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Skewed priorities give athletes millions
Real heroes compensated by personal satisfaction, not fame or fortune
CHRIS s.
COBB
Columnist
A thletes are paid too much for th6
work they do - period. Putting
down the heroes of our popular
culture is potential social suicide, but
some perspective is needed after
watching the latest hockey and
basketball playoff games. Athletes are
put on such high pedestals that when
they do fall - or are knocked down - they
are destroyed when they hit rock bottom.
Having the ability to put a ball through a
hoop, hit a ball far or run fast with a pigskin are admirable
traits. The problem lies in that other heroes, legitimate
heroes, are everywhere and are too often overlooked.
For instance, can you remember the person who taught
you how to read? Was it a parent, a relative, your first-
grade teacher? This person, whoever it was, is certainly
worthy of praise. They contributed much to your life,
probably more than you will ever know. Are they not worthy
of being remembered? Of course they are. That person
deserves to hear the roar of a crowd as much as Michael
Jordan, Wayne Gretzky or any other professional athlete.
Athletes can make great role models
- just ask Charles “I am not a role
model” Barkley - but many do not seem
to live up to the standards that society
places upon them, even if the athletes
want the responsibility.
Dennis Rodman is definitely not an
upstanding citizen on the basketball
court. Off the court he may resemble
Mother Teresa, but even if he does, the
general public will never hear about his
acts of goodwill. We are more concerned
about how many points he scores, his number of rebounds, how
many other players he injures ...
The main problem with athletes is not the players as
individuals. They have talents and should be rewarded for
their abilities. They are only a small part of the law of supply
and demand. People pay to see them and, by performing, the
athletes are just living up to their fans’ expectations. But,
professional athletes’ salaries are ridiculously high.
Shaquille O’Neal’s earnings in his first year of playing
professional basketball, including commercials and
endorsements, will be more than many people ever dream
about. To equal O’Neal and Michael Jordan’s combined
estimated earnings of $51.2 million, a
teacher making an average salary would
have to work for over 1,700 years.
Hype is a big tool of the media. Do
people who make a positive impact on our
lives receive any hype? No, they continue
to remain behind the scenes because that’s
what they’re supposed to do.
Real heroes don’t seek adornment,
but are happy to receive it, like when a
teacher is told students are getting
something out of their class. These people are happy to
know the work they do is appreciated. They are happy to
know their message is being heard. They are happy to
know they are making a positive impact on people’s lives.
How many people know how much their favorite sports
star gets paid? More are interested in knowing this than the
average salary of a teacher, firefighter or police officer. The
pay scale is very lopsided. The starting salary for a teacher
in Texas is only $17,000 a year. The starting salary for a
firefighter is only $24,500 and the maximum salary in Dallas
is $32,025. A police officer’s starting salary in San Antonio is
only $24,048 and the maximum salary is
$36,108. This is almost nothing ' 7 -
compared to athletes’ salaries. For
instance, the minimum salary for a pro
baseball player is $109,000 a year. Last
year, Ryne Sandberg signed a contract
worth $6,329,213.
Sports fans are not surprised to hear
that athletes regularly renegotiate their
contracts for more money. It is an
expected activity for sports stars. Those
people working regular jobs to support
their families constantly face obstacles which often prevent
even “token” pay raises. Are our priorities straight?
We must ask ourselves, aren’t all the regular, everyday
heroes in our lives worth more to us than these wages? Are
athletes more deserving of our adoration? Who do we
depend on more on a daily basis? Who educated us? Who
will educate future generations? Who will do their best to
keep us safe? Do they not earn their modest salaries? They
deserve more than just higher salaries. They deserve our
respect - as much as any athlete.
Chris S. Cobb is a senior English major
mmm i mmssm
To equal Shaquille O'Neal
and Michael Jordan's com
bined estimated earnings, a
teacher would have to
work for over 1,700 years.
- * >4 > *\ L . ~ 'i ' ■
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect
the views of the editorial board. They do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of other
Battalion staff rnembefs, the A&M ,.
student body, regents, administration, faculty
or staff.
Columns, guest columns, cartoons and
letters express the opinions of the authors.
Contact the opinion editor for information
on submitting guest columns.
', ' ‘ * '•
'.’L- >Y 1 '4- :}>' ' '
Still asking, telling
The Battalion
Editorial Board
Mark Evans, Editor in chief
William Harrison, Managing editor
Jay Robbins, Opinion Editor
Military ignores sexual orientation policy
A federal judge’s June 1 order for the
Washington National Guard to reinstate
Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer poignant
ly coincided with news of the U.S. mili
tary’s lack of compliance with the “don’t
ask, don’t tell” policy. At least two in
stances indicate that more than a few offi
cers have refused to follow that order.
Robert S. Nadel, a Marine sergeant
stationed in Okinawa, was court mar-
tialed for “alleged homosexual acts.”
The Marines also moved to discharge
Corporal
Kevin
Blaesing
recently
“by rea
son of ho
mosexual ad
mission.”
Cammermeyer, a
decorated Vietnam veter
an and Veterans Administra
tion 1985 Nurse of the Year, was
involuntarily discharged in July 1992
because she admitted she was a les
bian. The court ruling stated that the
government had no rational basis for
discriminating against her on the ba
sis of her sexual orientation.
The current cases do not follow the
“don’t ask, don’t tell” policy developed
by the Clinton administration last
year. Nadel was interrogated by offi
cials at his base. After denying that he
had sex with a male friend, he was ac
cused of lying and of “touching the
crotch of another marine without his
consent.” Nadel maintains that the
other marine came on to him and be
lieves that investigators forced the
man to press charges against Nadel.
Blaesing saw a base counselor to
ask confidential questions about his
sexual orientation. The psychologist
found him “fit for full duty,” but
Blaesing’s superiors used the report to
“prove” that he was gay.
These witch hunts are continuing long
after they were ordered to stop. Homosex
uals are being denied the equal opportu
nity to serve in the armed forces.
It is time for the American military to
realize that homosexuals can serve the
United States with as much distinction,
b r a v
ery or
valor
as het-
erosex-
u a 1 s .
Every time
a highly-decorat
ed soldier is dis
charged on the sole basis
of sexual orientation, the mil
itary commits an injustice to all
Americans and hurts itself by losing a
defender who serves this country well.
The argument most often used by
opponents of gays in the military
maintains they will hurt morale and
jeopardize the close bonding which oc
curs in military units. In some in
stances this problem might occur, but
banning gays is not a just solution.
Opponents of racial integration in the
armed forces used the same argument.
The only just solution requires oth
ers to change their attitude towards ac
cepting homosexuals as fellow soldiers;
and human beings. As Barry Goldwa-
ter, Republican candidate for the 1968
presidential election and staunch coni
servative, has said: “[Soldiers] don’t
need to be straight, just shoot straight.”
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ANOTHER GLASS CEJUNG
Sports view lacks insight
Brian Coats’ May 31 sports column
lacks insight. A sportswriter’s job
should be to get people interested in
sports, as well as report the facts.
First, the Houston Rockets won the
NBA Western Conference with a solid
victory over the Utah Jazz, and the
Rockets are hosting the majority of the
NBA Finals with their home court ad
vantage. Will an apocalypse occur?
Next, the Houston Astros were in first
place in the National League Central di
vision, and the Texas Rangers first in
the American League West division.
How can anyone condemn first place for
lack of effort? Lastly, Coats describe
baseball as “basebrawl,” and also la
beled a football hit that left a human be
ing in a condition where he is “still eat
ing Jell-O through a straw with a pros
thetic jaw” as his fondest memory of
Texas A&M football. It is hypocritical to
demean baseball for a few fights and
then praise football for breaking a
man’s jaw in multiple places.
Please - find something positive to
write about sports.
The Battalion
encourages letters to the
editor and will print as
;many as space allows.
Letters must be 300
words or less and include
the author's name, class,
and phone number.
We reserve the right to
edit letters for length.
Quinton Skinner
Class of ‘95
style, and accuracy.
Address letters to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
Christianity, Buddhism offer similar message
A bout 2,000 years ago a young man
dedicated his life to helping other
people escape suffering. He became
a great teacher and led his followers to
freedom from endless earthly toil. Sound
like Jesus Christ? It is also the story of a
man named Siddhartha, who became
known as Buddha.
For many years I thought Eastern
religions were synonymous with a trip to
the head shop in tie-dye and clouds of pot
smoke. It turns out the only hippie peace signs
surrounding this religion are put there by
sensationalists. I know a Tibetan Buddhist monk who
teaches out of an apartment in Houston. He is a kind,
normal man with a sense of humor and a diverse
following of devoted, intelligent students. Visitors are
rarely allowed to leave until they have taken some
refreshment. A friend says he sounds like her
Methodist pastor. Interesting parallel.
Some of the most interesting people follow the
teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. Others follow the
Japanese branch of Zen Buddhism. Chris Isaac,
Harrison Ford, Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere
are a few of the unlikely Buddhists whom you may
recognize.
It is possible the person sitting next to you in the
cowboy hat and Ropers practices the Buddhist religion
in theory. I can say this in confidence because
Christian and Buddhist tenets are similar. It has been
suggested in the book “The Christ and the
Bodhisattva” that Jesus and Buddha were both
“Bodhisattvas” — people sent to help people gain
happiness and enlightenment. The idea of “love your
neighbor” echoes throughout both religions. The
Buddhists go further by suggesting not only to love
your neighbor but also to show compassion for the
putz when he plants his car over your mailbox. My
Episcopalian texts tell me “God is love,” while at the
same time a Buddhist tells me “Buddha is
compassion.” Basically, these messages are the same.
Many Christians are terribly disillusioned with
Christianity when they learn what Christians do in
the name of “love.” The Crusades against the
Saracens and countless other wars in the name of
God, who commanded against killing, came to light
throughout my education.
I stopped reading the
newspapers and watching
the news because of the
constant reminder that the
root of several conflicts
around the world was
religion. News reports of
holy war after holy war
convinced formerly-devout
Christians in my circle of
friends that practicing the basics of Christian love
was fruitless in the light of so much hatred.
Many televangelists gave modern Christianity a
bad name through revelations of their fraudulent
and hypocritical activities in the face of all they
were preaching. While Jesus Christ had some good
ideas, many were lost through thousands of
translations of the Bible. I began to study £ther
religions in search of a solution.
There are many parallels between the lives of Jesus
and Buddha. The main difference is that Jesus died
before his lessons could be written down from his own
mouth instead of through stories about him, while
Buddha, after reaching enlightenment, lived until he
was 82 and made extensive notes before he died on
how he discovered enlightenment.
Although the philosophies of both Christianity and J
Tibetan Buddhism are similar, the compassion at the
base of each Buddhist’s religion seems to have held
through practices as well as preaching. When the
Chinese conquered the Tibetan Buddhist capital of
Lhasa in 1959, the Buddhists did not fight back. They
fled to India rather than kill their invaders in self-
defense. Some “draft dodgers” are called
“conscientious objectors” because of this religious idea:
all life is sacred, and to kill is a sure way to derail a
Buddhist on the enlightenment track.
The root of the Mahayana branch of Buddhist
philosophy is a slight paradox, but extremely helpful in
understanding the religion for me. Through compassion
for all things, Buddhist practitioners will reach
enlightenment. But because they have compassion for
all things, the Mahayana will turn down going to
heaven until everyone else gains enlightenment.
A Buddhist very close to me put it this way: “Hell is
a room full of piles of delicious and perfectly prepared
food, but all of the people in the room are starving
because their arms will not bend and they cannot get
the food to their mouths. Everyone is wailing and
dying of hunger in the midst of all the food. Heaven is
the same room, the same food and everyone has the
same problem where their arms will not bend to their
mouths, but they are all feeding one another.
Compassion.”
Many ideas in the Christian world have eroded
from true brotherly love to Christmas merchandising.
Yet closer examination of Christianity and Buddhism
— seemingly opposed philosophies — reveals the same
message: through compassion and wisdom we all can
help each other to glory.
Julia Stavenhagen is a graduate
anthropology student