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Show Page 12 Tuesday November 29, 1983 The Tfamderbird Sidetines icDonaidsM Uou BY PAUL HUSSELBEE Welcome Back Students BUY ONE EGG McMUFFIN GET ONE FREE Have you tried our McNuggets? Sports are no longer just for fun It was bitter cold on Thanksgiving Day in Cedar City, so cold that Elmos nostrils froze together. (By the way, Elmos my dog.) He and I took a long walk that morning, perhaps looking for a local flag football game, in the traditional Turkey Bowl Good At & Cedar City St. George when Present this Coupon ordering (no Limit) Offer expires Dec. 31, 1983 Jolleys (knchurear spirit, or something of that nature. From a distance I could hear the basketball pounding against the pavement. I drew nearer to the playground and saw what I hoped Id see. A little boy dribbled the ball strategically, making believe he was Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. Each good basket was an individual triumph. r and then I left. We played together for the next Before going, however, I asked him how he could stand to play wearing only a sweatshirt when it was so cold outside. Its not that cold, mister, he said, shivering as he spoke. Besides that, Im having fun, and its never too cold to have fun. There was no doubt of that in my mind. His sincere answer reminded me of another conversation I had recently. I made a late stop at a local convenience store the night SUSC hosted the Brazilian Nationals last week. As I walked through the door, I recognized Raymond Townsend reading magazines in the corner. as they come, so I went over to talk Im just as sports-crazto him briefly. (For those of you who dont know it, Im talking about the Ray Townsend, the same Ray Townsend who starred for UCLA during some of their glory years and played for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. ..yeah, that Raymond Townsend.) After a few minutes of small talk, I asked him why a player of his ability, a player who could have been a star in the NBA, would go to Europe and South America to play ball. He said he played basketball to make money. If I play here, I get a contract at maybe $110,000 a year, and when Uncle Sam gets through with that, I take home about $75,000, he said. Now if I play in South America three months out of the year and in Italy another seven months a year, I can make about $150,000 a year and I dont pay such heavy taxes, he continued. If I take the difference between the two, put it in a Swiss bank account and let it draw interest, in 10 years Ill be a millionaire. So youre playing just for the money? 1 asked. Of course, he laughed. You think I like sitting on that bench, or playing in cracker-bogyms like you people have in Cedar City? Youve got to be kidding. I play basketball because I can get rich doing it. Consider the two: the little kid playing ball at the playground on a cold day, and the pro player playing to get rich, no matter who he competes against or where he plays. True, there has to be a gray area in there somewhere. However, the fact remains that professional athletics, to some extent, have become a type of prostitution. The games arent played just for fun anymore. I sometimes wish the little boy in all of us, the same one that motivated us to play ball out in the cold, would return to sports and never leave. half-hou- Southern Utahs Largest Selection In Mens and Womens Western Wear Coots, Jeans, Shirts and Accessories Leuis Wrangler Tony Lama Justin Durango Lee Acme y Jolleys Ranch Dear 52 North Main Moon Coots also available Cedar City, Utah 585-83C- 3 x SKI WINDSHIRT Reg. $46.95 Adult SKI PACKAGE Rossignal CHY Skis Alpine Boots Salomon 326 Bindings "The Sportsman Store 13$ So. Main Cedar City, Utah $4710 Scott Poles College Arms Apartments Free Reg. $425 Your choice of: 2 Ski Day Passes 10 Movie Passes 25 Lines of Bowling NOW 95 FRENCH-STYL- E GLACIER GLASSES Reg. $20.00 COMPLETE LINE! SALOMON SKI BINDINGS When you move into the College Arms Apartments 9UV Call 586-220- 2 for your reservation today!!!! |
