The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 16, 1981, Page Page 14, Image 14
M c Enroe Tl
Tennis' 'Ualv Ami
GLEN and SHEARER
Editor's Note: Maxwell Glen and Cody Shearer are
nationally syndicated columnists. Their following column on
Sunday's U.S. Open victor John McEnroe originally ap
prai cu 111 JUIjr.
Sportswriters on both sides of tV Atlantic have again
castigated tennis star John McEnroe for abusing officials as
well as his racquet at the Wimbledon tennis championships.
"John McEnroe. . .made a fool of himself and insulted
others," read a front-page story in the staid Times of London
on the second day of the tournament.
"John McEnroe. . .was back yesterday in his more
familiar role: The Villian of Tennis," wrote the London Daily
Mail.
Even The New York Times' soft-spoken Red Smith wrote
that, at Wimbledon, "a spoiled brat like John McEnroe can
ueuiui is unit; jusi nuw u&iy an u&iy mnencan can gei.
.(The) responsibility of making an ass of himself devolves on
McEnroe. He is equal to the assignment."
IS JOHN McENROE as detestable as sportswriters would
have him? Is he all that different from millions of othpr
promising young athletes in America?
Twenty-two-year-old John McEnroe is every bit the ailAmerican
kid. He's what we love and fear the most about
ourselves. And he hasn't changed much since we played
infield with him on the grade-school baseball team.
It's easy to remember the day our coach brought up the
scrappy, nine-year-old Irish-American to play with the older
boys. He was tempestuous and competitive even then. His
hitting was lousy and the bat seemed bigger than he. But the
southpaw could throw better than many of his older teammates.
Hf? went nn tn hArnmc thp siHpnrm-thrnwincr miar
terback of the football team and a passionate basketball
player. (No one then knew him for his tennis.)
From what we recall, McEnroe always had a bad temper.
He was bumped from the football team after an argument
with his coach ? an incredibly unusual event for the private
school we attended.
OFF THE FIELD, McEnroe cultivated an enduring
reputation as a bright student. Most teachers remember him
fondly.
"John always thought he was something," recalled one
teacher who also knew his family well. "But he set very high
ideals for himself. There was intense family pressure to
excel. John would get frustrated if he couldn't perform 100
Dercent."
One classmate remembered this incident when dads
visited the school of Father's Day: "We were sitting in a
sixth-grade math class. John went up to the board to do a
problem. But he miscalculated and got the wrong answer.
His father really let him have it. Then John started yelling
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back. You can imagine it was pretty tense."
Many who've known both McEnroe and his lawyer father,
John Sr., contend the apple hasn't always fallen from the
tree. "I always felt John was a brash, snotty-nosed kid," said
nno Innotimp nuiffhhnr in Donolaston N Y "But his dad was
a tough, hard-nosed guy as well.''
IT'S NOT THAT John Jr. isn't responsible for his bratty
behavior. But what other performance would you expect
from a kid who's grown up with parents screaming from the
sidelines'.'
Many young American athletes grow up not knowing how
to accept defeat because their parents couldn't bear to see
them lose. They learn early that games are meant to be won.
Unfortunately, such attitudes ffive SDortsmanshiD secondary
importance. If you don't believe us, just check out a Little
League game. You'll meet the McEnroes of the future.
Gamscocle T
Notre Dame, who posted a North Carolina, is the
27-9 win over LSU Saturday nation's seventh-best team
in the Fighting Irish's season according to the poll. The
opener, stands atop this Tar Heels opened their
week's Gamecock Top
Twenty.
The Irish face Michigan
Saturday in Jerry Faust's GAMECC
second game as Notre Dame
head coach.
Oklahoma and Southern rp
Cal, who each recorded AW
sizable margins in their wins
last week, are deadlocked in
the No. 2 spot. Oklahoma
downed Wyoming 37-20 l.NotreDame
Saturday, while the Trojans 9 AHohnma
routed Tennessee 43-7. ~ ^'J 1" 11 u 1J1 .?
Texas, the poll's fourth- Southern Cell (tie)
ranked team, opened its a TgxaS
season by bombing Rice 31-3. * ~
Georgia, the defending 5. CrCOFglcl
national champ, holds a 2-0 6. Penn St.
record and the fifth ranking _ Nnrit, fnrnlina
after downing Tennessee # . i^ui in v^cli uiliici
and California. In the No. 5 8. Michigan
position is Penn\State. Joe q Alnhama
Patterno's Nittany Lions
waltzed to a 52-0 victory over 10. OlllO St.
i
v^iiiciiumu oaiuruay.
USC's Oct. 24 opponent,
T
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*
roduct Of U.S. Ideals
McEnroe says he wouldn't throw his racquet or swear at
officials if his game were better. That's a lousy excuse; we fe
all get upset when we double-fault. But what's tragic about
McEnroe's behavior is that too many young Americaas
assume that the quest for perfection is an excuse for the
profane.
"Along with being a worldnclass athlete goes responsibility,"
said Sterling P. Miller, one of his former coaches
1 a. 1 ii i.i? i _ L. i/:
anu leacners. ouiui nas> iu ut* auuvc icpiuacu. rviua aic
looking up to him as a role model.. .but going to see him play
can be like going to a car race expecting a crash."
Of course, everyone can't be as mild-mannered on the
court as Bjorn Borg. And we doubt that young American
athletes will ever be anything but fiesty. But before sports
pundits call for McEnroe's banishment from the pro circuit, ?
they should note that he's a natural byproduct of this country's
emphasis on winning.
op Twenty
season with a 56-0 blazing of Another of last week's
East Carolina. Behind UNC surprise losers is Alabama,
is Michigan, a 21-14 upset The Crimson Tide, who fell
victim Saturday at the hands to Georgia Tech 24-21, hold^
of Wisconsin. the ninth slot. A 34-13 winner*
over Duke, Ohio State is the
No. 10 squad. UCLA beat
m a ?r m o_* 1 1
1OD /vrizuna oaiuiuay aim
now holds the 11th position.
Arizona State, a 52-10 winner
over Utah, follows in the 12th
y ranking.
? Pittsburgh, who faces
Carolina Oct. 3, is 1-0 and the
TTi-,T A No. 13 team. BYU, sporting a
11. uvun 2-0 mark, is at the 14th
12. Arizona St. ranking.
"Pift Miami, Fla. has a 1-0
Itt record after a last-second
14. BYU win over Florida. The
15. Miami. Fla. H.u.[;ricane-S face }.he P0"'5
, ' iyiii team, nousion,
16. Nebraska Saturday. Nebraska suf17.
Washington J*"* ??? loss to iowa but
10 n/To Of holds the No. 16 slot, while
lo. 1V11SS. ol. Washington fills in at 17.
19. Houston Mississipi State, Houston
^ ^ . flnH T?1nriHo Ctofn r-minrl ai 1#
lift U1! Wf* unu a ivi iuu uuiv<u i vunu uuv ,
ZU. r 1UI lUd ol. ^ rankings. Florida State?
meets 16th-ranked Nebraska
Saturday. j
T| 1 *4 -f _ V?J -1L*ATJ ^ ed B
fr>n ri/-to?-i iit-Af Hi n^wr
Ijcc a i\cv-i unci uui ii ly v^ai cci uayo,
September 16, or check with Placement.
FOR INFO: Call 1-800-241-3862, ext. 72.
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