It's all a hype
I was going to write a nice story about John Drew.
He is the 20-year-old hardship case drafted by the
Atlanta Hawks and because of hustle, desire and
instinct is the most outstanding newcomer to the
NBA. But I've had enough of that shit.
A most disillusioning experience finally pried my
eyes open to the reality of the world of professional
sports — a realization that has been in the back of
my mind since I first entered a locker room to cover a
game story. That is, that it's all a hype. The players
By DAVE BRAFF
Of the Emerald
are just ordinary men — bigger and stronger — but
in most other respects just ordinary guys. It is the job
of the press to make living legends out of them.
Sometimes things get twisted; people can no
longer play their proper roles. Recently we have seen
that the Gospel According to Lombardi — winning
isn't everything, it's the only thing — has produced a
few abberrations. Norm Van Brocklin challenged a
writer to go a few rounds. Woody Hayes did the
same and supposedly slugged a student after the
Michigan State game.
These unfortunate incidents provoked Bob
Robinson of the Oregonian to print an open letter to
Hayes — from the safe distance of Portland — which
castigated Hayes for his treatment of the press and
called him a bully for threatening sports writers.
But there was no report in the Oregonian that
John Johnson of the Portland Trail Blazers
threatened to kick the ass of this reporter in the
locker room after the Atlanta game iast Thursday.
Johnson was enraged because I had quoted him
(accurately, despite his fervent denials) using the
word "motherfucker." In doing this I committed a
sports writing faux pas. I tarnished the athlete's
image.
I portrayed him as a human being. No matter how
much league management — and players them
selves _ try to cover it up, it is true that professional
athletes make mortal mistakes. They swear, they
drink, some even take drugs.
But sports writers are expected to maintain the
hero image of the athlete. They clean up their
grammar, (do you think that they all speak in such
neatly constructed sentences?), omit profanity, and,
in general, makB them look like fine upstanding
members of the community. This rule was harshly
expressed by Evel Knievel at Twin Falls, "If anybody
doesn't wanna help me. I'll go after them and throw
them out."
The athlete and the daily reporter share a mutually
parasitical relationship. One helps the other climb the
ladder to success. The star needs the print and the
writer must get "colorful quotes" to please his
editor.
As an Emerald reporter — an infrequent guest ot
the Trail Blazers — I did not feel shackled to this
system. I do not work with these people every day,
and after all, who reads the Emerald?
Well, through a series of strange coincidences,
John Johnson read my story, in which he believes he
was slandered. In his eyes I was a loathsome
creature, one of the "five per cent of the press" who
Knievel thinks to be degenerate.
It is ironic that I was a big fan of John Johnson.
The story centered on his accomplishments and — in
all honesty — praised him obsequiously. I was
playing the game, cultivating a working relationship
with the star. Perhaps I was playing a bit too loosely
for JJ's liking.
But this is a familiar theme. Powerful men are
forever threatening the press. Only within the last
two years has the media recovered from the near
fatal blows delivered by Nixon-Agnew. But can the
audacity and perseverance that unravelled
Watergate find a place in sports reporting?
The idea of perpetrating false hero myths lies at
the heart of the deceptiveness of our society. Will
the time come when we can believe what we read in
a newspaper? In political journalism progress has
been made. In sports — with a few rare exceptions
— no ground has been broken.
Stickers to regionals
By JEFF NIELSON
Of the Emerald
The Oregon women's field hockey team, coming off a highly suc
cessful season with one defeat, will finish their 1974 season this
weekend when they travel to Ellensburg, Wash,, for the Northwest
College Women’s Sports Association (NCWSA) field hockey tour
nament.
To the Duck women, this year's tournament holds a special meaning.
Although the NCWSA tournament is now the only opportunity for post
season play, next year holds the promise of a national field hockey
tournament — and a chance for Oregon to go as the Northwest team
entry.
To head coach Becky Sisley, competing at Ellensburg will play a big
part in next season's action.
'In order to budget for the nationals next year, we have to prove to the
athletic department that we have a team worth budgeting for," said
Sisley. "This means making a good showing at Ellensburg. There will be
only one team from the Northwest going to nationals next season, and
the girls know they're fighting right now for that spot."
According to team captain Diane Smith, however, competition under
pressure is the Duck's best competition.
"The Ellensburg tournament is great for us,” says Smith, "because we
always have competition that we never get in Oregon. The Canadian
teams are always good, and Washington State is tough. Mainly,
though, we're just trying to prove that we can compete with out-of
Oregon schools."
The Ducks have a strong defense as their biggest asset With a back
field that allowed opponents less than 15 goals all season, Sisley is
looking for an improvement over last year's contest, when Oregon won
one game, lost two and tied one.
There is also one factor that might hurt the Oregon women. Stacey
Mellum, one of the team's offensive leaders, was forced to stay behind
in Eugene because of family illness. If the situation is improved
Saturday, Mellum will fly to Ellensburg in time for the starting game
with Central Washington State College.
"I think it'll really hurt us if Stacey doesn't make it," said Sisley. "Not
only is she a great morale builder, but she's instrumental in our front line
play."
But,obstacles or not, Sisley is determined to win. "This is live or die for
us," said Sisley "and we reallv want to go next year."
sports
V.
Landers Cowan: took by the Storm
By DAVEBUSHNELL
Of the Emerald
The rain is here, but the Storm
is gone.
So it is with the World Football
League's team in Portland. With
its collapse go the jobs of two
former University of Oregon
Athletic Department employees,
Bill Landers and Hal Cowan.
Landers, who was in charge of
public relations for the AD, joined
the Storm early last June as
director of promotions and ticket
sales.
Cowan was the sports in
formation director at Oregon
before joining the new franchise
in Portland as their publicity
director.
Both gave up good jobs at
Oregon in order to pursue the
challenges and the financial
rewards that accompany
professional sports, bui now tne
Storm is on the verge of non
existence and Landers and
Cowan, as well as the players and
coaches, have gone over two
months without a paycheck.
"The last time I got paid was
September 15," said Landers,
who has officially quit the
organization as of November 10.
"I don't regret that I made the
move. I didn't come up here with
any rose-colored glasses on. It's
kind of like a poker game, you
know the stakes when you sit
down at the table, its just a
gamble I took. But I don't regret
making the move.
"Right now I'm doing a little
freelance writing and looking for a
job in the public relations field
mostly," Landers said. "We're.
just living from month to month.
Not getting paid for two months
cut into our savings, but we'll
survive."
Cowan doesn't regret the move
either, but he too is looking for
work. "I'm looking for a job—in
public relations, writing for a
newspaper as an SID in the pros
or college, it doesn't matter. I
guess I'd prefer the pros because
the money is better but if Oregon
offered me a job I wouldn't
hesitate to jump at it."
The Storm has been plagued by
financial troubles throughout its
brief existence and candor has not
been Storm owner Bob Harris'
strong point in dealing with the
problem. "We were lied to a
whole lot, lied to for the last eight
weeks," said Cowan bitterly.
"We were told after the game on
TV at Shreveport (LA.) that
$600,000 would be in the bank
and we would all get paid when
we got back. We got home and
found out that there was no
money and that the game with
Florida was moved from Portland.
(The Florida-Portland game was
scheduled to be played in Por
tland but was changed to Florida
at the last minute.) The Florida
game broke our back. It was the
ultimate lie by Harris "
Throughout the season Harris
has expressed his disappointment
with the attendance and the lack
of local support. "The attendance
was good, about what the people
in the office expected," said
Cowan. "I think Harris hurt us
more than any one else with his
negative comments. Harris was
the only one who was bitching
and he really didn't understand
the situation."
While Cowan feels resentment
toward the owner, Landers holds
no hard feelings. "I've never held
any great resentment toward Bob.
Lord knows he has put enough of
his own money into the team.”
If the WFL is in existence next
year, Landers and Cowan are
betting Portland won't be a part
of it.
"I think it looks a little bleak for
Portland," chuckled Landers as
he acknowledged his un
derstatement. "I give it less than
50 per cent that the WFL will be
around next year. I think that a
merger with the Canadian
Football League would be a real
possibility."
"It's a long shot that the WFL
will be around next year," Cowan
commented. “And for Por
tland...only miracles could save
it."
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