19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

DEALING WITH CHEATERS
Sir:
Thank you for your no-holds-barred report on the recent scandals in the Southwest Conference (Deception In The Heart Of Texas, Sept. 30). Your 10-point Plan For Cleaning Up College Sports would, if implemented, go a long way toward preventing the abuses we have been witnessing. I believe there is one other action that SI itself could take: Refuse to list any team that is on probation in the SI Top 20. Somehow the sting of your reporting on SMU's wrongdoing is lessened when in FOOTBALL'S WEEK of the same issue you list that school as the second best in the nation.
JOHN NAGLE
Ann Arbor, Mich.

Sir:
Your 10-point plan makes sense. Other steps could include abolishing booster clubs, since they seem to be at the root of many problems. And instead of giving them slap-on-the-wrist penalties, colleges found guilty of violations should have their programs suspended for one or two years. Faced with the loss of all the money these programs generate, universities would surely crack down.

Or eliminate the sham of the student-athlete. Let major college sports programs operate as what they are—minor leagues for professional sports. Pay the players a modest amount for the revenue they bring to the school.
PETER MONTELLA
Brooklyn

Sir:
SI's plan offers some legitimate suggestions for positive consideration by the NCAA Presidents' Commission. Only point 10 falls short. SI's proposal for federal legislation to curb booster malpractices is not consistent with our desires to keep government out of sports. The answer to the booster problem lies in NCAA legislation to ban booster clubs from the college athletic scene.
CURTIS TONG
Athletic Director
Pomona College
Claremont, Calif.

TENNESSEE'S WALTZ
Sir:
My thanks to your excellent writer Rick Reilly for capturing a truly magical moment in Knoxville, Tenn. (The Vols Had A Ball, Oct. 7). The only other occasion that this Vol alumnus can remember when you deemed our football program worthy of a cover story was back in 1967 (One Way To Dam The Tide, Oct. 30,1967). Interestingly enough, the coach of our 1967 team, Doug Dickey, recently returned to Tennessee to become our athletic director. Happy times are here again!
JERRY B. LEMLER, M.D.
Mobile, Ala.

Sir:
On your Oct. 7 cover, you said TONY ROBINSON BURIES AUBURN. Are you sure he didn't just fly over the Tigers? If you'll notice on the cover, and again on page 20 of the article, the Tennessee quarterback is wearing Nike's Air Jordan basketball shoes. Can you clarify why a football player would be wearing footwear designed for a basketball player? Would it be because of the artificial surface?
TY WALLACH
Scarsdale, N.Y.

?Yes, it would. Robinson says, "I always wear a high-top on artificial turf. It gives good traction, and the Air Jordan is lighter than a turf shoe. In a turf shoe, sometimes the traction is so good you stick. The high-tops give a little and that prevents an injury."—ED.

Sir:
I was very disappointed in the way you ridiculed Auburn. The team's performance (or lack of it) on national television was punishment enough, without Rick Reilly's remarks. After all, most of the hype about Auburn's being No. 1 and having the leading Heisman candidate had been created by the media, not by Bo Jackson or others associated with Auburn football. Whoaaaa, SI!
W.R. MARTIN JR.
Maplesville, Ala.

POOR JOE
Sir:
In response to E.M. Swift's article Everybody's Picking On Poor Joe (Oct. 7), I was happy to see that someone else finally saw the other side to Joe Theismann. He does have problems, and he is slowly becoming less and less effective, no matter how great he was once. Even during his best times, I think Theismann's performances were overshadowed by his arrogance. In my opinion, the Skins should start looking for quarterbacks in the next draft.
JENNIFER MARKS
Bethesda, Md.

Sir:
So everybody's picking on poor Joe. So what? The real story is that the Chicago Bears are picking on everybody. Joe Theismann just happened to have the misfortune of being in Soldier Field at the same time the Bears were crossing another hurdle on their way to Super Bowl XX.
CRAIG MAY
Chicago