A Rhetorical Analysis of a Photograph of Bobby Moore Hugging Peele and the Message it

Sends in the Twenty-first Century

Matthew Roda
Professor Kate Rosenberg
English 137H, Section 023
15 October 2015

Humans have a tendency to outcast those that are different than us, whether that be
because of looks, culture, or beliefs, and this is the underling root of racism throughout
human history. America, as great as we like to make it out to be, is no different than the rest
of world. We were one of the last industrialized nations to outlaw slavery, but even after we
did, people of African descent remained on the edge of society. Their circumstances stayed
the same after their emancipation until the Civil Rights era began fighting for the unalienable
rights stolen from African Americans. Activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X
led the nation in this battle, and by 1970, racial tensions remained high. Then, among hate
and segregation, a photo emerged from the World Cup in Mexico. White Bobby Moore
embraces black Pele after the match had ended. This photo became one of the most famous
football pictures of all time, and still is today, symbolizing peace and diversity in a
segregated world. It portrayed the message activists were fighting for fifty years ago, but the
civil rights movement has extended and resurged to a different subject matter, epitomized by
the slogan Black Lives Matter.
Bobby Moore and Pele were the captains of the English and Brazilian football teams,
respectively, and they faced each other in the 1970 World cup. Brazil was also the champion
after the 1962 and 1958 tournaments, but England was the returning victor and ready to
defend their title as best team in the world. But more than being a captain, Pele and Moore
were both regarded as two of the greatest players of all time, a title they still have, which is
part of the reason the match between them is also considered one of the most skilled games
ever played in football. Therefore, before the game even started, both players knew the
stakes and they would have the world as their audience. After the game, the two found each

other and greeted their friend with a smile. They exchanged jerseys as a sign of friendship
and mutual respect, and while embracing, John Varley snapped the most famous football
photograph in history.
It is crucial to understand the events occurring around the world to truly understand
the meaning of this picture. Malcom X, a Muslim civil rights activist, is murdered in 1965. In
1967, race riots were rampant in close to a dozen major and minor cities, the worst being in
Detroit, which killed forty-three people. In April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was
assassinated, leading to riots in 124 cities across the country. Robert Kennedy was also killed
in a Los Angeles hotel and America was in a full war with Vietnam. It was a time of civil
unrest, violence, and tension as Supreme Court rulings mandated whites desegregate the
black community. But among all that, a photo appears in thousands of newspapers in 1970
that has nothing to do with violence or hate. Because of the bigotry and brutality during the
1960s, the photo appeared in a perfect time for it to spread throughout the world.
The snapshot was taken by John Varley, an English news photographer who is
described as having a sensitive eye form moments beyond the news in his New York Times
obituary (Hughes, New York Times). Back before digital cameras and special lenses, Varley
used patience and experience to go where a candid moment might occur and wait for them to
happen. His job often required him to go to war zones and natural disaster areas, which goes
to show his willingness and dedication to capture unbiased depictions of what was truly
happening. He actually had to take vacation days to go to the 1970 World Cup, and after the
match between Brazil and England, Varley ran to the field and waited by Pele, hoping to

capture an interaction between him and the worlds other greatest player, Bobby Moore. He
certainly did.
This photo is an action shot. Moore and Pele are not looking at the camera waiting for
Varley to take a picture, and it is this candidness that helps make the photo as famous as it is.
If the photo was staged, it would lack the genuine happiness and sincerity between the two
football players. Also, the way the photo is framed plays an important role on the emotion it
portrays to the audience. It is a full body shot of Moore and Pele, but angled as to put all
focus on the players interaction. Interestingly enough, the historical background of the
events at the time of this photo is critical to understanding it, but the photo itself has an
atmosphere that calls the viewer to forget all context and instead see the heartfelt embrace of
two human beings. But, a line of cameramen stand behind them, emphasizing the importance
of their interaction.
The photo was probably intended for the viewership of football fans, but instead the
audience for this civic artifact became the world. It was published in thousands of
newspapers across the country and the world, becoming even more famous than the racial
issues in America. Among all that it represents and symbolizes, the friendship is what made it
so sincere. The compassion between the two players in this photo is so genuine, it is
impossible to tell who won the match. It was Brazil who actually was triumphant, but it
would be just as easy to say England won the match. It is one of the most important reasons
people have been drawn to it for the last forty-five years. Regardless, this photo shows
Moore and Pele share a companionship that goes beyond football, the fame of winning, and
the color of their skin.

Because this photo is still famous today, it must have relevance in the present day. But
in reality, the message drawn from it in 1970 is different than what civil rights activists are
trying to make today. Americans looked at this photo after the World Cup and saw what
society was trying to strive for at the time: color-blindness to mans skin. The progressive
attitude back then was to treat all human beings exactly the same, ignorant to the differences
between African Americans and whites. And thats exactly what Bobby Moore and Pele were
doing. They were ignoring the color of each others skin and instead embracing as old
friends.
Americas attitude towards civil rights is different in the twenty-first century. People
dont try to avoid the fundamental cultural differences in the world, rather they try to accept
them and encourage others ancestral background. If African Americans have rain dances and
drum beats from two hundred years ago, they should celebrate that and the world should be
accepting of who they are. Not only that, but racial activists are no longer calling for
desegregation and equality in that regard. They are chanting slogans like Black Lives
Matter to symbolize the movement taking place today. Protestors are calling attention to the
value of an African Americans life and how it is viewed as less important by some. This
slogan epitomizes the present-day fight because it has become bigger than racism,
representing how the life of all men and women need to be seen as important, and no ones is
killed because of how they are looked upon in society.
Bobby Moore and Peles embrace can summarize the goals of the 1960s civil rights
movement and what it ultimately achieved. Within the photograph, the viewer can easily see
the brotherhood and compassion between two men, choosing to ignore any racial boundaries

they were breaking. Forty-five years later, this love can still inspire the world today, but the
message portrayed by activists is less desegregation and more worth and importance,
ingraining the idea all lives have value, no matter the economic, social, or cultural stature of
the person. This continues our evolutionary development as we fight to end pointless
violence and hatred in the world, and as this battle continues, all men and women have to ask
a valuable question to themselves: what are they doing to continue this progress?

Work Cited
Civil Rights Chronology. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 2015.
Web. 10 October 2015.
Hughes, Robert. A Shot That Captured the Bigger Meaning in Sports. New York Times. 14
September 2010. Web. 10 October 2015.
Kent, David. From Pele and Moore to Cohens Argiebargy shirt swaps through the ages.
MailOnline. 30 April 2013. Web. 11 October 2015.