Letters

Next time you decide to send out an issue of Dallas Cowboys Weekly, skip me.
JOHN BIANCO,
AUSTIN, TEXAS

America's Team
Congratulations on 7 Days, your account of a week in the life of the Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 12). This inside look at one of sport's most popular franchises was terrific.
MICHAEL SEVERINO
Agoura Hills, Calif.

I know you'll catch a lot of grief from people who don't like the Cowboys, but I want to say thanks. I have been a Cowboy fan for 20 years, and I loved the issue.
CHERI STARK, Springfield, Mo.

Finally, coverage of America's Team that does more than praise the obvious talents of the superstars. You give overdue credit to everyone in the organization, players and nonplayers alike.
BRIAN B. BROTSCHUL, Oneonta, N.Y.

Not a single photo of a Cowboy cheerleader? This glaring omission is an insult to those who find the cheerleaders the only redeeming value of this nauseating franchise.
ANTHONY J. MCGUIRE, Sunnyvale, Calif.

•The oversight is hereby corrected.—ED.

On Thursday I read with sheer enjoyment about my favorite team. On Saturday I sat down and watched the Cowboys lose to the Cleveland Browns. The SI cover jinx strikes again. Please, don't put Dallas on the cover anymore.
MATTHEW J. PEARCE, Arlington, Texas

Sure, I understand that the Cowboys are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, but almost an entire issue about what they do in a week is ridiculous. Most of us don't care what Troy Aikman eats for breakfast or want to see a picture of Michael Irvin driving around with the top down so all can worship him. How did they get named America's Team in the first place? I don't remember voting on that in the last election.
DAVID FREY, Camas, Wash.

I was amazed to see you devote 40 pages to the Cowboys. Then I realized that this article is a swan song. Get ready for the Team of the '90s, the San Francisco 49ers.
MARILYN K. CLAUDER, Granite Bay, Calif.

What a great tribute to America's Team. I'm certain that everyone in America enjoys seeing a picture of Dallas coach Barry Switzer standing around in his underwear next to a can of beer.
ROBERT HUEBNER, Toledo

Army-Navy Football
Instead of questioning whether Army and Navy should drop their football programs to Division I-AA (POINT AFTER, Dec. 12), I think Gerry Callahan should ask why Air Force has been able to finish near the top in the Western Athletic Conference five times in the last decade while playing with virtually the same restrictions. Besides beating Notre Dame four consecutive times in the 1980s, Air Force has been to six bowl games in that period.

There are two reasons why Army and Navy have been unable to compete—poor coaching and the desire by both schools to remain independent. They play nine games that mean little to either team; the only games that count to them are when they play each other and Air Force. Competing in a league would add meaning to the other games, improve ' recruiting and give long-suffering fans another way to gauge the season.
SETH MENDELSON, Pine Brook, N.J.

I see this idea fitting in nicely with society today: If the going gels tough, quit or go to an easier level. Instead of mocking the football programs at West Point and Annapolis, Callahan should applaud these true student athletes.
THADDEUS J. GUMULA, Ware, Mass.

Army and Navy may never produce another Heisman Trophy winner, but they will surely produce Rhodes scholars and future presidents. Both schools play a blended schedule of opponents, some big-time and some I-AA. If every school that consistently struggled to three or four wins a year dropped Division I football, we would have about 50 teams left. What is it about Americans that winning is the only measure of success? Where else in Division I are the players truly a part of the student body? The challenge of playing Notre Dame and the courage to face tough competition are part of what makes a cadet or a midshipman the very special resource that has served our country so well. Let's acknowledge these unique student athletes who play for the love of the game.
LARRY I. WINER, Rockaway, N.J.

How ironic that SI should publish an issue with America's Team on the cover, yet trash two truly American teams, Army and Navy.
MICHAEL ALBRIGHT
Assistant Sports Information Director
United States Military Academy
West Point, N.Y.

PHOTO

DAMIAN STROHMEYER

Even a Cowboy hater can get a kick out of the cheerleaders.

Letters to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED should include the name, address and home telephone number of the writer and should be addressed to The Editor. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y. 10020-1393.