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Editorial Violence in sports The problem (First of two parts) Violence in intramural sports at USC is a chronic problem. It is especially acute now during the fall semester and the flag football season. A 1 * '? - Aireaay me miramural department has set new guidelines to try and cut down the often unnecessary and purposeful, 1 excessive violence. But the original standards weren't tough enough and today the intramural department is meeting with the teams that use too much force. What is the problem? Why is USC plagued with injuries from what is supposed to be an essentially non-contact sport d ? flag football? ! There are 37 mens flag football teams and 12 womens. 1 There are three officials during each match who at the end of I the game confer and evaluate the team's sportsmanship. In 1 one mens league seven out of the eight teams are below the 5.0 sportsmanship rating that is the break-even point. People are tackling the opposing players ? in flag football! - swearing heavily at both other players and the officials, not responding to calls by the officials and, most of all, they are playing too rough, hitting too hard - often deliberately. Men aren't the only guilty ones. The women's teams have adopted the same penchant of violence for the sake of being violent. An intramural council has been set up to try and deal with the problem. It is composed of both officials, supervisors of the program and players. Too often the intramural department is hearing complaints from both the officials and the players that teams "beat on other teams." The Thomson Student Health Center sees approximately four to five patients a day during regular hours, that is before 5 p.m., who have been hurt playing flag football. Dr. Paul Akers, who is the physician for the varsity squad and sees ^4 ?r AI ' A. .... - uiusi ui me miramurai injuries, said there "doesn't seem to be a gross increase in the number of people injured coming to the infirmary." He added that there is an increase in the number of women hurt, but said that was because more women are playing flag football this year than had in previous years. Most of the injuries he sees are scrapes and abrasions coupled with dislocated fingers, shoulders and the to be expected bruises. "It seems to me to be a typical fall semester," he said. After 5 p.m., according to Mrs. Dot Spring who keeps t le center's statistics for intramural cases, there are an average of two people a night reporting to the center. If the injury is bad enough they are treated and asked to come back the next morning for further care. (It seems strange that if Dr. Akers sees four to five a day how the average reporting at night, when most of the games are played, averages two.) At today's meeting the intramural department is going to miCOPct th(> fnllrtivind phandoc " nn^u- "'b v-'iangi-o . Each official will evaluate the team separately so there will be more input into a team's performance. Penalties will be increased. First, a warning; second, expulsion; third, forfeit the game for the offending team and a double forfeit if both teams are guilty. Powers of the supervisors will be increased, so watching a game they can act, if necessary, as an official with the same power to call penalties or forfeiture. As most abuses occur on the line when the ball is snapped the power of the line official will be increased to call penalties. As one supervisor put it: "Its a pattern. As competition starts to get intense, the roughness increases. We need to nip it in the bud. We've never buckled down before ? but we are going to do it now." Is that the answer? Isn't it treating the symptom rather than the cause of the violence? Monday's editorial will offer a solution to violence in sports. Qamecock Founded 1 90S Newsroom 777 / ?fe 1 Advertising 77/4749 Business Oil ice / / / UR8H Production 777 2833 Stephen Riddel! Editor Richard Meyers Asst Sports Ed Brian Melton C>py Dusk Chief Glenn Johanson Graphics Editor Carl Babcock Editorial Page Editor Cylinda Culvert Wire Editor Murk Platte News Editor Jeannie Ralston Features Editor Kevin Johnson Asst News Editor Joan Hatched Business Manager Morula 1 rmplcton 'Editor Jerry Brewer General Manager Ward Border) Asst f in Editor Anthony Gray Advertising Manager Mike Chihharo Sports Editor William Tinsley Production Manager Michelle Burchette Asst . Sports Ed. Mark Ethridge Jr Adviser Sole reproduction rights granted to the Associated Pross. All other material contained herein may not he reproduced without the permission of the editor Opinions expressed hi the Gamecock are those, if signed of the writer and. il unsigned, of the editorial page editor Letters & Columns The Gamocock welcomes letters and columns All letters and columns must be typewritten, triple spaced on a 6f> space line Letters should be no longer than 300 words and columns should be limited to one newsworthy subiect no longer than four typed pages Letters and columns must be signed with the writer's correct name, telephone number, mailing address, class standing or t.iculty position ana major rseuoonyms are unacceptaoio, nut the writer's name may be withhold on letters upon request, if the circumstances warrant it Wo reserve the right to edit columns and letters for space and style and wo reserve the right to reject any column for any reason. Address lottors and columns to Editorial Page Editor, Gamecock, Orawer A, USC, Columbia, S C 29208 T* 7? .? 'J* l' 'V ' -fiW-g f^.';'v>"i&t'P 'V v u.? v^V 'J Shalfcr 1 Abor To the Editor: In the editorial on the need for federal funds for abortions there seems to he two main arguments. Number one, the financial consideration, and number two, women's right to decide what "happens with their bodies". Notwithstanding the fact that the editor considers the moral factor secondary let's start with that point first. In this era of great concern for equal rights should not the rights of an unborn rhilri be considered too'' Killing innocent victims is a barReplao Gamec movie c To the Editor: Just who is David Baker? And who told him he was a film critic? He must be a film critic because it says so just below his name. I've followed the career of this so-called critic for many a year. Let's take a look back at this man's past nchiAuomnnte (1) In a burst of cinematic forsight and wisdom, Mr. Baker declared that the pubescent fantasy film "Little Darlings" was on his list of the ten best films of 1980. It should be noted that he did this before the year was half out. (2) In eager anticipation of the coming summer films of 1980, Mr. Baker said that he intended to spend several days viewing that melodious monstrosity "Xanadu ." (3) Our discriminating critic lists Olivia NewtonJohn among his "favorite" sirens of the silver screen. As incredible as these past mile-stones may be, he has topped them all. After being stunned by the genuine wit of the title of his latest rendering ("No Nukes is atomic"), I naively looked forward with childlike anticipation to reading his words of wisdom. Mr. Baker, the shrewd, hard-nosed wmsm j^t fho / _etters to tion is baric approach to solving a problem. The right to live is a basic human right and protection of it the main criteria for a civilized society. In a responsible society there is the need "to make sure our citizens are cared for and protected," as the editor points out. A moral and humanitarian answer to the problems of the impoverished pregnant woman is to provide improved health care for the mother and her unborn child. In actuality many feel that the poor are already P ock's rritic journalist that his is, uses the first three lead paragraphs of his latest opus explaining why he does not like concert films. Profiting from his fight of E.S.P.,Mr. Baker declares that he expects this movie to be a KnmK * wuu uciuiu iic even stx*a 11. Doing so, he has violated one of the primary prerequisites of film criticism: objectivity. Throughout the remainder of his article he finds very little to criticize except the film's antinuclear content. I auote: "When everyone isn't singing, they're spouting off about the dangers of nuclear energy." This may be an odd thought; that a film entitled "No Nukes" would be anitnuclear, or so says Mr. Baker. Why didn't someone .>11 ?w~* *i~: > leu nun uicti nils was (in anunuke film? I feel genuine pity for a lad, wandering into u uiuaici , Wlllf Olivia Newton-John rubbish, and getting Bruce Springsteen. At any rate, I eagerly await his next revealing and helpful review. Randall Lathan journalism sophomore J FH wards economic .-t' " a;1 . y. >'?~ " J?? Mm v.wi ;v .-. ^ ,?S.: .y- . >. ^V< >: ^.v. iff ?*. . - K*> . >*%. ' - >: te warty, camaia Ms fca^tafen i South America "#' / S -^~r the editor wronc being victimized by the legalization of abortions. Black leaders maintain that abortion-on-demand is a genocidai program aimed at Black America. Their fears are reinforced by the fact that minority unborn children are being aborted at a rate over twice that of white unborn. The reverse was true previously. The editor's concerns about "another mouth on the welfare rolls" and the "drain on the government and taxpayers" seem to reflect the attitudes of many pro-abortionists who have run cost-benefit analyses A'hich prove it costs far less or an ahoritnn thnn tn raico W M. W41UV i baby to its first year. Equating life with money is nonstrous and this is the nost insidious aspect of the ibortion auestion ? that is. the loss of reverence for numan life. If a society becomes "abortionoriented" it is not likely to look for humane solutions to problems ? solutions which USC fis To the Kditor: I am a recent alumnus of ( raised a Gamecock. Over th< and watched Carolina fans weather fans". I This year we really have so think that it would be approp Gamecocks to learn the WOR It would be a lont? awaited teams. I hope we have a great sea: little bit of learning, for Ca copy, so everyone can lear Clemson. CAROLINA F Let's give a cheer. Carolina The fighting Gamecocks lea Who gives a care (damn) if And when it's rough. That's when the Cocks get g Hail to our colors the Game In Carolina Pride have we.. So go Gamecocks go, FIGH' Drive for the goal, FIGHT! Carolina will win today, GO So, let's give a cheer, Caroli Go fighting Gamecocks all t , V" ' .y; ; T ? r i \ __ EOLUMB nm * 1 require more concern and effort. Abortion tends to replace other methods of birth control. Almost 50 percent of girls undergoing abortions in California stated that they knew about birth control but did not use it, even though contraception is less expensive, safer and does not involve destroying created life. Myriads of government health agencies are already available for those who do not wish to have children. But when a life has already been created, the federal government has no right providing money to finance a crime. In the timp it talfon tn read this letter three lives have been snuffed out ? the current rate of abortions in the U.S. is one every 21 seconds. How much faster do we want our fellow human beings eliminated?? Peggy Itoberson art sophomore jhtsong Carolina and 1 was born and e previous years I have sat, continuously portray fair mething to cheer about and I riate and about time for the n^ trv ai ir* rtlaniAn^ IU uui Slv/> SUII^. tribute to our alumni and son and I feel we can do this rolina. Therefore here is a n it, by the time we beat IGHTSONG is here, id the way... the going gets tough, oin', t and Black, F! f^nr'wc mi v vviui; ; : ;; na is here, i he way... I Alice*"' ion t joi? +?bn, Ab/l't. I ^