Abby Novak, Lindsay Wangerin and Eric Bachmeier

Instructor Kaser
English 120
December 7 2015
A Rhetorical-Visual Analysis of Coach Carter
Overview: Coach Carter is a sports drama based on a true
story that helps fabricate a plot that explains the movies
purpose, adolescents who grow up in poverty- stricken areas
are more likely to repeat the cycle of generations before
them and end up in jail, dead, jobless or making little to no
money to support their families. Paramount released the
sports drama, Coach Carter on January 14, 2005 with a
production budget of $30 million. The movie later earned
$76,669,806 worldwide, becoming the #1 ranked movie in
theatres. In the first week Coach Carter earned $24,182,961
(Box Office Mojo). Coach Carter is a true story of a coach
who tries to teach his players that there is more to life than
basketball in this sports drama. Ken Carter (Samuel L.
Jackson) was once a star player on the Richmond High
School basketball team in Richmond, CA, and years later,
after establishing himself in publishing and marketing, he
returns to the school and to the team as the new basketball
coach (Coach Carter). While Carter wants to make the
Richmond into a winning team, he also wants more -- to
teach the gentlemen to respect themselves and one another, and that they must excel in the
classroom as well as in the gymnasium. (Rotten Tomatoes). Coach Carter did not believe that
athletes should be treated any different and actually believed that they should be held to a higher
standard. His goal was clearly stated while talking to the athletes parents during a team meeting,
These are student athletes..student comes first(Coach Carter ). He expected not only for the
adolescents to succeed on the court, but off the court as well, and knew that they needed strong
grades in order to get into a good college to insure a better future. Ken Carter did not want to
support the idea that "basketball players or any athletes are above the law", he wanted to guide
them to success in the future so they do not end up like most children from Richmond, in jail or
dead. That is why he at first after the court hearing choose to quit his job, but soon he
reconsidered when he realized that he truly did inspire and change the lives of the athletes at
Richmond High. The athletes refused to play, until their academic grades improved, and only
then did the team return to the court and make their way to the state championship. They did not
win the championship, they lost in the first round, but they did win the hearts of the Richmond
community and six of the athletes went on to college, of which five won scholarships
(CoachCarter). Coach Carter explains his success as, I came to coach basketball players, and
you became students. I came to teach boys, and you became men(Welcome to Movie Quotes).
Coach Carter took this job for many reasons, but after obtaining this job for awhile he took it
upon himself to change these young men's lives for the better. He did not go down in history for

winning state, but he did something much more, he changed the teenagers lives, how the
Richmond community looked at their children and students and showed everyone in this area
that they did not need to succumb to the stereotypes held in this town.
Issues: Coach Carter was written in 2005, when world- wide poverty was at a rate of 13.3
percent; 38.2 million people that year were recorded as below the poverty line. The movies
setting is in Richmond, a town in California where they alone had 4,673,274 people below the
poverty line ( Census.gov) The police stop blacks and Latinos at rates that are much higher than
whites. In New York City, where people of color make up about half of the population, 80% of
the NYPD stops were of blacks and Latinos, while whites were stopped, only 8%. When blacks
and Latinos are stopped 85% were frisked according to information provided by the NYPD. The
same is true most other places as well. In a California study in 2003 , the ACLU found blacks are
three times more likely to be stopped than whites.(Quigley, Bill) Although people that live in
these poverty stricken areas seem to fall into the trustpasses as the people before them the
evidence above gives a new light to this issue. Of course for the most part every person controls
their own destiny but for an African American teen the fight seems to already be over before they
have a chance to fix the cycle.
In relation to cops being prejudiced against blacks,these three stories that were from the past
explaining systemic racism that is present in the film, Coach Carter. The Lucasville Uprising
was a rebellion against oppressive and racist policies at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
in Lucasville, OH. Nine inmates and one guard died during the uprising in April of 1993. Today,
many people are serving time or condemned to death by the state of Ohio in relation to the
uprising (Lucasville Amnesty). There were riots in LaMars defense and therefore, his trial got
relocated to a town called Ironton, 35 miles away from Scioto County. LaMar is black, and his
jury was all white. LaMar was sentenced to death. He had to face the harshest circumstances and
was then put into solitary confinement, where he was placed for nearly 19 years; he had not
touched another human for 19 years. Of those in jail Eighty percent of those kept in solitary are
people of color, and 60 percent are mentally ill (Lucasville Amnesty). LaMar was innocent and
had to try and prove his innocence for himself, but the judges and jury did not believe him. In a
recent interview, he said, When my life's over I want to know I fought for it. If I'm sitting in the
death house, I gotta know I did everything I could. And then there's that drive to Lucasville and
knowing that everything you see, it's the last time you're going to see it. That tree. That bird over
there. That lake you cross over. That cloud. You know, that's some heavy shit. You can't help but
become attached to your life - to fall in love with this world (Lucasville Amnesty).

Influences: Coach Carters plot explains the difficulty in growing up in a community that fails
to support their students academically, athletically and outside of school.Coach Carter explains to
his players that he will not let them fail and fall into the same stereotypical cycle of the student
athletes before them. In the movie one of the players says, Well damn, Coach Carter, If I ain't
going to college, where am I going to go? and coach Carter responds, Well that's a great
question. And the answer for young, African American men in here is this: probably, to prison. In
this county, thirty three percent of black males between eighteen and twenty four, get arrested. So
look at the guy on your left, now look at the guy on your right. One of you is going to get

arrested. Growing up here in Richmond you're eighty percent more likely to go to prison, than
college. Those are the numbers. Those are some stats for your ass. Now I want you to go home
and look at your lives tonight, look at your parents lives, and ask yourself; do I want better? If
the answer is yes, I'll see you here tomorrow. And I promise you, I will do everything within my
power to get you to college, and to a better life (Coach Carter). In this moment the young men
understood and believed that coach Carter would do everything in his power to turn these young
mens lives around and into something that he felt they deserved. The filmmakers also
highlighted the fact that not only were academics an issue, but the boys had many outside factors
and struggles like teen pregnancy, drugs, alcohol and gang life that they had to avoid. Before
Coach Carter there was a lack of positive role models in the young mens lives which led to
having no direction and discipline, but coach Carter was able to turn that around and be the
supportive adult they needed.

Objective: Coach Carter is able to persuade, entertain and inform. Coach Carter influences the
children audience to care about their education and their parents to support them throughout their
schooling career. Because it is a social commentary, attention was drawn to the social issues
surrounding the town of Richmond. Coach Carter influences the surrounding community,
administration and students to think about what their futures hold and the steps necessary to get
to the future they believe they deserve and want. The writers and directors drew an array of
viewers through the social issues being discussed in Coach Carter. Coach Carters actions
throughout the movie highlight these issues and display what Coach Carter does to try and
change those issues. Coach Carter uses a true story to inform society of the problems and
hardships children in poverty have to face. Throughout this movie coach Carter uses actions and
words to ensure that these children understand what being a team means; growing up, making
good decisions and what winning is really about and that it is not just important on the court. In
the movie, coach Carter finally sees his impact on the boys when Jason Lyle, Channing Tatum,
decides to help Cruz out with doing suicides and push ups in order for him to get on the team. He
tells coach Carter, "One person struggles, we all struggle, one person triumphs, we all
triumph"(Coach Carter). Through this scene it is evident that Coach Carter takes a powerful and
sympathetic approach on children growing up in a poverty-stricken area.

Genre: Film genre refers to the method of categorizing films based on similarities in the
elements from which films are made. Coach Carter is a social commentary which allows the
directors and writers to express social issues through an inspirational story. Coach Carter lets the
audience to indulge in a story that they can relate and draw personal connections to. Coach
Carter,based on a true story and being a sports drama it allows the viewers to be informed of
poverty and the hardships that they face through the passionate and influential events that occur
throughout the movie with basketball as a side focus.
Audience: The primary audience for the movie Coach Carter is the white privileged people
who have not experienced or seen the culture that Richmond CA offers. In the movie it shows
how brutal and how the expectancy of become someone in life is slim to none when you are
from Richmond. People who have the chance to have good education, and who have
opportunities to become successful in life really get a good idea on what it would be like to be
raised up in the streets of Richmond. The audience for this film would be people that are not
exposed to places stricken with poverty. This film gives people an idea on these kinds
environments and creates a better look into the hardships people in these area experience. This
allows the viewers who did not grow up in a poverty-stricken area to be able relate to the
children that did and understand exactly how hard it is for these kids to build a future for
themselves. Although people that grew up in a wealthier area may not be able to understand the
entirety of the movie, but they will be able to relate to a team feeling like a family, the death of
someone close to them, being pushed everyday to become the best person they can be, not
having someone there for them and many other ideas that this movie touches on.
Logos : In the movie Coach Carter, a member of the basketball team named Cruz was always
asked about his deepest fear. Finally his response was Our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our
darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all
meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own
lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated
from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. This quote explains that the
children at Richmond were not scared of what they could not do, but rather everything that they
were capable of doing. They had never been challenged or pushed to be the best person they
could be, so when Coach Carter came and pushed them not only to succeed on the court, but off
the court as well they didnt know how to react. These children had never had someone who
went out of their way to help them and show that they care enough about them to get them out
of this poverty- stricken area and this negative surrounding community. They were always
pushed under the norm and the stereotypes of their ghetto town that when someone challenged
that they could be different, they became scared of the power they would have over their future.
Before coach Carter the thought of college did not cross most of these young adults minds,
when in reality the whole point to going to high school is to become educated for the future, life
beyond the basketball court. These students were content with being the social norm in the town
of Richmond until they were pushed to see the potential in which they could perform at and after
that these children did not look back.These kids that grew up in this poverty- stricken areas are
statistically more likely to repeat the cycle of generations before them and end up in jail, dead,
jobless or making little to no money to support their families. The men in the movie defied those

odds and showed everyone in the community and around them that there was more to them than
what meets the eye.

Pathos :Coach Carters tone is very serious, but contains a heartfelt message about a team
overcoming many difficult obstacles which adds to the theme.Coach Carters theme revolves
around poverty and overcoming the hardship the film shows many scenes that show how
impactful Coach Carter was to his team. Coach Carter is meant to inform the audience of the
opposite race and children and adolescents not in poverty of the struggle that the people in
poverty have to face. The image below shows how in time of need, Cruz needed coach Carter the
most. Cruzs cousin had just been shot and Cruz was looking for someone to lean on, someone to
show him the right way, and someone to give him a chance to have a better life. There is not a
point in this movie where the writers and directors do not create a vibe that makes the audience
not want root for the young men in the film. The viewers want to see each player to succeed and
overcome the typical cycle of Richmond. You want see Kenyon and his girlfriend Kyra work it
out and create a happy life together as well as see Junior get a college scholarship to play
basketball and make his mother proud . Cruzs speech he gave to Coach Carter, Our deepest
fear in not that we are inadequate conveys an extraordinary amount of pathos by including
emotions like joy, fear, and confidence which Carter preaches is key to one mans success, while
some people shy away from the idea of being the center of attention other rise to the occasion.
Specifically in the speech it reveals pride that Cruz and his teammates have grown into or have
been taught. Cruz talks about letting his own light shine, something that those boys have never
had the opportunity to do or to have. These men have finally found the meaning of success and
are trying to become the best that they can be. It has came through incredible amounts of blood,
sweat, and tears. The violent neighborhood and also the opportunity to become someone in life
creates fear for the young men. Violence, education and in most ways influences, Pathos enriches
Coach Carter's appeals by attracting the audience to the characters which in turn the viewers

draw emotional connections to the films intriguing message.

Ethos: Thomas Carter, the director of this film, A three-time winner of the Academy of
Television Arts and Sciences Emmy Award, In 1988 Carter received the Emmy Award for
Outstanding Television Movie for producing Don King: Only in America and Carter has also
been the recipient of the prestigious Director's Guild of America Award. He is well known for his
movies, Save the Last Dance, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, Metro and Coach Carter. He
started his career as an actor himself and then became a producer and a director for movies. The
actor of Coach Carter, Samuel l. Jackson One of the hardest-working Hollywood actors, Samuel
L. Jackson has appeared in countless films including Iron Man, Coach Carter, Jungle Fever and
his biggest breakout movie Pulp Fiction. He received a New York Film Critics Award In the
movie Pulp Fiction he moved and terrified audiences with his impassioned performance,
becoming the elusive moral center of the psychologically twisted film. He received an Academy
Award nomination for the role. To add to his many successes, The Guinness Book of World
Records named Samuel L. Jackson the highest grossing movie actor of all time in 2011.
(Coach Carter Biography). Coach Carter appeals to many different audiences, including parents,
athletes and children who grew up in less fortunate areas. The movie itself is based on a true
story, so therefore the story is already credible. The stories told, the events and the emotions that
are felt throughout the movie are all based on the real life events and thus previously discussed
topics are plausible.
Analysis Summary
Coach Carter represents all the communities and people within towns like Richmond and shows
that anyone can overcome the odds and lead the life they want. The film features a group of
young men that decide to make a difference in their own lives because a high school basketball
coach pushed them to not only achieve success on the court, but off the court as well. When this
common cycle is characterized by the types of children people see everyday it makes the movie
related to the audiences targeted. It allows parents to see this part of life from a new angle but a
has a relatable cast that young adults can draw connections to.

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