Oregon daily emerald., May 17, 2002, Image 2

Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
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RO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Friday, May 17,2002
Editor in Chief:
Jessica Blanchard
Managing Editor:
Jeremy Lang
Editorial Editor:
Julie Lauderbaugh
Assistant Editorial Editor:
Jacquelyn Lewis
Yesteryear s Editorial
More Sport
For
More Sports
Editor’s note: This editorial was writ
ten following a 16-7 Webfoot
(Ducks) victory over the Aggies of
Oregon Agriculture College—now the
Beavers of Oregon State University—in
one of the biggest baseball games of 1928.
The embryo lawyers and journal
ists clashed yesterday with swinging
bats and howls of joy. The would-be
barristers won the game and are tem
porarily acknowledged the better
crew of diamond athletics.
It was some game. The losers shed no
bitter tears of regret, nor did they show
concern over the
victors’ loud Grow
ings of glee. To the
devotee of science
in sport, the game
could have passed
for nothing short of
the classification of
rotten. To the lover
of sport for sport’s
University
of Oregon
125th
ANNIVERSARY
Originally
published on
May 17, 1928
sake, it was just about the best ever.
Amateur sport with all the fun and
fumbles of a real amateur contest; such
was the game. Amateur from the rusty
gate swings of inexperienced batters to
the decisions of Umpires Turnbull and
Rosson. The most professional aspect
of the entire session was the “razzing”
from the crowd in the bleachers.
Amateur sport has been losing its
hold on the American people, we hear
said frequently. The very awareness
with which the average man performs
when endeavoring to take part in a
chance athletic game bears out the
truth of the statement. We venture the
guess that it is the increasing demand
that all players perform with the pol
ished smoothness of the professional
athlete, coupled with the idea that a
victory and not the joy of competition
is the end in view, that has brought
about the decline of amateur sports.
The athlete who closest approaches the
machine in performance wins our ap
plause. We worship perfection and fail
to see the joyous spirit of play which
motivates the whole idea of sports.
The participant unquestioningly
gets the most good out of sports. As
long as we continue to devote all our
time to worship of the most nearly
perfect athletes, we will continue to
get less and less from sports for our
standards constantly become more
rigid. Amateur sports participated in
by simon-pure athletes and novices
will keep team sports alive and full of
interest. Intramural and departmental
contests are a great help in spreading
fun and health on the campus. There
can well be more of them.
This editorial was taken from the May 17,1928,
edition of the Oregon Daily Emerald.
Letters to the Editor and
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Letters to the editor
Influence your future:
Take the time to vote
As State Director of Students for Stein, I
have the privilege of seeing the students of
Oregon rally behind a true leader, Beverly
Stein, and dispel the stereotypes of our age
group. The tide of political apathy among
students has been well documented, how
ever it is encouraging to see so many stu
dents across the state, especially here at the
University, be so enthusiastic about not just
Beverly Stein, but politics in general. We
still need to do more.
Voting is a right that should be exercised
even in its simplest form; from the city
council member who decides the new roads
that will be built to the president of the Unit
ed States who decides the diplomatic routes
to be taken domestically and abroad. It can
not remain the policy of so many to remain
neutral for lack of knowledge on the issues
or candidates; after all, the purpose of life is
to better ourselves by learning new things
about subjects that we knew next-to-nothing
about in depth.
We have a good cast of candidates to
choose from for our next governor. Making
a choice and casting your vote is an essen
tial part of your citizenship in this country.
Your choice will determine the type of
health care you will receive, jobs that will be
available, environment that you will live in
and the tuition costs you will pay in the next
four years. Take five minutes to change the
future of history and vote.
Dan P. Isaacson
senior
political science
Plunge right in,
make your vote
Oregonians may love the rain, but this
year has been extra rainy. The State Legisla
ture has been getting very wet trying to bal
ance the shortcomings of Oregon’s budget.
The kindergarten through grade 12 budget
has taken the brunt of the storm. Remark
ably, the Oregon State Legislature has rum
maged through the closet and found a
makeshift umbrella to shelter K-12. If passed
in the Oregon primary elections, Ballot Mea
sure 13 will transform the current Education
Endowment Fund into an Education Stabil
ity Fund, immediately transferring $220
million of the principal to school districts.
The balance of the Stability Fund, or
“rainy day fund,” will be increased by ap
proximately $50 million every year, but the
legislature can expend the principal during
economic downturns, once approved by
three-fifths of all legislators.
Oregon legislators have sent this measure
to the voters of Oregon and, as student vot
ers, we must vote on the importance of edu
cation in our state. Along with voting on
other measures and for various candidates,
it is imperative for students to remember to
vote on this measure and to turn in their bal
lots by the end of the primaries on May 21.
Today, as student voters, we have been
asked to put on our galoshes, step into the
mud puddle and support this umbrella or
bring it down. Don’t be afraid of a little rain
— vote!
Michael Sherman
junior
political science
EPD should not control
media ‘credibility’
In response to Aaron Breniman’s op-ed in
Thursday’s Emerald (“Alternative media’s
tactics on EPD’s new access policy hurts
their cause”), I feel that he is missing an im
portant issue. By participating in the Eugene
Police Department’s media credentialing, it
affirms EPD’s illegitimate right to restrict,
deny and control access to the media.
This is an extreme conflict of interest.
When EPD gets to pick who can report their
doings, this is a slap in the face to democra
cy. Breniman goes on to say “(these policies)
aim to ensure that information is available
— from a credible source — to the public.”
Why does the EPD get to choose who is
“credible”?
Were the alternative media present at the
June 1, 1997, police torture of treesitters
“credible”? Amnesty International seemed
to think so, but I think if EPD were allowed
to restrict access as effectively as they want
to do with these policies, EPD would have
kept them far away.
Randy Newnham
senior
linguistics
Kulongoski most qualified
for nomination
Because I will vote in the Democratic pri
mary election, I am elated to see such a
strong field of Democrats running for gover
nor. I will have no trouble voting for any of
the three best candidates in the general elec
tion — Ted Kulongoski, Jim Hill or Bev
Stein — whichever one wins the primary.
I believe that is an important statement,
because I have been known to vote for Re
publicans. My preference, however, and the
one I will vote for in the primary, is Ted Ku
longoski.
There is too little in the issues separating
the three Democrats to make the choice on
that basis. I believe Kulongoski leads the
way because he brings the longest record of
public service, the widest range of experi
ence and a proven record of excellence to
the office of governor.
Wayne Miller
Class of 72
Springfield
Get a life, give it up
Isn’t it time we lighten up on the team
mascot/nickname issue? I know many peo
ple with American Indian blood flowing in
their veins, including my own family. I
haven’t heard one of them say teams that
have names such as the Braves or Indians
demean their heritage.
There aren’t a whole lot of teams named
the “weenies” or “sissies.” Teams that un
dertook naming their teams the Braves, In
dians or whatever did so because of their re
spect for the American Indian fighting spirit,
not to demean them. The Fighting Ducks
doesn’t exactly engender fear in the heart of
an opponent; it’s a credit to the men and
women who participated under our nick
name that they play much tougher than
their name implies.
Speaking of the Ducks, maybe we
should change our mascot and nickname.
Since Phil Knight seems to call much of
the shots concerning these issues, maybe
we should become the Oregon “Knights”
and get somebody to put on a suit of ar
mor and charge around the field waving
a sword.
In a world that is rapidly going in the
wrong direction, this issue of mascots is a
pretty lame excuse for a crusade. We could
focus on American Indians who are battling
to change the way they are perceived and
the whole Indian reservation system that’s a
total failure, the millions that are starving to
death or the wars being waged in more than
50 countries.
Get a life, folks ... *
Gordon Melby
. staff