Letters

The most searing line in Dohrmann's piece is "Young athletes die, foundations are formed, but nothing changes." The reason nothing changes is because we in the black community are afraid of asking some fundamental questions about the way we raise children and the culture we breed. Unless we are willing to confront those issues—and the task is primarily ours—in 10 years another reporter will be doing the same story and citing even grimmer statistics.
John La Bonne, New York City

Your story paints a bleak and all-too-accurate picture of the difficult lives that many young people in communities like Oakland and Richmond lead. But let's not dismiss sports-based youth development programs as a solution from the past that no longer works. I am a trustee with Team-Up for Youth, which is working in Oakland to provide athletic opportunities for girls as well as boys. Whether they are gifted athletically or not, the kids connect to coaches and mentors, and learn lessons that last a lifetime. Sports-based programs are part of the solution today, just as they were for me growing up in Oakland decades ago.
Dave Stewart, 1989 World Series MVP San Diego

The same week I read your story, I also saw that our decaying, understaffed schools will have their budget cut by 9% this year. It's sad that athletics are losing their appeal as a way out, but tragic that we refuse to provide even the basics that schools need to ensure academic success for our children.
Charles Margulis, Oakland

Your report included a sidebar on Terrance Kelly, the De La Salle football player who was killed in 2004 while going to pick up the son of his father's girlfriend (The Hardest Loss, June 30). A sad note, and a true reflection of how things work in the streets, is that the kid that Terrance was picking up that night, Brandon Young, was just murdered on June 3 inside a local bowling alley. It's a vicious cycle that needs to stop.
Dan Carson, San Pablo, Calif.

While the stories of the many lives crippled by gang violence are important, we should acknowledge the few who have escaped the violence. Terrance Kelly's teammates—Jackie Bates, Willie Glasper and Cameron Colvin—all made it out with their lives. Glasper still plays for the Oregon Ducks, Bates eventually transferred from Oregon to Hampton and will be entering his senior year. Colvin was picked up in free agency this May by the San Francisco 49ers. Hopefully these men will go on to do great things and honor the legacies of their fallen teammates and brethren.
Amory Weld, Bernardsville, N.J.

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