G
Greatcube
Guest
I draw attention to the USA Column by Ian O'Connor on 07-22-03, page 9C entitled "Lance Finds Will
and Away He Goes" (link...
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/oconnor/2003-07-21-oconnor_x.htm ).
Here, we see an example of the traditional sports writer pretending to posses some special knowledge
and insight about the Tour de France, professional bike racing and the racing participants. But upon
reading said article, anyone with the semblance of a brain can quickly deduce that in fact, the
writer possess no such insight. Nor does he possess any special knowledge or point of view about the
sport to which he desires to draw the readers' attention.. In an apparent attempt to make converts
of NASCAR and professional wrestling devotees into cycle racing fans, Mr. O'Connor draws parallels
between Lance Armstrong with American athletes in other sports, such as football, baseball and
basketball. In fact, Mr. O'Connor does this very often; so much so that almost each sentence gives
Mr. O'Connor another opportunity to pound his point of view into our head, as though he is a
jackhammer and we, the reader, are the woeful subject of his machine.
The only question I have is this...does Mr. O'Connor know anything about cycle racing? If he does, I
am mystified by his statement " Out of respect and, perhaps, out of pity, the Tour de France pack
waited for Armstrong " ...Out of pity, Mr. O'Connor? Pity for what? Because he fell off his bike?
Because he is a cancer survivor? Maybe because this is one of the last remaining sports where there
is a semblance of savoir fare. This would not have occurred to Mr. O'Connor, however, because in the
same paragraph, he suggests, with his special insights, that the Tour's leaders, in the event of a
fall "should never, ever, extend him ( Lance) any such courtesy" of waiting for him lest they might
lose the race. The concept of professional honor amongst athletes is a remote concept to Mr.
O'Connor's "special insights", apparently.
Sal Ruibal, who also follows the race for the same paper, and more in the mold of Samuel Abt from
the NY Times, does a fairly decent job. Why, then, does the newspaper throw the likes of Mr.
O'Connor into a task where he knows little about the subject matter, and seems to care little about
it as well? If Mr. O'Connor has an overwhelming need to relate every subject matter he writes about
to baseball, basketball, or football, why then can't the newspaper just keep him in that arena, and
spare us of his special insights about bike racing?
Let's keep cycle racing the stuff of Red Smith, Bud Greenspan documentaries, and Jorgen Leth's " A
Sunday in Hell" and not the trite garbage we see in the popular press, so that we may be spared from
" Gummization".....the process of "dumbing-down" a sport by using the likes of Kirsten Gum to give
us their "special insights".
and Away He Goes" (link...
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/oconnor/2003-07-21-oconnor_x.htm ).
Here, we see an example of the traditional sports writer pretending to posses some special knowledge
and insight about the Tour de France, professional bike racing and the racing participants. But upon
reading said article, anyone with the semblance of a brain can quickly deduce that in fact, the
writer possess no such insight. Nor does he possess any special knowledge or point of view about the
sport to which he desires to draw the readers' attention.. In an apparent attempt to make converts
of NASCAR and professional wrestling devotees into cycle racing fans, Mr. O'Connor draws parallels
between Lance Armstrong with American athletes in other sports, such as football, baseball and
basketball. In fact, Mr. O'Connor does this very often; so much so that almost each sentence gives
Mr. O'Connor another opportunity to pound his point of view into our head, as though he is a
jackhammer and we, the reader, are the woeful subject of his machine.
The only question I have is this...does Mr. O'Connor know anything about cycle racing? If he does, I
am mystified by his statement " Out of respect and, perhaps, out of pity, the Tour de France pack
waited for Armstrong " ...Out of pity, Mr. O'Connor? Pity for what? Because he fell off his bike?
Because he is a cancer survivor? Maybe because this is one of the last remaining sports where there
is a semblance of savoir fare. This would not have occurred to Mr. O'Connor, however, because in the
same paragraph, he suggests, with his special insights, that the Tour's leaders, in the event of a
fall "should never, ever, extend him ( Lance) any such courtesy" of waiting for him lest they might
lose the race. The concept of professional honor amongst athletes is a remote concept to Mr.
O'Connor's "special insights", apparently.
Sal Ruibal, who also follows the race for the same paper, and more in the mold of Samuel Abt from
the NY Times, does a fairly decent job. Why, then, does the newspaper throw the likes of Mr.
O'Connor into a task where he knows little about the subject matter, and seems to care little about
it as well? If Mr. O'Connor has an overwhelming need to relate every subject matter he writes about
to baseball, basketball, or football, why then can't the newspaper just keep him in that arena, and
spare us of his special insights about bike racing?
Let's keep cycle racing the stuff of Red Smith, Bud Greenspan documentaries, and Jorgen Leth's " A
Sunday in Hell" and not the trite garbage we see in the popular press, so that we may be spared from
" Gummization".....the process of "dumbing-down" a sport by using the likes of Kirsten Gum to give
us their "special insights".
