The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, February 18, 2000 Page: 18 of 28
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18
THE RICK THRESHER SPORTS FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 18,
2(XK)
Chris Baskin
THRESHER SPORTS/commentary —
Religious hypocrisy a
common trait in sports
'ITiere is something very unsettling in the world of
sports these days: Today's athletes keep getting
bigger, faster, stronger and better while at the same
time getting more destructive, violent and unpredict-
able. What is equally disturbing is
the fact that many of these very
same athletes are concurrently
doing so under the veil of religion.
In every nook and cranny of
athletics — from the little leagues
to the major leagues — athletes
are "finding God" in astounding
numbers and with remarkable
conviction. And while some, if not
most, continue to praise and
expound the virtues of the union
of "body and soul" that sports offers, I wonder if this
sanctioning is nothing more than a politically correct
shield to a much a larger problem: hypocrisy.
Indeed, the growing trend among athletes of all ages
and in all arenas seems to be an intense, almost
evangelical reliance and exposition of faith as the
reason, motivation, even determinant, of events where it
really doesn't belong. And if this weren't enough,
perhaps more disquieting is the reality that some —
though certainly not all — of these same purveyors of
faith are the least qualified to make such zealous claims.
New York Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry
supposedly "found God" after a series of run-ins with the
law. Almost at once, everyone lauded his choice to clean
up his act and rededicate himself to his family. A couple
months later, he was picked up for soliciting a prostitute
and possessing cocaine. Mike Tyson, the self-tided
"baddest man on the planet" supposedly became
enlightened by Islam while serving time in prison for
rape. A couple months later he punched out some guy
he rear-ended and bit off another boxer's ear. And
Reggie White, an ordained minister, continues to make
headlines for the racist and anti-gay diatribe he made
last year during a Christian conference.
These are just three of the more noteworthy
examples of the rampant hypocrisy espoused by many
athletes. Certainly not all "born-again" and "devout"
athletes fall into this category, but we certainly should
not be afraid to see that this propagation of the "holy
excuse" does indeed exist in the modern sports world.
Athletes are getting away with murder — literally and
figuratively — under the guise of religious virtue that
often is nothing more than an empty declaration.
Sportswriters and pundits are just as quick to
praise Deion Sanders' newfound Christianity as they
are to mention his lofty football talents. An article
can't be written about Evander Holyfield without
emphasis on his dedication to the word of God and
his family. But what about the numerous children that
Holyfield has fathered out of wedlock? And what
about all the other so-called "God-fearing" athletes
just like him who continue to say one thing while
doing another? They flaunt their religion like it's
some talent or accomplishment they should get credit
for, and often they are rewarded for what usually
amounts to nothing more than a paper promise.
Athletes seem to think that merely by declaring
their status as a "Christian" or "Muslim," all of their
troubles, histories and unsavory character traits will
instantaneously vanish. It's almost as if these individu-
als are looking for a way to wipe their moral slates
clean, at once rendering all past misdeeds forgotten.
And unbelievably, athletes using religion as their own
reputational loophole often seem to succeed.
We shouldn't give the person credit for this act. Yet
everywhere one looks, athletes are gathered in prayer,
looking to God, Jesus, the "Good Book" or Allah for
strength and courage, thanking them for their victories.
We aren't surprised when an athlete "thanks the Ix>rd"
or "gives all praise to Allah." Rather, we expect it. Surely
the fact that they hit the winning shot, that their team
vGlm or lost, that they were injured or received some
award was not because of their exceptional talent or
sheer luck. No, it must have been the result of their faith
in God and his reciprocal devotion to them.
Yeah, right. God isn't sitting up in the sky some-
where with a satellite dish and some pizza, watching
every game on his picture-in-picture big-screen TV.
God doesn't have a favorite team and nobody wins
because God was on his side. Two opposing teams
often huddle in prayer before a game, asking God to
grant them each a victory. But they're praying to the
same God, a God that no doubt has a lot more to worry
about than the outcome of a mere football game.
Ciet over yourselves. Church and Sport, like
Church and State, are independent entities. It's time
we separate them. ^
Chris Baskin is a Sid Richardson College senior.
ftyt
12
m
ROB GADDI/THRESHER
Junior forward Kenya Tuttle goes up for a layup in Rice's 78-50 win over the University of Tulsa on Sunday. Tuttle scored 12 points
and hauled in six rebounds as the Lady Owls avenged an early season loss to the Golden Hurricane.
Lady Owls seek revenge against Hawaii
by Jason Gershman
THRF.SHKK STAFF
Revenge of the Lady Owls, coming to
a court near you.
After suffering two consecutive road
losses and amassing a disappointing 4-3
record in conference play, the women's
basketball team has returned to the
friendly confines of Autry Court with
payback on its mind.
The first dose of it came Sunday in
the form of a 78-50 whipping of the Uni-
versity of Tulsa, a team that edged Rice
59-58 just over a month ago.
"We were just completely fed up
with our performance recently," se-
nior forward Kirra Jordan said. "We
knowour talent, and our record in the
conference doesn't show it. Everybody,
seniors down to freshmen, is fed up
and we had to make a change in our
intensity level."
By all accounts, however, the Lady
Owls (13-8,5-3 Western Athletic Confer-
ence) aren't through in their quest for
retribution. After hosting a dismal San
Jose State University squad last night,
Rice will turn its full attention to0t Sun-
day showdown with conference-leading
University of Hawaii.
Entering last night's games, Rice
was in third place in the WAC and
trailed the Rainbow Wahine (17-5, 9-1
WAC) by three games. Southern Meth-
odist University (15-6, 8-1 WAC) is in
second place.
'We were just completely
fed up with our
performance recently. ...
We had to make a change^
in our intensity level.'
— Kirra Jordan
Senior forward
But as if the conference race weren't
enough, the Lady Owls will be looking to
atone for the outcome of their first meet-
ing with Hawaii, when they played one of
their best games of the year before fall-
ing 71-66.
"We were looking for revenge
against Tulsa and we will be again
against Hawaii," junior forward Kenya
Tuttle said. "We played well and look
to playing just as well against Hawaii.
We always feel more comfortable when
we are at home."
Before looking ahead to Hawaii, Rice
had to focus on last night's game with the
Spartans, who came into the game
winless in WAC play.
"We cannot look past San Jose," head
coach Cristy McKinney said. "Every
game now is important. We cannot think
about Sunday until we take care of busi-
ness on Thursday.
"Our team is capable of playing like
they did againstTulsa against every team
in this league. We just have to believe in
ourselves."
The tides may have turned in favor
of the Lady Owls in the stomping of the
Golden Hurricane, a game played in
front of a regional Fox Sports Net- audi-
ence.
Tuttle scored the first eight points
of the game as Rice took the early lead.
See BASKETBALL, Page 22
Track teams end regular season on high note
by Marco Passeri
THRKSHKR STAFF
The men's and women's track teams
wrapped up their regular season sched-
ule last weekend at Butler University's
Canon Classic in Indianapolis.
In addition, some members of the
men's team went across town to the Uni-
versity of Houston All-Comers Meet on
Saturday.
Both squads will now turn their full
attention to the Western Athletic Confer-
ence Indoor Championships, which Rice
will host Feb. 24-26 at the University of
Houston's Yeoman Fieldhouse.
Even though no team scores were
kept at Butler, the women's squad had
much to be proud of, including four first-
place finishes.
"We had a fantastic meet," women's
head coach Victor Lopez said. "The girls
put on.a show in Indianapolis. Overall it
was one of our best meets ever.
"We are ready for the WAC, and hope-
fully we will come out on top."
Freshman Allison Beckford led the
charge >by finishing second in the 400-
meter run in 54.45 seconds. The time,
which provisionally qualified Beckford
for the NCAA Championships to be held
March 10-11 in Fayetteville, Ark., was
the event's fastest for college athletes.
Sophomore Aimee Teteris won the
800-meter run in 2 minutes, 7.99 sec-
onds, also fast enough to provisionally
qualify her for the NCAA meet.
Freshman Tanya Wright fin ished 12th
in the same event after posting a per-
sonal season-best time of 43:11.17.
Senior Shaquandra Roberson came
out of the mile run with the Owls' best
time of the season. She finished in
4:49.55, just off the provisional cutoff
time of 4:49.40, to place 12th.
'The girls put on a show.
... Overall it was one of
'our best meets ever.'
— Victor Lopez
Women's head coach
The Owls also performed well in the
relay events. The 1,600-meter relay
team ofTeteris, Beckford, senior Mar-
garet Fox and junior Kelly Anderson
won the event and provisionally quali-
fied for the NCAA meet by finishing in
3:39.02.
The distance medley relay team of
Teteris, Anderson, Wright and Roberson
also posted a provisional qualification
time after coming in second place in
11:29.25.
"I think the 4x400 relay and Aimee's
time in the 800 will be good enough to go
to the NCAAs," Ixipez told the Houston
Chronicle. "The others likely will have to
improve."
Rice's overall team depth was further
displayed by the Owls' strong showing in
the field events.
Freshman Alice Falaiye won the long
jump by jumping 20 feet, 3 inches, and
sophomore Jessica Sommerfeld won the
shot put with a throw of 48-foot-9.
The Rice men did not fare as well
overall at Butler, but the Owls did have
their share of highlights.
Junior Lachlan McArthur' recorded
Rice's top time of the year in the 3,000-
meter run after finishing fifth in 8:12.86.
Sophomore Keith Pierce recorded a
season-best time for the Owls in the mile
run by placing 10th in 4:10.28.
Junior Scott Byer came in eighth place
in the 400-meter run in 48.08, and junior
Justin Burrow ran a personal best in the
800-meter run by finishing in 1:53.53.
At UH, two Owls ran personal bests in
the 3,000. Junior John Jura finished in
8:37.51 and senior Scott Palmer crossed
the finish line in 8:43.34.
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McAlister, Jett & Tam, Mariel. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, February 18, 2000, newspaper, February 18, 2000; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246668/m1/18/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.