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COMMENTARY Thursday, February 24. 2000 - Page 7 Pro sports: A lucrative business A simple "thank you" In recent years, what business Edward K. Schultheis This is a noble wish, espe- has been booming the most? discusses the recent trends cially in this day of "When do I from a former student Some might say that it is com- in professional sports get mine?" Heck, I would play puter programming or sales or in Siberia or even Antarctica for Jorge del Villar writes to maybe even the communication manding higher salaries, demand- $10 million dollars. thank Dr. Julie Badiee for Anthropology" was not my thing. industry. I have a different take ing incentives. and demanding at- It seems that athletes today her inspiration. A friend then suggested I take the on it, however. The way I see it, I tention. They certainly seem to get feel they can get away with class, "Art of India, China and Ja- believe that sports have become what they want all the time. murder ...literally. But really, they Dear Dr. Julie Badiee, pan" with you. the biggest business of our era. Is this the type of role models keep upping their prices, while I write these humble lines be- By the end of the first class I It seems that every week there that we need in our society? What- still expecting the average fans cause Iwasn't sure if Ihad formally knew I loved Art History, an entire for me. new discipline is another blockbuster signing, or ever happened {Q the role models to be able to see their games. thanked you for having such an broadened my perspective That class of the a ground breaking trade. Just a of the past, where they focused on How much does a baseball, a enormous impact as a professor in world and of life. few days ago, Shannon Sharpe the good of society and not the lin- football, or even a basketball my life. It opened signed with the Baltimore Ravens ing of their pockets? Are these role game cost nowadays? Just a little It is ironic that by nothing-else ern hemisphere, the door to the east- of which we know for $13.2 million dollars making models long gone from our daily too much for the average fan. than coincidence, I entered into a him the highest paid tight end living? So most of us just have to be class in the Fall of 1996 that would so little of in the western world. It showed me new ways of viewing Should sports players be role models anyway? How can some make me grow in so many direc- life, new philosophies, new reli- tions. gions, and sophisticated empires of players who are convicted of drug use, or spousal abuse, or Originally, I followed Dean which I had never heard before. and was registered even accused of murder be our role models? Coley's advice Anthropology." One After that, 1took for more Art His- for "Cultural afternoon, she and Dr. Leahy liter- tory classes to complete my minor. my sen- Every single one stretched ver. Then there is the $15 million- Perhaps they ate residing here, content with watching it on tele- ally spent hours registering 30 in- sitivity and intellectual capabilities. ollar man, Kevin Brown. He is but they are simply overshadowed vision or catching the highlights oing to make $15 million dollars by the money-grubbing players that on ESPN. In the name of all the students whose lives or the next seven years with the seem to grab all the attention to- Until the fans dictate what os Angeles Dodgers, and is in fact day. Should sports players be role you have changed, thank you. he highest. paid- player in Major models anyway? How can some they are willing to spend to go to ternational students at Budapest. these sporting events, athletes are eague Baseball history. players who are convicted of drug free to jack up their prices way They explained to each student the With every slide, you make stu- The total Kevin Brown package use, or spousal abuse, or even ac- past the point of sanity. So do entire American college system and dents think and feel, lifting up their omes to the total of $1 05 million cused of murder be our role mod; what you want, pay $100 for a the content of every class at WMC. souls. You give students the tools to ollars with other benefits such as els? family to go to a game - just don't Being overwhelmed by so 'much read, understand and interpret art se ofthe Dodger's corporate jet. The answer is simple: "When I complain when you're wallet is information, combined with jet lag, by themselves. What makes you You might wonder why this grow up I want to make as much empty. Either that or you can take professor is merely ommentary isn't found in the money as they do." a stand and not pay for the when it was my turn to register, an excellent of your care towards stu- a reflection Dean Coley assured me (hat Cul- ports section, but Ifeel that it has Other players have other mo- crooked athletes to buy new man- tural Anthropology would be my dents. bigger impact on society then we tives, such as MLB players Shawn sions, cars, spouses, or drugs. thing. 11believe. We look up to these ath- Green and Ken Griffey Jr. Both That became evident in all the etes: we wear their hats and their players chose a team not based What it comes down to and She didn't explain why, but I invi'lations you and your husband is that no ath- erseys and cheer them on at the sta- solely on their salary, butrdther the what I am saying how good he or went ahead and registered for the extended to international students lete, no matter tum. fact that they wanted to be closer she is or thinks he is. worth $ J 5 class. Without having any hard who usually don't have a home toward her, on the first day feelings We also look and see them de- to their homes. million dollars a year. of classes I realized that "Cultural nearby to go to. In the name of all the students Alan Keyes: A forgotten man lost in the politicaJ"ys't)ulfl'enged. As you just might be aware of, mary campaign four years ago. And David Lee discusses the tial-birth abortion, that's okay). Rangel. Keyes has appealed to the the American media is ever so let's not forget Governor Bush, lack of media coveragefor Another audible conservative, need for "personal responsibility". slightly "left-of center." Alright; who the cameras have been follow- Marylander Alan Keyes. Patrick Buchanan has come under Simply put, the American me- let's face it. They're downright lib- ing around the country for over ,a similar attacks. However, it's dia relies on sensationalistic jour- eral. With that easily discernible year. campaign isn't saturated with PAC- rather impossible for the nabobs of nalism to sell their newspapers. fact in mind, it should come as no Despite the fact that he never money. Alan Keyes was never im- news to peg those charges against Their news magazines would get surprise to anyone that Alan says anything new, each and every plicated in the Keating-Five bail- Alan Keyes, especially since Mr. less in the Nielsen ratings than Keyes-an ultra social-conserva- one of his campaign events has out, either. Keyes is black. "Barney and Friends" if they tive and current Republican presi- been covered, recovered, and then He's the kind of presidential There's another reason that the weren't 'allowed to use racism as dential candidate-has garnered covered some more. Yet, the Re- candidate the media keeps remind- media despises Alan Keyes. He'~ a an issue for their personal gain. almost no attention from the na- publican Party's best orator-their ing us that we need-honest, forth- black conservative. He can say that When it comes to politics, all tional media. the right-wing conservauves are Alan Keyes has a .Ph.D. from He's the kind of presidential candidate the media keeps reminding Harvard University, but you'd us that we need - honest, forthright, decent ... supposed to be white Southerners, and all black males are supposed never know it if you didn't follow to be liberal Democrats. This gives him on the campaign trail. Alan greatest speaker and their most right, decent) and outside of the Black-America needs to stop blam- the media the proper setting for Keyes has run for the United States moving conservati ve-A Ian claw-grip of the beltway political ing poverty for their high crime- their sensationalism. Unfortu- Senate in Maryland and served as Keyes, has been totally ignored by machine. rates without being pegged as an- nately, Alan Keyes isn't willing to an Ambassador to the United Na- the press. He's out-lasted a nurn- Yet the only place you'll see or other white, Republican racist. comply with them. And since he's uons. A few weeks ago, Alan ber of well-qualified Republicans hear from Alan Keyes is on CSPAN Alan Keyes can tell Jesse Jack- not going to play by their- rules, he Keyes finished a solid third in the that sought the party's nomination. at about two o'clock in the morn- son, Al Sharpton, and Kwei s i doesn't get to be on TV. Iowa Republican Straw Poll, with In all likelihood, Alan Keyes ing. CNN (the Clinton News Net- Mfume to stop crying "prejudice" Is Alan Keyes the only black nearly triple the votes that John wilt probably finish third in total work) won't touch him, and the because there are so many black Republican to get ignored by the McCain received. votes to be the party's nominee. national networks collectively have males on death row. Since Alan press? No. j.C. Watts, a black con- However, over the last month, Keyes is very popular among decided to spike any and all reports Keyes is black, he can blister the gressman from Oklahoma, spoke all we've seen on the nightly news Christians, and has increased his from his campaign. left on issues regarding "race" during prime time at the Republi- has been the white-haired McCain approval among libertarians by ad- ,Why is it that the leftist-press without giving them their conve- can National Convention in 1996. parading about New Hampshire vocating Constitutional judges, , in the United States blatantly re- nient counter-argument of direct Guess how much coverage he got? speaking about breaking some il- supporting a non-interventionist fuses to, cover the Keyes campaign? racism, and they hate him for it. Unless you watched CSPAN, you lusionary "iron triangle" in Wash- foreign policy, and by calling for It's simple, really. Alan Keyes does not fit in with might not have even seen him. tngton, D.C. an immediate end of the federal The media is downright the "mold" for a black man in poli- Keyes, like Mr. Watts. represents a Before John McCain, Elizabeth income tax. , AfRAIJ? of Alan Keyes. First and tics, at least not in the media's eyes. danger for the media. Dole tickled the fancy of the Alan Keyes is the only remain- foremost,Alan Keyes is a no-com- Instead, Alan Keyes has cried out They might let the secret out American Press by bouncingacross ing presidential candidate that 't promise conservative. Conserve- . for, a, moral-revival in America. that there really are. Black conser- the United States with her "explor-'I< stands firmly by;R~raJ~ Reagan's rives that are so harsh and insensi- , Keyes has taken a sharp-sword to vatives in the United States-even '\\PJY y!.'mmittee,':.c~pturjn~ mF... pro-life plank in the Republican tive to. call abortion "murder" de- tqe .concept of big government, black REPUBLICANS. But of hearts of the same c.of~~W that Party's national platform. Unl~~ J; ~~ry.e qq forumin the United Sta~rs .H~eWfro'!l the likes of Jesse Jack- course, so. far as the ine~ia goe!i helped finance her husband's pri- Senator John McCain,Alan Keyes' (of course, if you support the par- son, John Lewis, and Charley theywcin'tte1itfyou ....ao-ri·C -e-,