8
Speaking
the truth
ADAM LUCAS
sports editor
Truth and sports rarely mix.
Consider: the high point of any season for
most fans occurs when the season is still in
its infant stages, when they can still try to
convince themselves that the pitching will
hold up, or that the running back is durable
enough.
NBC sportscaster Bob Costas subjected
himself to none of these delusions, and it
landed him in trouble.
While speaking about China during an
Olympics broadcast, Costas commented that
"Every economic power, including the United
States, wants to tap into that huge potential
market [China], but of course there are prob
lems with human rights, property rights, the
threat posed to Taiwan." He then went on to
detail the suspicions of drug abuse that have
followed Chinese athletes.
Wow, what biting commentary.
Nevertheless, some overzealous groups,
both American and abroad, have castigated
Costas for his "insensitivity." If telling the
truth is insensitive, then I suppose that label
fits.
See, that's the difference between China
ind America—over here, it's OK for us to
state the facts, even if they might not be the
"party line."
NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol saw
the situation with amazing lucidity when he
?d out that "It's bizarre because no one
has questioned the accuracy of Bob's
remarks...the bottom line is Bob's remarks
were completely based on factual and perti
nent events."
Good call, Dick. If China doesn't like the
opinion people in America hold of them, per
haps they should have considered that before
' •ey sent the tanks into Tiennamen Square,
uiutal force on a group of helpless people
rarely makes a favorable impression.
What's even more ridiculous is that NBC
issued a written apology for the statements,
saying that "No one at NBC ever intends to
offend anyone."
Well, isn't this just one big happy world.
In today's era of self-persecution, some
one is going to be offended by everything.
However, only the foolish argue with the facts.
These are the facts: China is a huge eco
nomic market. China is not exactly Switzer
land when it comes to the way they treat their
citizens. Therefore, America has not been able
to cultivate China, either athletically or po
litically, in the fashion they might have liked.
If you're offended by those facts, don't
shoot the messenger. Take it up with the Chi
nese government.
Bob Costas had a choice to make. He
could distort the truth and insult the intelli
gence of the American viewing public—as the
Chinese government would have liked him
to —and paint a rosy picture of Chinese hu
man rights. Or, as is customary in America in
our form of government, he could call them
like he sees them.
It is not a difficult choice to make, nor is it
one that requires an apology.
The Guilfordian
Heggie runs down a dream
David Heggie doesn't know he's a star.
Sure, he's seen the amazing numbers—
ODAC player-of-the-year as a freshman,
third-team All -America last season as a
punter, shattering Guilford's career rush
ing mark with two seasons of eligibility
left, all-ODAC both of his
seasons with the Quak
ers—but they don't seem
to make an impression.
He says he's "just an
average Joe." Tell that to
his gridiron opponents, the
ones that most often see
the back of his #5 jersey as
he gallops toward yet an
other touchdown.
Heggie almost never
had a chance to shine for
the Quakers. Pointed to
wards Guilford by a high
school teacher, he sent in
a tape of his prep high
lights for football coach
Mike Ketchum to review.
The coach liked what
he saw, but Ketchum re
members that in Heggie's
first game for Guilford, he
only carried the ball three
times. 'Then in the staff
meeting on Monday, I said
I think there might be
something there,"
Ketchum said. "It just so
happened that in the next
game, our first-string run
ning back was injured on
the first play of the game,
and the rest, as they say, is
history."
Heggie also recalls not
being sure of his potential.
"I figured maybe I could
punt here, and I thought
my role might be as a sec
ond-string punter," he said.
Well, he did punt, fin
ishing fourth in the nation
last season with a 39.3 av
erage, but the Guilford
coaching staff also discov
ered quite a backfield talent
Heggie finished 1994, his freshman
campaign, by winning the conference
Ketchum takes over as Athletic Director
The athletic department will have a new
look this year as Mike Ketchum takes over
as the interim athletic director. He replaces
Gail Currie, who had been the A.D. for the
past four years.
Currie resigned the first of June after a
six-month leave of absence. The school is
expected to conduct a nationwide search for
a new athletic director sometime around the
first of the year.
sports
ADAM LUCAS
sports editor
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DAN MORSE
staff writer
player-of-the-year award. "We went out there
carefree because no one expected anything of
us, and that's why we were so successful," he
said.
One thing you notice when you sit down
to talk to Heggie is how often "we" comes out
of his mouth. Despite all the accolades, team
still seems to come first. That's why last sea-
Last season, Heggie rushed for 123 yards
against tomorrow s opponent, Methodist.
son, when the Quakers slipped to 3-6, was so
miserable.
'The passion wasn't there last year, and
Currie was the only female A.D. in the
ODAC to have a football program and was
well liked by her co-workers. Currie is talk
ing to the college about a different position
other than athletic director or coach.
Brett Ayers, the acting athletic director
during the spring semester of last year, also
resigned at the beginning of the summer and
now lives with his wife and family in Hol
land.
Although Coach Mike Ketchum did not
volunteer his services, he does not mind the
September 13,1996
sometimes I felt like when I needed to step
up and yell at somebody or encourage
somebody I didn't always do it," Heggie
said. "This year I really want to redeem
myself. I have no doubt we can beat any
one in our conference if we play with in
tensity."
Yelling does not come naturally to the
It's too bad those things even have to
be said. But yet, when you're a star, maybe
people will listen.
extra work. "So far it's been fine, but it is
still early in the year" he said. Some new
duties that the football coach now has in
clude: attending meetings, attending Guil
ford sporting events, and overseeing the
athletic budget. "I enjoy all of those things
and I also get to spend a lot more time with
the other coaches," Ketchum said. "I am
trying to be aggressive in addressing all of
their needs."
Look for our new A.D. at this year's
Guilford sporting events.
Apex, iNortn Carolina na
tive, a self-described intro
vert. However, Ketchum
says that his star doesn't
have to talk to be a leader.
"He's one of those guys
that lead by example, and
his example is so close to
perfect it's hard not to pay
attention to. When he says
something to you, you
know he really means it."
While it may sound as
if he has breezed through
Guilford, Heggie says that
his toughest challenges
have come off the field.
"It's funny to me that here,
it's bad to be a jock. I don't
wish I was anywhere else,
but it's funny how people
who have 'freed their
minds' still fall into the
same type of stereotypes
about athletes. It's funny
because here you have to
be a student first or you're
going to find yourself at
home the next semester."
With a new season be
ginning, Heggie has two
things to request of what
by all rights should be his
adoring legions of fans,
better known as the student
body. "First, come watch
us play at least once," he
said. "If it's good, then
you had a nice experience.
If you don't like it, then
you say it's just as bad as
you thought it was. Sec
ond, before you judge all
football players by some
freshman eating pretzels in
the lounge, get to know a
couple more players."
photo by Sports Infonnation