Coming Up With Unique Sports Argumentative Essay Topics


Many college-level composition classes will require you to write an argumentative essay, which creates a case for your point of view using reasoning based on facts. If you’re interested in sports, this can be a great place to start looking for essay topics. There are many controversies in modern-day sports, making athletics a fertile ground for finding something to write about. Writing about something you’re interested in can be the difference between an essay you feel motivated to work hard on, and a grueling chore you don’t want to put effort into. Here are a few ideas for coming up with unique sports argumentative essay topics that you’ll enjoy writing about.

  • Steroids in sports. This may not be the most original topic, but it’s somewhere to start if you need to create an argumentative essay for a college class. You don’t have to go with something broad, general, and cliche for your topic, like “Are Steroids Good or Bad for Sports?” You could look at specific performance enhancing drugs, of which there are many, and of which many are not illegal. Performance enhancing drugs come in many types, and you could argue for or against a certain chemical substance with particular effects. By doing a bit of research into what steroids are in use today, you can easily narrow thigns down to come up with a unique topic for your argumentative essay about sports.
  • What is, or is not, a sport? Another topic idea would be, “Is X a Sport?” The term “sport” isn’t necessarily set in stone, and sometimes there’s debate over whether a given athletic activity qualifies as a “sport” per se. Is cheerleading a sport? Is figure skating a sport? Is jump roping a sport? Why, or why not? An argumentative essay on a topic like this can be a good platform for demonstrating your reasoning skills about an area where there isn’t necessarily a black-and-white, right-or-wrong answer.
  • Choose an issue within a certain sport. Maybe you have a favorite sport, like football, ice hockey, or competitive gymnastics. What are some issues that are currently being debated about rules and practices for those particular activities?
  • Talk about a recent controversy about a particular athlete. Athletes occasionally find themselves at the heart of a scandal or controversy. Was a player recently suspended from play? Was that action correct? Why or why not? Recent news items can be a good place to look for an issue concerning sports where you can argue your opinion.

These are only a few ideas for coming up with unique sports argumentative essay topics. It’s important to write about something you care about. If you’re a sports aficionado, issues in modern day sports and athletics are a great area to look for something to write an argumentative essay about.

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