Only in boxing could someone survive a world title fight, but not the victory parade after. On Sunday, Hasim Rahman, a 20-1
underdog, stunned the boxing world by knocking out Lennox Lewis in the fifth round. It was obvious watching the fight that Lewis had taken Rahman lightly, not smart to do when your opponent is a strong 245-pounder with a powerful right. Winning the fight was not the toughest thing Raham, a Baltimore resident, had to do. The victory parade three days later was tougher.
As Rahman and his family were traveling via convertible with police escort to the ESPN Zone for an interview, a Volkswagen hit the convertible. Rahman and his entire family were thrown from the car and suffered minor injuries. An officer had, allegedly, tried to stop oncoming traffic despite the Volkswagen having a green light. Back in January something similar happened, when Baltimore tried to escort the bus carrying the Ravens to the airport for the Super Bowl, the bus hit one of the police cars.
BOTTOM OF THE WEEK
THE NBA LAYOFFS, NOT PLAYOFFS
Now that the NBA playoffs are finally here one would think the league would do everything to build excitement. But no. Bowing to the demands of television, which wants as many ``meaningful'' weekend games as possible, the playoffs have had more down time than mission control at NASA on launch day. For example, two series opened on Sunday. Game 2 was not played until Thursday. Italian governments haven't lasted this long.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
NOT GAY AT UVA
A panel on homophobia in sports was held Thursday at the University of Virginia. It was spawned by controversy over a chant sung after touchdowns at UVA football games. The chant, which has been around for years, has a line, which goes:
"We come from Old Vir-Gin-I-A,
Where all is bright and gay."
The contextual meaning of gay here, of course, is "happy." However, since the late 1970s, many in the student body have felt the need to emphatically declare their heterosexuality by adding a chant:
"We come from Old Vir-Gin-I-A,
Where all is bright and gay.
Not gay!"
A straight soccer player, Kyle Singer, 20, was spurred into action against the chant after reading a campus column that defended the ``not gay'' addition. "It was the most ignorant article I'd ever read in my life," Singer told Outsports. "The idea that people could be so ignorant - I just couldn't understand it."
Singer's petition drive has gotten some support, though he realizes homophobia on campus is still strong enough to make some balk at signing. The issue has engaged Outsports readers, some who said the issue was much ado about nothing.
``This is a textbook example of the sort of overwrought histrionics (and hysterics) that gives "political correctness" a bad name,'' wrote a Las Vegas reader. ``So straight frat boys sing "not gay" as part of the Good Old Song (which is the worst college fight song, bar none, in the country anywhere anytime: it's sung to Auld Lang Syne, it's a dirge - it's not a cheer). So what? They're not saying it's bad to be gay - they're just satirizing the changed meaning of the term "gay." Who gives a flying?''
Chip Rogers, who helped set up the panel on homophobia, wrote a ringing defense of the petition effort for Outsports:
``I have been at Virginia since 1988, first as a student and then as a coach, and have listened to this chant the whole time. I think the addition to the Good Old Song is just dumb. It doesn’t have to be added; it doesn’t add anything to the song. Does it portray the whole University as a homophobic center? Not necessarily. The University is, however, the nation’s best public institution of higher learning. We pride ourselves on being an example on a number of fronts around the nation, and I think that this can be one more area.
``The reality, as most of us well know, is that there are a number of athletes, both men and women, who are gay. Yet because being homosexual is still a stigma to the society in general, these athletes often remain in the closet throughout their entire competition career--or even past. I have yet to come across a biography of a collegiate coach that lists his or her partner in their biography. And let me tell you, there are a number of coaches who have same-sex partners. They are not closeted, and in a number of cases, their living arrangement is a well-known fact. Yet none of them list the partner in the biography, even when they have adopted or borne children together. Why? Because parents would be very reluctant to send their daughters to play for women who are known and open lesbians.
``Heterosexual coaches are fully aware of this and have been known to use their family situation to their advantage. Now, before I insult anyone, I don’t mean to imply that a heterosexual coach who includes her family as part of her biography or in the recruiting process is anti-gay. My point is that because there is a negative connotation attached to gay coaches, that’s probably not the best thing to advertise to prospective student-athletes. As one heterosexual coach told me, `I don’t list my husband in my bio because I don’t want to make a big deal about it and give myself an advantage that other coaches don’t have.' Obviously, this comment certainly indicates that there is an awareness at all levels of one’s sexuality.
``A couple of years ago we had an ugly incident here at which a female recruit was asked at a party if she were gay by another student-athlete. The current athlete made a very off-color and inappropriate remark that left the recruit with a very bad taste in her mouth of the University. Naturally I was furious-and the reality was that the recruit was/is not gay, but because she played sports, the implication was there. This is the kind of behavior that needs to stop.
I’m not so naive as to think that ... stopping the chant is going to change the thoughts and behaviors of every person at the University. But I’ll use one of the same philosophies we use on the field--take care of the little things. We talk constantly about doing the little things right on the field at the very least...and then the big things will be easier to deal with. It’s the same thing here. If we take care of the little thing--the chant--then hopefully the bigger picture will change some things.''
``There have been a number of discussions about which athletes are--or might be--gay. Why is that? Because these persons are not open about their sexuality. I would have to say that the reason that some of them are not open is because society at large would turn on them. We often comment about how great it would be if an elite athlete would come out the closet. It would be a watershed event in sports. I’ll agree. But there needs to be a support system of some sort in place. On the surface, with things like the chant, it doesn’t look like Virginia is the place to help with that.
``We have a number of excellent traditions at The University. We have a student-run honor system that is still in effect and a model for institutions around the nation. We are a frequent top-20 fixture in the Sears Director’s Cup standings, honoring the top athletic programs around the nation. Charlottesville is a great place to be. Let’s make it just a bit better.''
NHL
Los Angeles is a hockey town, at least for a while. The Kings, who prior to this year had not won a playoff series since 1993, shocked Detroit, self-proclaimed ``Hockeytown,'' by beating the Red Wings in six games.
NFL DRAFT The San Diego Chargers shocked the football world by trading the top pick in the draft to the Atlanta Falcons, who used it to take quarterback Michael Vick. It was a bold move by the Falcs, a team not known for them. Vick has incredible potential but some are skeptical he'll ever be a star. In another key move, the Kansas City Chiefs finally got a starting QB, when they traded their first-round pick (12th overall) to St. Louis for Trent Green.