Netters Recently Joel Stien of Time Magazine dissed racewalking saying it was the dumbest sport of all. Besides that comment he also misquoted Deb Lawrence and plaugerised Philip Dunn's web site. I would estimate Time got about 300-500 letters lambasting the poor guy. There was no way I was going to be able to write with out using MANY four letter words so I skipped. However, a well known judge wrote this missive. I thought you might enjoy. Subject: [racewalking] Dumb Reporter Tricks This may come as a surprise to many of you�g, but many reporters and sports commentators are really not all that bright. Many come out of US high schools knowing virtually nothing, then go through journalism or some other media major in college where they aren't required to know anything after which they are free to pontificate at will on all manner of subjects. Questioning the legitimacy of what is being said is impossible when you don't understand the subject or question. Recently Cedric Hustace, who many of you know, related a story about a reporter covering the Hawaii Marathon. Cedric had been commissioned to do a painting for the poster and was interviewed by a reporter. It turns out the reporter was not aware of the historical significance of Pearl Harbor and this reporter was from Hawaii! You begin to understand why when an attorney is asked who they tell jokes about, more likely than not, the answer will be reporters. It's just as bad with sport commentators. You have to love those pundits of verbs when in a 24-3 blowout football game you hear, "The play that won this game was�.!" Like the 143 missed opportunities to score didn't have a big influence on the outcome�geez. My other favorites are announcers who don't even know the rules. You see this all the time in a lot of sports. Just listen to the dead air when the referee makes an unusual call in a football game as the assistants rush to hand the announcers a paper explaining what that call was�g. Same in track and field, it's always the color commentator who saves the big network dudes hide by explaining why it's bad when you pass a baton outside the little lines and what those yellow flags mean. If you have dealt with reporters you begin to understand where Bob Knight is coming from! So what happens at events like the Olympics? Well the big guys sit up in a booth and pass off to folks who have a bit more knowledge about the events in progress. Then there are the other reporters who rummage around for stories like poor Inga who's mother dies in a tragic mass Reindeer accident in Glodstandentendoff Norway two weeks before the games while Inga herself broke her leg 5 months earlier visiting her dying father in the hospital. But Inga herself, being the trooper she is will participate in the 100k biathlon if they can recover the rifle and ski's she worked 9 years to save up for which were stolen at the Oslo Airport! Why so much human interest? Well, partially because it's easy and safe. You really don't have to know squat about the biathlon to write about Inga. The problem in some sports gets so acute that several of the professional sporting groups hold clinics and publish guides for journalists. As a sorta "how not to look too stupid" program for reporters, this isn't a bad idea and is one that maybe racewalking should look into. We could ask Joel Stein if it was simple enough for him to understand and if he can then we can assume that perhaps 45% of the other reporters can digest the material. However, as a sport, RW shouldn't take Joel's slam to heart. Costas slammed shooting with racewalking (did you notice), a guy named Mike Preston in Baltimore dissed fencing, it just goes on and on. I personally have participated to one degree or another in several "absurd" sports, while I myself have remained largely non absurd. My wife racewalks, while I do not and being a wise and longly married person knows one does not comment on the relevance of a spouses chosen field of endeavor if one wishes to remain married, hence I remain silent as to the merits of this sport. Instead I pass judgement on all walkers who pass before me in my function as a judge. (much safer, less effort and I can always walk away from y'all) Like General George Patton, who I might add was an Olympian in the absurd sport of Pentathlon (Bronze medal) who said something like, "You know, I pity the poor dumb bastards, I really do!" Joel is a mouse potato sitting behind his terminal commenting on exploits, those of which he will never taste. I'd give more time and attention to a 7th grade kid in some sport, a 6 year old ball player or anyone who has ever let it hang out there on a weekend afternoon, dared to lose or win than a million Joel Steins! So here's my final thought of Joel, Bob and the 1000 other commentators who have never tasted defeat, never basked in victory, never bled or suffered to reach their ultimate level of performance in the pursuit of excellence. To them I say this: F^$#$ Y&% Best to all, Best to all Olympic Competitors world wide! The fact you were there, makes you a winner! RMW Good Training, Michael Rohl
