SPORT AND SOCIETY -- BROADCASTS

An archived directory of past broadcasts

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 1996
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



Is it over? Has the hype finally ended, or is it still echoing in your head almost a week after the clock ran out on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For the first time in several years the Super Bowl almost lived up to its name. The football game remained interesting throughout, if not an artistic success.
It looked more like two games. For the first quarter and a half the Cowboys dominated and took a 13-0 lead. For the next two and a half quarters the Steelers dominated, but despite the domination could not win the game. The great equalizer was defense, and both teams played some, and the Cowboys played enough to hold on and win the game.
Larry Brown was voted MVP but certainly there must be a major assist for Neil O'Donnell and the Steeler receivers. Twice O'Donnell, for whatever reason, found Larry Brown wide open and hit him with near perfect passes. The only problem was that Brown plays for the Cowboys and O'Donnell for the Steelers. Other than that it was picture perfect passing.
The pre-game analysis consistently pointed to the Dallas offensive line as being the major difference between the two teams. The conventional wisdom was that by the fourth quarter the Cowboys line would have totally worn down the Steelers defense. Of course it didn't happen because the Cowboy offensive line was only on the field about nine of the thirty minutes of the second half, and so they had time to wear down no one except the Dallas sideline assistants.
One of the most interesting matchups of the day was Jerry Jones and Paul Tagliabue with the Commissioner firing heavy salvos at Jerry on "Meet the Press" while Jones had the final word autographing hundred dollar bills and accepting the Vince Lombardi Trophy from the Commish.
The other memorable feature of the day, if anything could top Jones autographing hundred dollar bills for pure low rent crassness, were the commercials. At $40,000 per second these mini-dramas and comedies with extremely high production values remain some of the best in American cinema today. The Pee Wee football parody of NFL Films highlights was excellent, Deion and the roadrunner, several of the Pepsi ads, and the Mcdonald's rocking baby piece were creative and entertaining--something that could not be said for the game plan of either team.
The other major story of the week, and surprisingly there was a story that could intrude into Super Bowl airspace, was the announcement that Magic Johnson was returning to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since his departure in 1991 Johnson has threatened to come back once, came back for the Olympics, came back to coach, thought about coming back several times, and now is back. Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Golden State Warriors about two and a half minutes into the game Johnson came onto the floor greeted by a standing ovation. Although he missed his first shot, Johnson played some quality minutes and showed flashes of that old Magic on the fast break, even though he is no longer very fast. The no-look pass, the great fake and move to the basket, were a reminder of games past, and the familiar smile were a reminder that he still is Magic Johnson. He finished with 19 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, nearly a triple double and almost exactly his career averages.
Looking back on the approximately five years of enforced exile from the NBA, it is sad to think of how many of the great Magic Johnson years were lost. How many records were not broken? How many triple-doubles were not recorded? How many games not won?
And why? Basically because not enough was known about a disease that carried a fear factor usually associated with virulent forms of cancer in modern times. HIV seemed to be a certain death sentence, and the transmission of the disease was explained large ly by unfounded rumors and general misinformation.
The NBA administrative hierarchy reacted with panic, as did the players, and the pressures on Johnson were so great that he retired, and then re-retired after briefly attempting a comeback. In addition Johnson and his doctors were uncertain of the impact that the physical stress of playing professional basketball might have on the virus he was carrying in his body. So in a combination of ignorance, fear, and misinformation Magic Johnson's career ended, and both Magic and the fans were robbed of some of his best years of competition.
Tuesday night he looked heavy and slow but still with those flashes of brilliance. The point totals and assists indicate that he still may have much to contribute. Ervin Magic Johnson is back. Let's hope that the Magic is back as well.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY JANUARY 26, 1996
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



It is the mid-winter ritual of American life. It is the premier event on the American Sporting calendar. It is the Super Bowl. And this year it is Super Bowl XXX, the triple-X rated Super Bowl.
This doesn't mean that the Dallas Cowgirls will be doing something obscene at halftime, or that Dieon Sanders will be caught in a compromising position. It means that across America the levels of conspicuous consumption will reach obscene levels at this the thirtieth renewal of the championship of professional football.
The game has become secondary to the event, at which the primary object is to sell something. The American advertising industry will spend more money on this one day of television than on any other single event. One minute of television advertising sells for over a million dollars, and the peddlers of products are stumbling over one another to buy them. At the first three Super Bowls rates were $85,000 per minute.
This year all of this wild spending for advertising has spilled over into a new arena, cyberspace. Advertisers have found that sponsorship of web sites is the new hot spot to make their pitch, both audio and visual, to the upscale consumer. The cost for promotion of a home-page is running at $150,000. Advertising space is being sold at the rate of four cents per view. One estimate is that 2.5 million people will visit the official internet site of the Superbowl which has been available since December 27 a nd will stay active through the 4th of February. It's sponsors are NBC and Microsoft.
What can be found there besides the advertising, are an amazing assortment of information packages, featuring the history of the game, the statistical records of the game, the results of the previous games, all sorts of directions to the restaurants and hotels in the Phoenix area, the tourists attractions of the region with maps, house and condo rentals complete with photos(my personal choice is an attractive three bedroom-two-bath patio home with pool). One bedroom condos are $300 per night, while the rent for the home was not listed.
The Funfacts web site offers some interesting and little known bits of information. No president has ever attended a Super Bowl, while two vice-presidents have, Bush and Gore. Only one game was not a sellout, the first. Only one player has played in Super Bowls in three different decades, Gene Upshaw. Eighteen starting quarterbacks have worn the number 12. Al Hirt played the national anthem at the first game. Crime rates drop significantly during the game, water usage goes up significantly at timeouts and halftime. 750 million people in over 170 countries will see this game on television. You can even find a recipe for Super Bowl dip.
One of the most interesting web sites is to be found at www.gospelcom.net. At this location you will find out why Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said at Super Bowl X: "If Jesus were alive today, he would be at the Super Bowl." At this website he virtually is there.
Here you can order your Super Bowl outreach kit so that you can have a Christian Super Bowl party. The Kit comes with a 12 minute video (ideal for the halftime show) hosted by CNN's Fred Hickman and featuring All-Pros Brent Jones and Steve Wallace of the Super Bowl Champion Forty-Niners. Jones and Wallace discuss their close friendship and mutual faith in Jesus Christ. Other players offer testimonies on such subjects as Racial Harmony and Salvation.
Also included in the kit are ten Sports Spectrum Magazines, and the 16 page More Than Winning Booklet. Both are ideal for doorprizes at your party, and both provide additional testimonies and messages of Salvation delivered with the appropriate sports metaphors.
Last year's Reggie White Video was credited with 30 young people being saved in Melbourne, while a reported 4,200 Reggie White Super Bowl parties led to 2,500 decisions for Christ. Is this why they call it Super Sunday?
But it is a different kind of religion that will see the largest number of worshippers for the Super Bowl. It is estimated that well over $70M will be laid down legally on this game by those who worship at the altar of lady luck. The line opened with Dall as giving 11 1/2 points and it has moved as high as 13 1/2 during the week. Betting has been intense for two weeks now and will continue up to game time.
Meanwhile scalpers and ticket brokers are getting anywhere from $1000 to $4000 per ticket, and praising the Lord with a vigor unmatched at any Reggie White Party.
But for most of us it will be chips and dip and TV sets, and by half-time we'll likely be wondering once again, what all the excitement was about.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport of be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY JANUARY 19, 1996
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



It is that week between. The NFL divisional champions have been decided and the Super Bowl opponents are set. Now for the next ten days we will be bombarded with Super Bowl hype, as one of the great mid-winter rituals in American life takes place.
This is the triple-X rated Super Bowl, and we wait in great anticipation to see if once again it can disappoint on a grand and glorious scale. While we wait we can contemplate every bit of information known to man about past Super Bowls, we can drink in t he rituals of this mid-winter pageant of conspicuous consumption, or we can simply ignore it and turn to other issues.
In fact there any number of interesting baseball stories developing on the horizon. For the first time in twenty-five years the Hall of Fame voters from the Baseball Writers Association of America, some living and some apparently dead but not yet declared so, have failed to elect anyone to the Hall of Fame. This remarkable development, which has happened only six times previously, came for reasons known only to those unknown writers who vote in this bizarre election. It was certainly not because there was a lack of worthy candidates.
At least three, and maybe more, were available to those who voted on this year's ballot. First, there was Tony Perez of Big Red Machine fame. Perez with an excellent glove at first, brought a powerful bat to the plate. Of all those who have ever played th e game only 15 have higher RBI totals than Perez and all are in the Hall. But then Perez never won a seasonal RBI title although he did drive in 100+ runs seven times.
But even stronger are the cases for two pitchers who have won 300 or more games. This is the standard that is supposed to be the benchmark for excellence, the figure at which entrance to the Hall of Fame is automatic. No more.
Phil Neikro, who spend most of his career with losing teams in Atlanta is a wonderful case in point. He was able to win 318 games, and win 20 on three occasions, two of which were on less than brilliant Braves teams. His total was so high, say his critics , because he played so long. Precisely the point. He was better over a longer period than most pitchers, and in a season in which being able to play for a long time was highly honored when done by a shortstop, why is Neikro being punished for quality plus longevity?
The second pitcher who meets the automatic standard is Don Sutton with 324 wins. Again the rap is that he played so long, and that he played on teams that won a lot. Unfortunately too much of that time he was overshadowed by bigger names. But consider tha t his career ERA was nearly the same as Steve Carleton, that he averaged 34 starts a season for the first 22 years of his career, and that he won in double figures 21 times in his career. This one was a no brainer, an automatic trip to the Hall. Again the writers said no. It is the fourth rejection for Neikro and the third of Sutton.
Two other pitchers on the ballot are also likely candidates if not automatic entries. Jim Kaat with 283 wins, three 20 game win seasons, and 16 gold gloves, certainly is worthy of serious consideration. He was on six divisional or pennant winners, and was the anchor of the Twins staff. Tommy John is a similar case with 288 wins, great longevity, a member of five pennant and divisional winners, and a career that was nearly ended early by an arm injury. Both these pitchers deserve serious consideration, and a good case for their inclusion in the Hall of Fame can be made.
The failure to elect anyone is an interesting development because it means that if there is to be a player present in Cooperstown on August 4 for the induction ceremonies it will have to be someone chosen by the Veterans Committee. The problem is that the leading candidates are dead. And so if there is to be a live warm body on the podium it will have to be Jim Bunning whose 224 wins are considerably less than any of four rejected by the voters this year.
Then there is the case of Tony Oliva whose numbers are excellent, who is perhaps the best pure hitter of the postwar era, and who this year was rejected for the 15th and final time by the writers. Unfortunately his career was cut short and he doesn't have the career numbers, but then neither did Dizzy Dean or Sandy Koufax. Some players are so good that their shortened career should not be a barrier and Tony Oliva is one of those.
Finally at the baseball winter meetings it is now clear that inter-league play will begin in 1997. This is a mistake for several reasons and should never even be considered until the DH issue is resolved. But in the cynical pursuit of dollars the owners and players will forget tradition and tarnish the World Series a bit more. By the way, how are those collective bargaining negotiations coming along?
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 1996
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



Last Wednesday I left for Atlanta to attend the American Historical Society convention and interview candidates for a new faculty position. The weekend was a blur and I was generally out of touch with Sportsworld, although I was slightly aware of the even ts moving across the stage. I had little time to reflect on any of it.
The snowfall on Saturday night and Sunday morning tended to enhance the disorientation, and on Sunday morning I got to try out my skills in the traditional Minnesota sport of ice driving. Needless to say after 25 years in Florida my skills are a little ru sty, but it was a vivid and nostalgic experience. The real thrill of this sport comes when you are moving along at 40 or 50 miles an hour and suddenly you cross a patch of ice. You must hold your breath, resist the urge to hit your breaks, and hold the car steady. Luck is equally important. It keeps you safe from sliding cars and sliding trucks that move before you in what looks like slow motion. Many along I-75 in the Atlanta area were not so lucky, and were taken out by both the foolish and the reckless.
Of course, this was not the big sports story of the week. Nor were the NFL playoffs which I saw in slight glances at a television and heard on the car radio on Sunday. The surprises came in the form of the dominating Green Bay Packers devastating the San Francisco Forty-Niners, and the Colts outplaying the Chiefs and having the good fortune to watch the Chiefs kicker miss three field goals.
In fact the big story came out of Miami at the beginning of the weekend when Don Shula announced his retirement, if that's what you want to call it. It was apparent to even the most dense that Don Shula was not moving out the door under his own power. The strong arms of Wayne Blockbuster were pushing him in the back. Shula ended his career in Miami being chased by the angry Dolphin fans who waited in vain over the past several years for the "fish" to return to the glory days. The great promise of this year's team went up in smoke, and Shula would not have a final Super Bowl Victory on which to end his career.
It is no coincidence that Dan Marino will not see a Super Bowl Victory either. For all of the greatness of Dan Marino and Don Shula it is now apparent that this duo is not enough. It may also be that Marino's greatness as a passer may so skewer the thinking of a team and a coach, that they can no longer recognize that great teams are built on defense and a strong running game, with passing flowing from that. It is a simple game, said Mr. Lombardi. It is a game of blocking and tackling. The team that does these two things best will win. The Miami Dolphins of Don Shula and Dan Marino did neither of these things well, and in fact they did the latter poorly.
Don Shula's earlier teams in Miami, and his best teams in Baltimore, did both very well. Recall the 17-0 Miami Dolphins of 1972, the team of perfection, it was the blocking for Csonka and Kiick, and the tackling of the no-name defense that was the secret of their success. Bob Griese, or Earl Morrall for that matter, was no Dan Marino, but both were Bart Starr types employing precision passing and the occasional bomb, with both built on the play-action pass.
Over the past few years the Dolphins and Don Shula could not repeat their glory. Shula apparently was losing his edge. Some said the game was passing him by, and this year he seemed to lose control of the team. Was he too old? Well he was not as old as his recent nemesis, Marv Levy, but then Levy has a Master's Degree in History.
Had he become a softie? Al Levine who now writes for the Atlanta Constitution covered the Dolphins of the early seventies, and happened to be in Lauderdale at the retirement press conference. He wrote of both for the Atlanta paper and noted that Shula hadn't changed a bit, at least in his dealings with the press.
Last Friday near the end of the press conference a reporter asked how the game had changed since Shula started coaching. Shula shot back "Are you just thinking of things to say?" Levine was reminded at that moment of the way in which Shula dealt with dumb questions, how he loved to embarrass and intimidate young reporters, and how he would call reporters at home to rip into them about a story he didn't like.
Has Shula softened? Levine doesn't think so. He just couldn't repeat the Magic of the Seventies, and then got mesmerized by the passing of Marino. He hadn't had a great team in some time. He once did. But that was too long ago. He will remain the winningest coach in the NFL for a long time to come, and probably no one will ever again lead a team to an undefeated season. His legacy is assured.
Now it's Jimmy's turn to try to replace a coaching legend for the third time in his career. Bring on the hair spray.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY JANUARY 5, 1996
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



The body count for fired NFL coaches seems to be on the rise. Buddy Ryan got the boot in Phoenix the day after Christmas, less than twenty-four hours after his loss to Dallas. Sam Wyche was fired in Tampa with the next twenty-four hours. Meanwhile the Bucs themselves twist slowly in the wind, uncertain where they will be when the 1996 NFL season rolls around.
It was another truly remarkable season for the Bucs who for the first time in over a decade did not lose ten games. They lost nine; and did so with one of the weakest schedules in recent memory. It was so weak in fact that the Bucs were leading their division at several points during the season and were even over .500, with the highpoint being 5-2. It was however an illusion as the Bucs went on to their fourteenth consecutive losing season.
Reality was in fact just as grim as in most of those ten loss seasons. The new Buc saviour and former first round draft pick Trent Dilfer threw for eighteen interceptions and a grand total of four, yes four, touchdowns. It would seem that in the course of a season any quarterback ought to be able to throw for one touchdown in half the games just by accident. But not Dilfer. Why? Because he was a first round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs effort, and you can't be this bad without special effort, should not be dumped on Dilfer alone. This was a total team effort, in fact a total franchise effort.
In the final game against the Lions one of the last possessions of the game nicely summarizes the Buc's season. Tampa Bay was punting on fourth down, a play they had more than ample experience with, and one that they should have perfected. On the first try Reggie Robey kicked but there was a flag on the play. An interior lineman was illegally downfield. So Robey sets to kick again, but no, there is movement before the snap, a false start. So the Bucs lined up again and Robey hit another booming kick. Then another flag. Once again the Bucs have an interior lineman illegally downfield. In an act worthy of the Christmas season the Lions declined the penalty. One can only guess how long this could have gone on and how far back Robey might have been pushed were it not for this act of mercy.
This final game was further marred by Sam Wyche's decision to replace Dilfer with Casey Weldon in the second quarter, a decision he had made earlier in the week and had told everyone about except for Dilfer, who was the only one surprised by the move. This led to a heated sideline exchange between Wyche and his first round draft pick.
Still it was not just poor play on the field or poor judgement by the head coach, this was a organization-wide effort. The new owners, the Glazer Brothers, contributed to the atmosphere of chaos surrounding the Bucs by spending the better part of the seas on threatening to move the team out of Tampa Bay to LA, Orlando, Baltimore, or anywhere else that seemed even mildly interested.
First there was the drive in Tampa to get season ticket pledges with a large surcharge that would serve as a loan to the Glazers allowing them to built a new stadium with other people's money at no interest. When that failed the deadline was extended, and then when that failed, there was a more active pursuit of a new city. The fact that the announced search for a new city came before the season ticket drive was over, was management's version of the team's inept attempt to punt against the Lions.
While looking around for a new city the Glazers were no doubt dismayed when Baltimore slipped away as a possible site. On the other had this meant that Cleveland was now in the running to get the Bucs. At one point there was even a story circulating that the Bucs would move to Cleveland and become the new Browns, while the Browns would go to Baltimore and become the new Bucs. This meant that Vinny Testaverde, who had once been a dismal quarterback for the Bucs, might once again become a Buc in Baltimore. Vinne's Worst Nightmare. It might have been the first time that a franchise pursued a for mer player by trading an entire franchise rather than just the player.
If all of this seems bizarre and strange then you have not been a follower of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the years. For over a decade now the Bucs have made the strange and bizarre, routine and commonplace. Wasted draft choices, horrible trades, off-beat coaches, incompetent owners and strange management decisions, star players laid low by disease or injury after just a brief time in a Bucs uniform, all have been part of Buc History. And it all began so many years ago with the failure to sign Doug Williams allowing him to go off to the Oklahoma Outlaws.
Yes even with new ownership, the dreaded curse of Doug Williams remains part of the scene in Tampa Bay. Whether a new location would end the curse, remains doubtful.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY DECEMBER 29, 1995
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



Already some of the big ones are behind us. The annual Blue-Gray Game in which the Confederacy tries to atone for the loss of the big game of 1865 was played in Montgomery, Alabama on Christmas Day. Once again the Gray was outmanned. Then came the Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl in which Aloha meant goodbye in any number of ways, and the Weiser Lock Copper Bowl, which asks the question what is a weiser lock and why would you want to lock weisers anyway?
Almost all the bowls now have corporate sponsors. There are only two kinds that don't. There are those that are too insignificant to get enough TV rating points like the Peach Bowl and the Sun Bowl, and this year even the Cotton Bowl, which has fallen on hard times. The last few years it was the Mobil Cotton Bowl, but now it is simply the Cotton Bowl Classic. Then there is the other category, those bowls that have too much class and too much tradition to allow themselves to stoop to such cheap commerciali zation. Bowls of this type number only one. It is the Granddaddy of all the bowl games, the Rose Bowl, which has somehow resisted selling its name for commercial purposes. How much longer it can do this remains one of the great mysteries of intercollegiate athletics.
Other things have changed over the last few years. The number of bowls sponsored by automobile rental dealers has been reduced to none, even though the Builder's Square Alamo Bowl sounds like it might be one. The Alamo in this case is the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas, named of course for the Alamo, the historic site, and not for the car rental dealer. Builder's Square is the sponsor and it is important to remember that this is a do-it-yourself home supply company and not a location. Under no circumstances should you try to Remember the Builder's Square Alamo.
Nor is the Carquest Bowl a car rental dealer, although it sounds like it might be. I think, but I would not stake my life on it, that this is a car parts or accessory dealer. It also sounds like something you might do in the parking lot after the game.
And speaking of cars the Holiday Bowl in San Diego is now the Plymouth Holiday Bowl, and my guess is that most of you, like me, did not know that Plymouth even had a holiday.
My favorite bowl name continues to be the Poulon Weed Eater Independence Bowl because of all the bizarre images that it conjures up at the sound of the name. I for one have long sought to be independent of my weed eater, and I welcome any memorial celebra tion to this important development in the lives of most Americans.
For those who like hopeless cases, the St. Jude Liberty Bowl is for you. Having actually attended the Liberty Bowl twice, I can tell you that viewed from certain perspectives it can be construed to be a hopeless case, which indeed was not the way in which I viewed the Liberty Bowl, but it was the way in which I viewed Memphis where this overblown patriotic exercise takes place. Few will remember this, but the Liberty Bowl has this theme, not because Memphis is the cradle of liberty, but because this bowl has its origins in Philadelphia.
Then there is the Outback Bowl in Tampa which was previously called the All-American Bowl, while the Outback Steakhouse was the sponsor of the Gator Bowl. It is no longer called the Outback Steakhouse Bowl I suspect because of all those jokes people made about the outhouse steakout bowl. As for the Gator Bowl it is now the Toyota Gator Bowl, which brings us back to the automotive theme once again.
Finally the other big New Year's Day Bowls are the CompUSA Citrus Bowl which is co-sponsored by the Florida Citrus Commission; the Fed Ex Orange Bowl which promises to get you out of Miami overnight, alive; the Nokia Sugar Bowl which challenges you to try to figure out what a Nokia is and if it is safe to have one in your sugar bowl; and finally the big one this year for all the marbles, this year's game of the century, is the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl purchased for a king's ransom by the Frito Lay Company.
Thus the beauty of amateur intercollegiate athletics where students can be seen competing for the pure joy of sport and where institutions of higher learning can provide entertainment for millions of Americans, and in the case of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl where each university can pocket as much as $13M, while the Fed Ex Orange Bowl and the Nokia Sugar Bowl will bring each school $8.3M. Is it any wonder that the coaches and presidents of these institutions think that the present bowl system is working quit e well?
And finally one other note about a bowl name. When Pete Rozelle first decided to use Roman numerals to designate the Super Bowl, did he stop to think that the 30th Super Bowl would be Super Bowl XXX? I doubt it. So this year will be the Triple X rated Super Bowl. Remember you heard it here first.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau wishing you a Happy New Year and reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY DECEMBER 23, 1995
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



With Christmas just a few days away and all those last minute gift ideas eluding you, I have come to offer a selection of books for the sportsfan or fanatic on your Christmas list.
For those interested in women's sport or women in sport this was a particularly good year for books. Madeline Blais offers a striking account of women's high school basketball. IN THESE GIRLS, HOPE IS A MUSCLE is the story of a season with the Lady Hurricanes of Amherst Regional High School in Massachusetts one of the most upscale and tweedy academic communities in America. Amherst is near the main artery of the liberal heart and not a place where one would expect to encounter a great sports story. But then this is the year that Northwestern is going to the Rose Bowl. Blais follows the teenage girls through the season game by game, and life by life. In the end what you get are stories of several lives along with the story of one life, that of the team, all wrapped in the triumph of the spirit of sport.
In LITTLE GIRLS IN PRETTY BOXES: THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF ELITE GYMNASTS AND FIGURE SKATERS former Orlando Sentinel sportswriter Joan Ryan does an amazingly powerful expose on these two sports that feature little girls who find themselves under enormous pressures at the brink of puberty. This book gives new meaning to Child Porn as it looks at the obscene exploitation of girls whose lives are dominated by misled adults, the need to win, and the need to remain little dolls. The cost extracted includes eating disorders, weakened bones, stunted growth, and psychological fallout of major proportions. For all but a handful of these girls the payoff in a gold medal is not to be, while the cost of a life is nearly certain.
And finally in the category of women's sport comes the biography of one of the first great women in professional sport, BABE: THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF BABE DIDRIKSON ZAHARIAS by Susan Cayleff. This is not a popular biography written to inspire, but a scholarly biography replete with feminist theory and analysis of class, ethnicity, and sexuality. It is a sophisticated and welcome piece of sport history that offers considerable insight into the cross-currents that make women's sport such an important field of study, for those seeking to understand the complexities of gender in America.
With Orlando now in hockey world I would recommend GORDIE: A HOCKEY LEGEND for that new hockey fan at your house. Roy MacSkimming explores the life of one of the greatest hockey players of all-time, the man who was Wayne Gretsky's hero. Howe played thirty -two seasons, the best of which were in Detroit, and the last of which were on the same line with his sons. This is the story of the Canadian dream in the Canadian national sport, and it tells us almost as much about the Canadian national character as it does about Gordie Howe. Both are worth knowing.
As we approach the pinnacle of the college football season with all the bowls and all the millions of dollars they generate, it is startling to remember that one prominent American University and pioneering football power made a conscious decision to eliminate football from the campus and concentrate on the academic mission of the university. In STAGG'S UNIVERSITY: THE RISE, DECLINE, AND FALL OF BIG TIME FOOTBALL AT CHICAGO Robin Lester examines the first great mid-western football power coached by Amos A lonzo Stagg. Given the subsequent development of intercollegiate football it now seems remarkable that a university would chose the priority of academic over football prominence, but Chicago did, and it produced neither the end of universe as we know it, nor the collapse of the University of Chicago.
Among the 120 or so baseball books published this and every year, I would recommend two biographies. Charles Alexander's ROGERS HORNSBY: A BIOGRAPHY concludes a trilogy of biographies from the same baseball era by Alexander. His earlier works on Ty Cobb and John McGraw are nicely complemented by another definitive work on this Hall of Famer. The other is David Zang's FLEET WALKER'S DIVIDED HEART which is more an essay on race in America than a biography. Zang has taken the rather limited evidence on the life of Walker, the first African-American to play major league baseball, and used it to explore the vicissitudes of race in America. The results are both startling and instructive.
Finally on the coffee table list is THE SPORT'S PHOTOGRAPHY OF ROBERT RIGER. Riger was one of the premier sports photographers of the past four decades and some of his best work representing a range of sports is collected here.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau wishing you a Merry Christmas and reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY DECEMBER 13, 1995
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



This NFL season has had its share of surprises and disappointments, not to mention bizarre moments. Today I want to concentrate on three stories from this NFL season: the Bucs, the Dolphins, and the Switzer Stumble.
This last weekend saw all three of these stories reaching a climax. In Philadelphia Barry Switzer made news with his questionable decision to go for a first down on fourth and less than one from inside his own thirty yard line in a tie game with about two minutes to play. The Cowboys had converted on these situations repeatedly and Switzer no doubt thought they would again. They did not, but then a referee's whistle allowed them a second chance. He again did not punt, came back with exactly the same play, with exactly the same result.
Under normal circumstances such a decision would have been seen as questionable, although courageous, and that would have been it. But these were not normal circumstances. First, Philly won the game with field goal shortly thereafter; second, this loss by the Cowboys took away home field advantage throughout the playoffs; and third, it was Barry Switzer who made this decision.
Throughout the land for the next several hours and days the critics unloaded on Barry. This blunder was denounced as a no-brainer, dumb and dumber, and something akin to a crime against humanity. Now I am no fan of Barry, but if this had been done by guys named Marty or Bill there would have been some questioning the move, but the firestorm that came down on Barry, would not have come down on them. It is clear that the national, as well as the local Dallas media, have been waiting for this chance, and they let the ridicule roll. It was an amazing display of hostility to this egomanical figure of the NFL.
Also on Sunday the Tampa Bay Bucs made news, and it was even on the field. After a full decade of double digit losing seasons the Bucs, by winning in overtime on Sunday guaranteed themselves a season with less than ten losses. What is most remarkable about this development is that they have managed to do it with what is essentially no offense. Trent Dilfer has not been anything much different than Vinny, Craig, or the Throw'in Samoan. Statistically he is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. The Bucs offense is pathetic.
What the Bucs have achieved has been by virtue of a combination of good defense and an extremely weak schedule. They are now 7-7 against some of the poorest competition in professional football, with an offense that is weaker than most teams in the state: professional or college. The only way that Dilfer may be the answer in Tampa Bay, would be if the question is, who is the next major disappointment who will be instrumental in Sam Wyche's departure? It is still too early to tell if the curse of Doug Williams has ended.
Down the peninsula in Miami a bigger puzzle is unfolding. After a 4-1 start in which the Dolphins looked like Super Bowl contenders, they have done a belly flop triggered by Marino's injury and sustained by the defensive collapse of nearly everyone except Bryan Cox. And then just when it looked like it was safe to say bye-bye to Don Shula and his offensive defensive coordinator, the Fish turn it around with a Marino miracle against Atlanta, and a defensive gem against the best team the AFC has to offer in the Chiefs.
It now appears that the Dolphins may be on the road to recovery, and perhaps even the Super Bowl, although that road must go through Buffalo next week. And in December that is never an easy place to find a win.
There is one other bit of interesting non-football news out of Miami. Last week the Florida High School Activities Association which has distinguished itself with ludicrous and lunatic decisions in the past, struck again.
This time their collective wisdom led them to disqualify the women's track team from Miami Gulliver Prep School after the team placed third in a two mile race. Deputy Commissioner Ron Allen of the FHSAA along with a referee agreed that the team's briefs were too brief, risque, and therefore inappropriate. Allen also said that the briefs "may lend an advantage to a runner."
The style of briefs worn by the Gulliver girls were the same style worn by the U.S. Olympic track team, and are designed for maximum aerodynamic effect. Gulliver's track team have been wearing the same track uniforms throughout the season, but only now at the State meet have they been accused of promoting eros rather than nike.
One can only wonder at this new level of silliness from one of the silliest groups in the State of Florida. They should stick to what they do best: keeping academic standards for athletic competition as low as possible.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY DECEMBER 8, 1995
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



Punishment is one of the great novels of Russian Literature, it is a subject currently in the news in Florida, and it is the theme that unites four stories out of sportsworld this week.
Last Friday the NCAA delivered its punishment for the crimes committed by the University of Miami over the past several years. There will be a one-year bowl ban which Miami will take this year, and a reduction of 24 scholarships over the next two years, or about half what is allowed. Although most of the crimes were in the football program there were violations in women's golf, men's tennis and baseball.
The most serious charges involved football including Pell Grant fraud involving 85 athletes between 1989 and '91. The fraud was traced to an assistant in the academic coordinator's office, who went undetected the entire time. For this high quality supervi sion the academic coordinator has been promoted to the position of assistant provost of the university. Miami officials and the NCAA are apparently in disagreement over whether of not the academic coordinator knew what the assistant was doing.
Dennis Erickson, Miami's former football coach, was cited for failing to report three of his players who had failed drug tests, and who were therefore not suspended from the team. This allowed an All-American Defensive lineman to play in the Orange Bowl contrary to school policy. Erickson was cited for ignorance rather than willful violation.
And finally all the money and perks being given out by Luther Campbell, leader of the rap group "Two Live Crew," was excused by the NCAA because Campbell was not a representative of the athletics department nor the university, neither a booster nor an alum.
One of the most serious violations seems to be that a women's booster group has donated $200 in pencils, pens, and notepads to the academic center for nearly a decade now, and what is even worse, these dangerous materials fell into the hands of student athletes. Presumably had Luther Campbell passed these out it would not have been an NCAA violation.
So Miami gets off fairly easy for its transgressions and this will not sit well at the University of Alabama. One major difference is being overlooked, and that is that the University of Miami was cooperative in the investigation, while the Crimson Tide s tonewalled the NCAA.
At nearly the same time that this punishment was being meted out, Duke Snider was being sentenced to two years probation and fined $5000 for tax evasion. Snider, the Baseball Hall of Fame centerfielder from the Brooklyn Dodgers, had failed to report incom e of some $100,000 from memorabilia and autograph shows. In addition to his sentence Snider has agreed to pay $30,000 in back taxes and $27,000 in interest and penalties. Maximum sentence would have been six months in jail and $250,000 in fines.
Snider is not the first nor the last of the star athletes who faced charges in connection with the autograph and memorabilia shows. Pete Rose and Darryl Strawberry have already been convicted, and Willie McCovey is awaiting sentencing following a guilty plea in connection with some of the same shows that profited Snider. Many others are under current investigation. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are available out there to current and former star athletes who are willing to go signing for dollars. And it is very hard indeed to find athletes who are unwilling.
This market has become an extremely important part of the income of those athletes who played in the days before mega-buck contracts. Many are making more money in a few weeks signing autographs than they made in entire seasons, or even careers, as players. And much of the payout is in cash. The temptation to leave cash payments off your tax return is well known to anyone who has ever been paid in cash for anything. Like so many millions of others across the nation these athletes succumbed, and now they are being punished.
All of this further points out the corruption of sport that has come from the autograph and memorabilia shows, where the once cherished autograph of a hero has become one more cash commodity in a world in which heros are nearly as rare as Cap Anson's auto graph or Ty Cobb's jersey.
Those arbiters of crime and punishment in the NBA have approved a new contract with the league, and the lockout of the referees has ended. Over the past few weeks the chorus of cries against the officiating has become deafening. It is true that there have been cases when the scabs have lost control of the game. It is also true they failed to achieve the studied incompetence of the regular NBA officials. I, for one, am yet to be convinced that we will see any significant difference in the dismal quality of officiating that we have known and loved for decades in the NBA.
And finally Roy Tarpley has been suspended from the NBA for life-for the second time. No word yet on his previous existence.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.

SPORT AND SOCIETY--BROADCAST OF FRIDAY DECEMBER 1, 1995
ON WUCF-FM 89.9



       Graceful and sure with youth, the skaters glide 
       Upon the frozen pond. Unending rings 
       Expand upon the ice, contract, divide, 
       Till motion seems the shape that movement brings,
       
       And shape is constant in the moving blade.

These words of poet John Williams in "The Skaters" came to mind while contemplating the loss of beauty in the world that will result from the death of Sergei Grinkov. At age 28 his death came as a shock not only to those closest too him, but to anyone who has ever watched him and his skating partner perform their routines to near perfection. His partner, Yekaterina Gordeeva was with him on the ice at Lake Placid when he collapsed and died during a practice session some ten days ago.
Gordeeva and Grinkov, gold medalists at Calgary in 1988 and again six years later at Lillehammer, were in the Russian tradition of great pairs skaters and they will be remembered in the same class as the Protopopov's and Rodnina and Zaitsev.
Who will ever forget the two of them in Calgary. Gordeeva a slight and delicate teenager, and Grinkov a 21 year-old athlete of muscle and grace. They seemed ideally paired visually, as Grinkov towered over his partner by nearly a foot. The size differential added to the aesthetic appeal of the talented duo, whose speed and power was displayed in unbelievable lifts and throws. Always performed with grace and beauty.
When they returned to Olympic competition at Lillehammer in 1994 they had matured. Now married with a daughter, they skated with the same skill, the same power, only with added tenderness and emotion. They were now clearly the top pairs skaters in the world.
Pairs figure skating has almost always been dominated by Russians. They bring a passion to the ice that displays a particular expression of Russian culture. It is that same passion one finds in the plays of Chekov, the novels of Dostoyevsky, and the music of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev or Shostakovitch. It is a passion for life in all its glory and tragedy, and it is displayed magnificently in the artistry of this beautiful sport. The Russians, who perfected the ballet, have been able to translate the ballet to ice, and Gordeeva and Grinkov are among a long line of Russian pairs skaters to bring that style in all its beauty to the world sporting scene.
There are those who do not think that figure skating is a sport because of its aesthetic elements, its show business qualities, and the subjective nature of the judging. Anyone who has ever laced up a pair of skates, knows better. The athleticism required to make the most elementary of moves is daunting, and the strength and stamina required stretches the limits of human capacity.
Sergei Grinkov perfected the athletic elements necessary to perform the male role in pairs skating. He was in tremendous physical condition, his body perfectly sculpted. At age 28 he was in his athletic prime. Then in the twinkling of an eye it was over.
With no history of heart problems, no previous medical indications that anything was wrong, Sergei Grinkov was the victim of a massive heart attack. What was revealed in the autopsy was the fact that he had an enlarged heart, not that of an athlete, but a diseased heart enlarged by the effects of severe high blood pressure. Two of his arteries were nearly closed, including the left anterior descending artery, known in medical circles as the "widow maker." There was clear evidence that Grinkov had suffered a heart attack twenty-four hours earlier, which had caused no pain or other symptoms, but led inevitably to the fatal event.
In addition Grinkov had been treated for the effects of the severe osteoarthritis which affected the length of his spine, and had caused him severe lower back pain for which he was treated in October.
It is truly remarkable that with all these problems he could perform at such a high level, but like many great athletes Grinkov overcame the pain and ignored whatever other warning signs his body offered. The quest for perfection in sport is a driving force that is difficult to overestimate. The cliche "no pain, no gain" is a cliche precisely because of the strong element of truth it embodies.
Yekaterina Gordeeva has suffered a double loss, both her husband and her skating partner. The public has lost one of the great pairs to ever perform on the ice.
There is an added sense of loss when the athlete dies young, because there is a knowledge that much more might have been accomplished. Those who saw them perform are thankful for having had the privilege of seeing this combination of beauty and athletic perfection. It is what makes sport, at its best, one of the highest of human pursuits.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.