Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Franz Kafka and Youth Sports Injuries
  Franz Kafka struggled with social anxiety and depression; Kafka was a novelist and short stories writer during the 1900s. Kafka’s writings originated from his past experiences. In one of Kafka’s diary entries, he wrote, “People label themselves with all sorts of adjectives. I can only pronounce myself as 'nauseatingly miserable beyond repair'”(Brod 1). Over time Kafka’s writing over alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity would resonate with his audience during the 1900s. Kafka’s literature in the future would soon be credited enough to be its own genre, Kafkaesque. The term Kafkaesque is characterized by “Kafka's own writing or having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality” (Kafkaesque Definition; Meaning 1). Considering Kafka’s writings are influenced by his nightmarish life and experiences, Kafka would note that humans are influenced by pressure, their personal needs, and self doubt or anxiety. Furthermore, Kafka would agree that youth sports injuries are an epidemic.

Human submission to pressure is nothing new, because Kafka's short stories are based on his life. A perfect example of Kafka relating his life to writing would be The Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, wakes up one day transformed into an insect (Metamorphosis 1). As Gregor’s family finds out about his transformation, he believes his family will love and show affection towards his new appearance, but the opposite occurs. Gregor’s family is disgusted by this new appearance and as a result Gregor’s sister says “I don’t want to call this monster my brother” (1). Gregor is influenced by this negative comment thinking “What now, then?” As a result Gregor’s negative ideology and pressure from his family would become the sole reason for his death (1) . Similarly, youth sports athletes when dealt with a heavy injury; athletes tend to quit their sports because of the pressure; “In a recent study of 1,500 kids from across the country, it was found that 67% of children aged 10-14 years old quit sports because they were injured.” (Statistics on Youth Quitting Sports Due to Injury or Burnout 1). Despite knowing the dangers associated with the sport they play. The “Pressure to perform...and injuries that can result from overtraining due to that pressure to perform” can cause an athlete to lose the love for their sport (Why Kids Quit Sports. 1). Kafka would conclude that human behavior is influenced by pressure and that a continuation or dropout of a sport will likely be the result of pressure onto a youth athlete.

Kafka would also acknowledge the fact that humans are driven by personal needs; as humans become more focused on their needs they disregard the effects of their actions they might have on themselves or others. An example of this is Kafka's relationship with his father. “Kafka's father, Hermann, had a forceful personality that often overwhelmed the Kafka home. He was a success in business, making his living retailing men's and women's clothes”, because of his forceful personality it would profoundly affect Kafka’s life and writing (Biography.com 1). In addition to using the short story The Metamorphosis written by Kafka, Gregor’s family is heartily driven by their personal needs; as a result, Gregor would eventually pass away due to his family's selfish behavior. “With an example from the short story, Gregor’s sister says “We have to try and get rid of it” (Kafka 1) clearly perceiving Gregor as a burden. Kafka is well aware that humans are driven by personal needs. Similarly, to Kafka's short stories, youth sports athletes are driven by their personal objective or holy grail. From the article Playing through Sports Injuries: Play through the Pain:
According to a 2012 FIFA report, 39 percent of the soccer players in the 2010 World Cup resorted to painkillers before the game. As well, a survey found that NCAA Division I athletes were injured at least once, while half felt pressured to play while injured. For Little Leaguers, statistics show that one child is admitted to the emergency room every 25 seconds, while 42 percent of child athletes have concealed injuries to stay in the game. (“Playing through Sports Injuries: Play through the Pain” 1)
Several factors can lead to this. As stated, youth athletes feel pressured to play while injured; as such, they show a “warrior mentality”. The shame from their weakness, losing playing time,  or the thought of letting down their teammates keeps youth athletes motivated to play through an injury (1). Kafka would conclude the determination to play through an injury would be considered absurd and illogical; however, he would expect nothing less from humans as they are driven by their personal needs. 

Finally, Kafka would note that even during or after an injury, youth sports athletes would still be influenced by anxiety or self doubt. From the article The Kafka Project it states that:
It may be that all the physical and emotional abuse Kafka suffered, in some way inspired him to write about his own extinction. The writings obtained from his diary were never intended to be seen by the public. These writings contained detailed descriptions of his own death that were very disturbing and grotesque.
(SP 1)
An example of this is Kafka’s stories The Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, has been metamorphosed as a result his family shows revolting emotions towards him(Metamorphosis 1). Within Gregor’s new appearance, he becomes more insect-like, and, as result, his already inadequate self-esteem and social anxiety worsens, leading to his death. Similarly to youth sports injuries when an athlete receives an injury he begins to doubt his bilities and starts to have an uneasy feeling about the injury. From the article Sports Injury Bulletin, it states that “Kinesiophobia and fear of re-injury are common psychological factors that influence return to sport” (“Acting against the Fear of Re-Injury” 1) and because athletes start having anxiety or self doubt, their performance levels decrease. From the article Sports Injury Bulletin, it states that “Injuries can profoundly impact an athlete’s quality of life beyond physical functionality. This places them at risk of developing mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (“Shifting the Spotlight: Mental Health of Injured Athletes'' 1). That can lead to a downfall of an athlete's performance and career. Kafka would relate to being influenced by anxiety and self doubt and would agree that youth athletes would have PTSD when returning to a sport they got previously injured in.

   Based on Kafka’s absurd stories based on his life, it is likely to conclude that Kafka would recognize the absurdity of the youth sports injuries epidemic. Kafka would note that being influenced plays a significant role in a continuation of a sport and that any attempt to change human behavior would be rejected. Even so, the rapid growth of youth sports injuries epidemic will continue to affect young athletes, which can be determined as Kafkaesque.

Works Cited
“Acting against the Fear of Re-Injury.” Sports Injury Bulletin, 
https://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/diagnose--treat/acting-against-the-fear-of-re-injury#:~:text=Kinesiophobia%20and%20fear%20of%20re,and%20physical%20strength(4). 

Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 
https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/franz-kafka. 

“Kafkaesque Definition; Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, 
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kafkaesque. 

“Metamorphosis.” The Project Gutenberg EBook of Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, 
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm. 

“Playing through Sports Injuries: Play through the Pain.” Integrated Rehabilitation Services, 3 
Feb. 2022, 
https://integrehab.com/blog/physical-therapy/playing-through-injuries/#:~:text=Several%20factors%20cause%20athletes%20of,of%20loss%20of%20playing%20time. 

“Shifting the Spotlight: Mental Health of Injured Athletes.” Sports Injury Bulletin, 
https://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/diagnose--treat/shifting-the-spotlight-mental-health-of-injured-athletes#:~:text=Injuries%20can%20profoundly%20impact%20an,(PTSD)(1) 

“Statistics on Youth Quitting Sports Due to Injury or Burnout.” Statistics on Youth Quitting 
Sports Due to Injury or Burnout - Bare Fitness, 
https://barefitness.fit/blog/view/statistics-on-youth-quitting-sports-due-to-injury-or-burnout#:~:text=In%20a%20recent%20study%20of,sports%20because%20they%20were%20injured. 

“(SP:) Franz Kafka's Personal Life Reflected in the Metamorphosis.” The Kafka Project | Special 
Issue: The Metamorphosis | (SP:) Franz Kafka's Personal Life Reflected in the Metamorphosis, 
http://www.kafka.org/index.php?aid=218#:~:text=It%20may%20be%20that%20all,were%20very%20disturbing%20and%20grotesque. 

The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1910-1913 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet 
Archive, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.499492/page/n5/mode/2up. 

“Why Kids Quit Sports.” PCA Development Zone®, 
https://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/externallink/why-kids-quit-sports#:~:text=The%20main%20reasons%20kids%20quit,of%20competence%20at%20the%20sport.