFit being so popular people don't look for reasons not to
do it if it has been working for them. So, Rhabdomyolysis information probably won't be
searched for unless you are experiencing it.

I am not part of the target audience, but I was persuaded of his argument because he
provided second-hand evidence about the injuries and because when I researched
Rhabdomyolysis, I came across a more recent victim. Dana Linn Bailey a professional
bodybuilder who got rhabdo in April of 2019. That for me further proved his point that those
who train in the CrossFit culture are still getting injured today from the rare Rhabdomyolysis
condition.

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Works Sited
Robertson, E. (2013, September 25). CrossFit’s Dirty Little Secret. Medium.
https://medium.com/@ericrobertson/crossfits-dirty-little-secret-97bcce70356d

Ries, J. (n.d.). Fitness Star Ends Up in ER for 'Rhabdo': What Is It? Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/fitness-star-ends-up-in-er-for-rhabdo-what-is-it