- Publish date:
19TH HOLE: THE READERS TAKE OVER
OFFSHORE REACTIONS
Sirs:
Thanks for the gross issue of SI (Jan. 29). You are to be congratulated on your keen sense of social purpose. What the country really needs right now is a lot of encouragement in its big pleasure kick, and your beachwear spread (A Little Learning...) hit all the right notes of gaudiness, impressive expense and titillating (but still barely respectable) sexuality.
JOHN HAGEN
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sirs:
I think that it is positively disgusting! What sport do these illustrations promote? It seems that in today's vocabulary "masculinity" is often confused with "sexuality," while restraint, modesty and decency have completely disappeared. I sincerely hope that all mothers will join me in speaking out against immorality on TV programs and in periodicals.
MRS. F. B. HUNT
Manchester, N.H.
Sirs:
Normally I enjoy SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, but I found your Jan. 29 issue offensive. Your cover picture and the so-called fashion pictures inside are a stereotypical portrayal of "woman as sexy broad."
The portrayal of sensuality per se is not offensive as it is an important part of the personality of each person. What is offensive is that only this aspect of women is shown, while their legitimate role in sports is ignored. Meanwhile, men's role in sports is well reported while their sensuality, interestingly enough, never is mentioned.
SUZANNE KITCHINGS
Alexandria, Va.
Sirs:
How can you put such a picture on the cover of your magazine and call it SPORTS ILLUSTRATED? Shame on you. Don't just sit there, nag the guilty ones and apologize to your subscribers for your bad taste.
FR. PHILODORE LEMAY, M.S.
Attleboro, Mass.
Sirs:
No doubt you have already begun to receive your annual quota of letters from irate wives, women libertarians and so-called pure sportsmen who can find myriad half-baked reasons why you should restrict your reporting to stories and pictures about baseball, football, basketball, hockey, etc. and leave the "provocative, chauvinistic" pictures to the men's magazines. Please be assured that there are still many of us who anxiously await the arrival of this particular issue and hope that this will continue to be the case for many years. Any charges of chauvinism can be easily refuted by a magazine that named Billie Jean King its Sportswoman of the Year. Jule Campbell and Walter Iooss Jr. are to be commended for their collaboration on the excellent article and superb pictures.
DAVE RISHER
WILLSON BLAKE
Athens, Ga.
Sirs:
I wish to compliment you on the article. The fresh, wholesome girls were wonderful, especially Libby Otis.
PAUL SOMMERS
Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Sirs:
I know someone will write and say George Foreman's picture should have been on the cover since he is the surprising new world heavyweight boxing champion, but isn't Dayle Haddon a knockout?
STEVE WILSON
Lynchburg, Va.
Sirs:
Perhaps the pose of Dayle Haddon on your cover was intentional, but it brings to mind that famous picture of a wet ape waist deep in water that appeared in LIFE some time back. Certainly the posture and facial expressions are almost alike.
LANGLEY U. MORANG
Miami
•See identical twins at left.—ED.
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Sirs:
I enjoyed Edwin Shrake's article on George Foreman's decisive victory over Joe Frazier (Meet the New Champ! Jan. 29). Foreman finally got the chance to show how great he is. He also showed that Joe Frazier either never recovered from the beating he received at the hands of Muhammad Ali or is simply past his prime. Whichever, Foreman is a tremendous boxer, and it will probably be a long time before we have a successor. Ali may disagree, but Foreman can defeat him as easily as he handled Joe.
I was glad to see heavyweight boxing get a new, young and exciting champion. Maybe now the sport will regain some of the glamour it had.
TOM CYNKAR
Pittsburgh
ADVENTURE
Sirs:
Hats off to Beau Westover for his excellent article (Walk on the Wild Side, Jan. 29). His description of the 17-day hike through the beautiful, untouched wilderness of Wyoming and the hardships encountered almost made me feel I was there. We are lucky to have such parks as Yellowstone where people can still enjoy the natural beauty and adventure of the mountains.
GARY L. VAUGHN
President
Overton High Rod and Gun Club
Nashville
Sirs:
Please tell Beau Westover to drop whatever he is doing for a living and immediately begin writing professionally. His trek was accomplishment enough (bravo to his companion, also) but I felt his narrative of the journey was superlative. The descriptions of the landscape and of his agony and hardships were so vivid and real that I found myself reading passages aloud to my wife.
W. E. KENT III
Deerfield Beach, Fla.
CHRIS SCHENKEL
Sirs:
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your story on Chris Schenkel (Virtue Is Its Own Reward, Jan. 22). I have always enjoyed hearing that familiar voice announcing college football games—and I think it is wonderful that there is one person left who believes in treating people with dignity and kindness and not bringing up all the ugly things about today's sports stars that many announcers do just for shock value. I love Mr. Schenkel for trying to make heroes out of these all too human men.
I hope Chris Schenkel keeps announcing until he is 80. His story would inspire many young boys of today. You don't have to be mean and ruthless to get ahead.
DIANE BEEMAN
Diamond Bar, Calif.
Sirs:
Thank you for Jack Olsen's article on Chris Schenkel. It was an interesting behind-the-scenes look at one of the more renowned sportscasters of the day. Unfortunately, he is also one of the worst.
ED DE CARO
Chula Vista, Calif.
Sirs:
In every form of human competition there are those who possess an uncanny ability to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory." Then there is Chris Schenkel, who possesses the uncanny ability to turn one of the most exciting forms of sport, college football, into a boring way to spend three hours. He doesn't need to take Seconal to fall asleep; all he needs to do is listen to a tape of himself.
Although Lindsey Nelson, Ray Scott and Jack Buck may not be in Schenkel's league incomewise, he certainly isn't in the same league with them when it comes to ability as a play-by-play man. Chris gets $250,000 per year? Tell us it ain't so, Roone Arledge.
ROBERT L. NEIGHBORS
Little Rock, Ark.
Sirs:
In regard to Jack Olsen's excellent portrait of Chris Schenkel, I find it kind of astonishing that Mr. Schenkel is more concerned about the feelings of a player who commits a crucial rules infraction—and those of his family—than he is with the rest of his millions upon millions of listeners who would very much like to know who was responsible for clipping and nullifying the fourth-quarter touchdown that would have won the game.
While I appreciate Mr. Schenkel's desire to take a back seat to the images that appear on my television screen, I would appreciate it even more if he would give me the information that is vital to my understanding and enjoyment of the broadcast, information to which he has access and I don't. And that includes explaining what I have just seen and indicating who was guilty or who deserves credit.
Mistakes are an integral part of the world of sport, which Mr. Schenkel idolizes so much, and it perplexes and disgusts me that he would hold back the truth in his broadcasts and instead create the sugary fantasy world of Schenkelese. Give me Keith Jackson or Harry Caray any day.
JOE BARKS
Philadelphia
Sirs:
As one who has had the pleasure of meeting Chris Schenkel, I say the article by Jack Olsen was dynamite. Chris is probably the only man alive who can make a bowling match sound like the last two minutes of a tied Super Bowl game. Thank goodness for Chris!
PAULA SPERBER
Miami
Sirs:
It certainly is reassuring to see that genuine people can still receive the recognition they deserve. While doing free-lance production work at a number of major sporting events, I have had an opportunity to work with many famous announcers. Although sweetness flows from their fast-talking lips on the air, most have trouble extending common courtesies to Everyman after departing from the microphone. Chris Schenkel is a rare exception. In these days of superstar announcers, it gives me great pleasure to see positive recognition given to one of the world's finest human beings, Thanks, SI, and hurrah for Chris!
STEPHEN M. KIRSCHNER
Delran, N.J.
SUPER DOLPHINS
Sirs:
In regard to your story on the fantastic Miami Dolphins (17-0-0, Jan. 22) I feel that it was superbly written by Tex Maule. I am happy, as is all Miami, to see that he stressed the greatness of the No. 1 defense in the NFL and the superb play of Manny Fernandez, especially since the Pro Bowl missed him. The performance of Bob Griese wasn't given enough credit, but you will have time to do that when the Dolphins are 34-0-0.
RUSS SKLENKA
Miami
Sirs:
I certainly enjoyed Tex Maule's article. I am still not convinced that the Miami Dolphins are as good as their 17-0-0 record indicates, but they are the champs, so congratulations to the Dolphins, who have helped me to reinforce my New Year's resolution: no more betting. As for Trader George and his Over-the-Hill Gang, they will return.
DENNIS K. GIBSON
Jackson, Miss.
Sirs:
The article about the Dolphins winning the Super Bowl is the best I have read by Tex Maule. How about that? Tex finally broke down and praised the Dolphins! I also wish to thank the photographers who took those fantastic pictures.
ZANE HOLLENBERGER
Miami
TWO PHOTOS
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