Thursday, July 7, 1988/The Battalion/Page 7
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Photo by Steven Beckmann
Michael Brown, a seniorchemical engineering major and A&M Y.O.U. weightlifting coach, encourages Freddie
Martinez, an A&M Y.O.U. student, in the weightlifting event at the Y.O.U. Olympics at Southwest Texas State
University in San Marcos Saturday. Martinez won the competition by lifting more than 300 lbs. Y.O.U. students
also competed in basketball, track and field, softball, volleyball, and a spelling bee and trivia contest.
Williams’ story another
example of oppression
whv Super Bowl
Anthony
Wilson
Super
In Sunday’s edition of the Bryan-
College Station Eagle, a story ap
peared in the sports section which
wondered aloud
XXII’s Most
Valuable
Player,
Washingt'on
Redskin
quarterback
Doug Wil
liams, wasn’t
receiving
more adver-
tising en
dorsements.
After all,
Williams did
have the
greatest
passing per
formance a Super Bowl has ever
seen, overshadowing golden boy
John Elway. And he did have to
overcome a tremendous amount of
adversity, such as injury, four team
changes and the death of his first
wife, to get to where he did.
He seemed to be the epitome of
the American dream. Hot dogs,
Mom, apple pie and Doug Williams
— a veritable Horatio Alger in
shoulder pads.
Could it be, the story said, that ad
vertisers aren’t beating a path to Wil
liams’ Zachary, La. door because he’s
BLACK?
Is it just me or is this a bad case of
deja v?
We heard all this fuss back in Jan
uary when Williams became the first
black quarterback to lead his team to
football’s greatest showcase.
Personally, I got so sick of every
Williams story taking the race angle
that I stopped reading the sports
section and even actually resorted to
reading a Mark Nair column. (Yes
sportsfans, it was a low point in my
life too.)
The media got so carried away
that one reporter asked, “Doug,
you’ve always been a black quar
terback haven’t you?”
Much to his credit, Williams han
dled the ordeal like the true gen
tleman he is, but enough is enough.
The argument that Williams isn’t
spending his time peddling Puddin’
Pops or Adidas hightops cause he’s
black is ludicrous.
Has whoever wrote that article
ever heard of Michael Jordan, Wil
liam Perry, or Akeem Olajuwon —
all black athletes who earn as much
each year in endorsements as for
winning games?
Perhaps Williams’ low-profile atti
tude and unflashy playing style are
just not appealing to advertisers.
Sports fans like to identify with out
rageous characters a la Jim McMa
hon, the Boz, Charles Barkley, or
Mike Tyson. Hence they are the
ones who get the Taco Bell, Right
Guard, Nike and Pepsi commercials.
It’s shocking to me that the media
concentrates so much on race in a
business in which the only measur
ing stick should be talent. In many
cases, the media has even helped
perpetuate stereotypes.
Doug Williams’ story is a perfect
example of that. With every story fo
cusing on the color of Williams’ skin,
the media gave credence to those idi
ots who believe that a black man
does not have the mental or psycho
logical facilities to win the big one.
Of course anyone who’s been an
A&M football fan since 1984 can dis
pel that stupid rumor.
Kevin Murray may have been
cocky, but he was a talented quar
terback and a winner at crunch time.
Whenever the Aggies were down by
a touchdown with the clock winding
down, A&M fans always had a feel
ing that Murray would find a way to
win.
And he usually did because he was
a mentally tough individual.
Another rumor concerning black
athletes that the media has yet to
squelch is that blacks are naturally
better athletes than whites.
For example, how many times
have you seen an article exclaim how
peculiar it is that Larry Bird, a white
man, is considered the best all-
around player in the National Bas
ketball Association?
And although it’s true that the
NBA is approximately three-fourths
black, many of the leagues best play
ers are white. No coach would turn
down the opportunity to have Bird,
Tom Chambers, John Stockton, Det-
lef Schrempf, Mark Eaton or Jim Pe
tersen — each a Caucasian — on his
team.
Sports is an enjoyable area of
many people’s lives because it gives a
chance for a group of people to
unify and work for one common
goal. Athletes sweat together, hurt
together, win and lose together.
And seldom does the issue of skin
color affect how teammates feel
about one another because some
thing stronger and more important
than that bonds them together.
And that’s the way it should be.
Now if only the media can catch
on. ✓
Texas A&M University System Employees
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Texas Health Plans is a Health Maintenance
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New Benefits
Primary Care Physician Office Visits
$5 copayment
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Well Child Care no charge
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Pastrami
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strone Soup or a
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SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW!
THE
FOREIGNER
By Larry Shue
Winner of two Obie Awards
and two Outer Circle Critics' Awards
"...devilishly clever!"
- Clive Barnes
The New York Post
A special preview for TAMU students only!
Presented by MSC Summer Dinner Theatre
and The Aggie Players.
July 6 Perfonmance at 7:45 Rm 201 MSC $2.00
For more information, call the MSC Box Office 845-1234