In reviewing the podcast episode, “You’re Wrong About: Reneé Richards” and the Sports

Medicine article, “Sport and Transgender People: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Relating to Sport Participation and Competitive Sports Policies” by Jones et al., we can see the

difference in each format’s rhetorical approaches. It becomes clear that each format uses specific

strategies to engage its audiences and spread its particular message.

The podcast episode uses a more casual, conversational approach, which aims to appeal

to its audience by being entertaining by incorporating storytelling and personal experiences.

Hosts Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall take advantage of this narrative-driven approach to

use humor and empathy to connect with the audience and make a generally sensitive topic, easier

to talk about and listen to. One example of the empathy emphasized in this podcast is before

delving into Reneé Richard's personal experiences, Julie Kliegman shares her connection to the

story, “I had come out as non-binary about a year before– I also Identify as transgender– and it

was very interesting to do this research… I appreciate her history and a lot of things she said”

(Marshall 2023). By using a personal aside to show the readers their own connection to the topic

at hand, readers become more engaged and open-minded to hearing about the topic from

someone who related on such a deep level. More than the connection this gives us to the

speakers, we are more influenced on how we view the discussion and history of Reneé Richards.

Later in the podcast, we learn a little about the comments Richards made with respect to trans

women and how they shouldn’t be able to compete with men, and even how she doesn’t want to

be a role model. After learning about Kliegman's relationship to the story, as a transgender, it

may seem surprising that she can still appreciate Richard’s history and some of what she said,

despite some other, more negative things towards transgender people. Through this appreciation,

the audience is influenced to think less negatively about some of Richard's (questionable)
opinions and statements and more about what we can take away from her story as a whole. In

addition, as the podcast delves into Renée Richard’s personal experiences and how her

transgender identity and tennis career was addressed, those who may not have previously been

aware of the subject are able to learn about it which makes this format appeal to a broader

audience.

In contrast to the podcast's conversational, personable format, the academic article uses

more of a formal and scientific tone. This approach appeals more to a specific audience of

scholars and researchers in the sports medicine field. Jones et al. uses a review of past literature

to create an overview of sports participation and policies. Jones uses precise terms to support

their arguments and draw conclusions based on evidence. For example, Jones will state a belief

and follow it up with scientific reasoning such as, “It is a commonly held belief that androgenic

hormones (especially testosterone) confer an athletic advantage in competitive sports...

Transgender men are not thought to possess an athletic advantage, despite being injected with

testosterone if they choose to medically transition with cross-sex hormones. However, there has

been a paucity of research that has directly explored how androgenic hormone levels are

associated with athletic competence in both cisgender and transgender populations (e.g. running

time).” (Arcelus et al., 2016). By speaking about how hormones influence athletics, it is pretty

clear the author is geared toward an audience that cares more about scientific research than the

societal context and personal experiences of a particular person, as explored in the podcast.

Overall, both formats aim to present evidence that supports their claims, each does so in a

different way. The podcast uses a majority of storytelling and anecdotes to create its key points

and appeal to a more general audience who is interested in social issues, personal stories, and

pop culture. On the flip side, the article has a specific audience of more scholarly professionals
involved in sports medicine. This piece serves more as an educational, informative piece based

on evidence-based research.
 Works Cited:

Arcelus, J. Bouman, W.P., Jones, B.A., Haycroft, E. (2016, October 3). Sports and transgender

people: A systematic review of the literature relating to sport participation and

competitive sport policies. Sports Medicine, 47, pp. 701-716.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.10007/s40279-016-06210y

Marshall, S. (2023, June 26). You’re wrong about: René Richards with Julie Kliegman,

Buzzsprout,

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1112270/13113483-renee-richards-with-julie-kliegman.