Sports Illustrated Exclusive: College Students Smoke Pot

In this article published on the Mother Jones website, reporter Tim Murphy reviews an article originally published by Sports Illustrated. The Mother Jones article features original commentary by Murphy, as well as excerpts from the Sports Illustrated article.

Murphy's argument is structured by first giving the audience some basic information about the story in review. The story was published as an installment of a "five-part investigation into the Oklahoma State University football program." Murphy explains the investigation had been looking into a "culture of academic cheating and allegations of cash payments to the athletes." He further explains that it was found that many of the football players smoke marijuana, even before games, and includes an excerpt from the Sports Illustrated publication. He furthers the discussion though, by pointing out that non-athletic students also smoke marijuana, the only difference being the athletes are subject to random drug testing. Murphy also includes evidence from an ESPN investigation into marijuana use in sports to help make his point that marijuana use by athletes is not new news. He also uses this evidence to make his argument that there has not been an explanation as to why this "problem" is in fact such a problem.

Murphy's argument seems to be that he does not agree with the need to have all these investigations into pot smoking, without first an explanation as to why it is such a big deal. He explains that although marijuana use by athletes is shown as a "malignant problem," an explanation as to why it is so bad has never surfaced. His concluding statement explains that marijuana is an increasingly popular and legal drug, leaving readers with the thought that you cannot die from marijuana, but you can die from football.