Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Sept. 30, 1993, edition 2 / Page 3
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I* L ACK COLLEGE sports Keview S? PTE MBE R 19c)3 EDITOR & PUBLISHER Ernest H. Pitt PRODUCTION Scarttn Svtwtxxys KMhy In K*?n Hartnon Doug Hitz STAFF WRITERS langMon Wmu, Jr. Dome* M.ihooa WrtgN Jr. Mark Of ay PHOTOGRAPHERS Orag Jwiaon JoimIan Should Give - Us A WAkc Up CAtr ? One of the biggest media criticisms (and. in truth, one of the biggest in the black community) of Michncl Jordan is that he rarely, if ever, takes a stand for any thing. It is not for me or anyone else to tell him what he should do, especially now, in the weeks that follow the tragic shooting death of his father, James, last month. If he needs to grieve for a long time, so be it. We should let him. If he wants to be more private from now on ami not as visible as he has been, so be it. We should let him. But maybe now it's time for Mike to take a stand on something. When his father was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest, we all mourned. How could this hap pen? How could Mr. Jordan, a man loved by mosfcevery one, have been killed? By a gun? Let's hope that Mike will not let us forget what hap pened, that gun violence is out of control in this country. When we hear about someone mowing someone down with a gun in these days and times, it's tragic but rarely shocking. TV has numbed us to it. The movies have numbed us to it. The sheer frequency with which gun violence occurs ? 55 percent of all homicides include handguns ? has numbed us. But maybe Mike can help us wake up. At least just a little. No, it's not his job to do this. It's not m any or our successful African- American brothers' and sisters' job descriptions to do that, but we all need to become role models ? any of us who anyone else might look up to. It's our job to seize back our young people from the lure of an easy way of life through drug or gun sales, from lackadaisical study habits, from plain old selling themselves short. And now is a perfect time for Michael Jordan to take a stand, to make a commercial, to appear in a news paper ad, something, to make kids take a listen. His is the most recognizable face on the planet, and many youths will listen to him. Maybe not everyone, but some, and you've got to start somewhere. "Certainly if he decided to speak out, it could have an enormous impact," said Cheryl Brolin, a spokesperson for the Washington, D.C.-based Handgun Control Inc., one of the nation's largest gun-control lobbying organizations in the nation. "I wouldn't want to put pressure on Michael Jordan," said Jeff Muchnick, spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, "but it would be very helpful for the NBA and its players to take on vio lence as an issue. They could be extremely effective. Kids look up to them more than they look up to anyone else." Muchnick has a point. Statistics show that gun vio lence is the leading killer of young, African-American males in this country. The NBA players are more than 80 percent African- American. And, really, it's not just Michael Jordan here. Yes, his is a big voice that will reach a lot of ears, and maybe he'll do something. I hope he does. I also hope the rest of us won't sit around and wait for him to do it. .. ? By Langston Wertz Jr. Black Coiaoa Spent Ravlaw is published by Black Sports Inc . 617 N. Uberty St., Wirwloo-siwm. N.C. 27101. Unso*c*sd manuscripts and photographs wN not bs ratumad Inquiries should ba addressed to Ernest H. Pitt. PuMsnar. Black CoAan Inquiries should ba atdiuad to Emast H. Pitt, PuMsfiar Btack Co laps Sports Review, P.O. Box 1636, Winston- Satom, N.C. 27102. COVER PHOTO: Courtsey J C Smith. SO. Jamas Cuthbsrson BCSR is a supplement jo these nawspapars; Artanta Votes. The BUWfri. Mhmorw Afro-A/rmtcm, Baton Rout* Community lusdsr, Btiiitingtmii TTmas, Carolina Peace "?WPTj V/JwDWr Hi (ViOTi l/?WrWSwn Uf WtWHo r%39 J, rrPCW Wvr t ^ ?*Tt, I, * * ? ? ^ " . _ _ riM a -?- ^ ? - ? n> ^ M ^ a * a M M - ----- ? j JLv* ? I , rwcJOUf C/OUWPTi ^rTlfffpCpn, ITpS/WI^Dn flno rfw rrfwDnSJaWrn UirwrdDf. Khalit Johnson, executive director , Georgia Dome; Herbert I Atwe, Coca-Cola USA ; Ken Free, ME AC commis sioner; Atlanta City Councilman Bill Campbell; Mike Morris, Rowlings Sporting Goods; and James Frank, SWAC commissioner, at the announcement of the Heritage Bowl moving to the ( ieorgia Dome in Atlanta. I HERiTAqE Bowl Moves to AtLanta Black college football will take its place in Ameri ca's next Olympic city sandwiched between the Peach Bowl and an NFL season finale New Year's wcckcrnPin Atlanta. For the first tiiric in its brief history, the Heritage Bowl, the only Division 1-AA bowl game which features teams from the Mid Eastern Athletic and Southwest Ath letic Conferences, will be played in the Georgia Doine Jan. 1 at 4:30 p.m. (EDT). The game will be just one part of a holiday football weekend that will include Ihc Peach Bowl Dec. 31 and the Atlanta Falcons and Phoenix Cardinals game which will end the NFL regular season for both teams Jan. 2. Local electcd offi cials along with the Atlanta Con vention and Visi tors Bureau and the Atlanta Sports Council see this as the dawn of a new beginning for black college sports in the city. "We're tremendously excited about the opportunity to host the Heritage Bowl in Atlanta," said Atlanta Councilman Bill Campbell whose district the dome is in. "We believe we are becoming the place where black colleges from across the country want to showcase their talents. This signals a new day in the era of black college sports for the city." This will be the third straight year a team from the MEAC will face a SWAC representative in post season. However, during the first two years in Florida, the game was plagued by financial problems and low attendance. The first game featuring Alabama St. and North Carolina A&T was played in Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium, and last year's game was played in Bragg Stadium on Florida A&M's campus between the Rattlers and Grambling. According to MEAC Commissioner Ken Free, those closest to the game and a large contingent of fans pre ferred a venue geographically centered between both conferences which prompted the move to Atlanta. "It had been said after each game that maybe Atlanta would be the right place for the Heritage>Bdwl, and that's why we are here this year to find out," Free said. "This game has a tremendous amount of potential." "We know we'll have a tough act to follow with the (U We have such a diverse community that we can pull on all those resources and use the three events as separate entities to create one of the finest weekends of football tha fs been pro duced anywhere in the country. 5? ? Darryl Hutton IVach Bowl in fn>nl of us ;iiul the la Icons game the ilay after. 'I "ho game is still in its infancy and still looking lor a home ;iiul we think it's here." Atlanta stands to gain ;i tremendous financial wiiul fall from the game. If what was formerly known as "Super Showdown" (Morula A&M vs. Tennessee St..) is any indication, the game could draw an excess of 40, (MM) annually. That game, which moved to Jacksonville because of a scheduling conflict thfs season, had an esti mated $7 million impact on the city. Its success and the success of the Atlanta Football Classic (wSouthcrn vs. Stwth Carolina St.) sponsored hv the KM) Black Men of ? ? ? as Atlanta Inc., made I he game attrac tive to both the conven tion and visi tors bureau and the sports council. "I think that what happened as tar as Atlanta is conccrncd is that we had the pcrfcct geo graphical location," said Darryl Hutton of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We have such a diverse community that we can pull on all those resources and use the three events as separate entities to create one of the finest weekends of football that's been produced anywhere in the country." __ Officials from the dome and the two conferences are still working to develop a marketing strategy and way to ensure a profit. Although there is no estimate regarding ticket prices, the commissioners are working to structure the game so it would finish profitably with a crowd of 20,000. Thus far the SWAC has been far superior in the Her itage Bowl. The first game was won by Alabama A&M over NC A&T 36-13. Last year Grambling beat Florida A&M 45-15. This year the MEAC has one thing on their mind when they come to Atlanta according to Commissioner Free: "Our motto for this season is in Heritage Bowl III, the MEAC will sm*ck the SWAC." ? Mark Gray
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Sept. 30, 1993, edition 2
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