The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 26, 1980, Page Page 5, Image 5
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
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Stephen Riddel! Editor Richard Meyers Asst Sports Ed
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Murk Platte News Editor Jeannie Ralston Features Editor
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Michelle Burchette Asst . Sports Ed. Mark Ethridge Jr Adviser
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Address lottors and columns to Editorial Page Editor, Gamecock, Orawer A, USC,
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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
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/ 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
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