Section B·Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Friday. October 16, 1998
Commentary
'No respect' status unfair to women's basketball
The upscale Naismith Lounge has a bar, a fireplace, plush chairs and artwork depicting Kansas athletics history.
It's only a few steps away from Allen Field House on the second floor of the Wagon Student Athlete Center.
On wednesday afternoon, five TV cameras, a dozen reporters and two photographers recorded the words and movements of the Kansas women's
coach Marian
Washington.
On Thursday afternoon, the setting was the same,
but the crowd was different.
A media horde charged down the hill and into the lives of the men's basketball team and coach Roy Williams
At least eight TV
Matthew Friedrichs
matf@ukans.edu
cameras and dozens of reporters filled the lounge, questioning Roy and the players.
Which team played in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen? Which team lost in the second round of the tournament to Rhode Island?
If you guessed that the media crush was for the women's basketball team, you'd be wrong.
Kansas women's athletics celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend. Washington has been the women's basketball coach — and so much more — for 26 years.
But the team doesn't get the respect it deserves in spite of a growing national prominence and a better tournament finish than the men.
Why is that?
"The pros have spoiled us because everyone looks for that spectacular Michael Jordan dunk," Washington said. "But that's only a small part of the game."
sne's right. We've become accustomed to Showtime and Phi Slamma Jamma, backboard-shattering dunks
and players jumping out of the arena.
Unfortunately for the best basketball team on campus right now, very few people attend women's basketball games.
Washington says the women's game is different. The teams might not have monster dunks, but the offensive strategy, the team strategy and the women's effort is deserving of rabid fans.
Here's my proposition to basketball fans on campus: Attend some women's basketball games and watch the most successful yet best-kept Kansas athletics secret.
washington speaks of marketing women's basketball to children and families, trying to mirror the success of the WNA.
But I think we've got a product, a team of student athletes, that can appeal to everyone here on campus
I'm not asking you to cut back on your support for Roy or to stopping yelling "Puunughhhh" during men's games — unless you've got tickets, camp out for games, jump up and down in the bleachers and scream your head off.
But turn off the ESPN game featuring the last place teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and go watch the women play.
Relieve your frustration with Jaron Rush by boycotting televised UCLA games and go to the field house to watch the women.
John Wooden, former UCLA coach,
said that women's basketball is basketball the way it's supposed to be played.
I've seen Tamecka Dixon, who now plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, cut to the basket, make a layup, and then sprint down the court only to stop suddenly and hit a three-pointer.
The game is exciting, the team is good and they deserve your support.
Friedrichs is a Bremen graduate student in journalism.
Player sues school, newspaper charging defamation, invasion
LOS ANGELES — Orlando Magic guard Miles Simon sued the University of Arizona, The Kansas City Star and several others, claiming defamation and invasion of privacy for the 1997 article, "MVP Made Grade Only On The Court."
The Associated Press
Simon, who played for Arizona, claims the Oct. 10, 1997, article contained extensive information from his academic transcripts that never should have been made public, said Milton Grimes, the player's attorney.
The lawsuit states an unnamed Arizona university employee gave The Kansas City Star Simon's academic records without his consent or knowledge.
Simon's lawyer filed the $1 million lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles. Simon lives in Laguna Niguel in nearby
Orange County.
After the article was published, Simon "was held up to public ridicule and his privacy was invaded, and he was humiliated and made to suffer embarrassment," the lawsuit said.
Simon, who was named Most Valuable Player in the Arizona Wildcats national championship game last year, had been on academic probation almost his entire playing career, the Star reported.
But Simon was able to remain eligible because of a series of exceptions Arizona made in its own academic policies, possibly in violation of NCAA policy, the Star said, citing documents obtained during an 18-month investigation.
The article also said that after sitting out 11 games — the only playing time he missed for academic reasons — Simon was able to rejoin the Wildcats for their championship run by getting an A in a
class in which every student got an A. It also said Simon received credit as a junior for a class that the course catalog restricted to freshmen.
Defendants included the Arizona board of regents and university president Peter Likins and vice president Michael Gottfredson. There was no answer to repeated calls Wednesday night to the Sierra Vista, Ariz., home of Judy Gignac, regents president. A message left after business hours at the regents' office was not immediately returned.
star editor Mark Zieman said Wednesday that he had not seen the lawsuit and had no comment.
Simon also is suing the *Star*'s publisher and the reporter who wrote the article. He also sued the *Star*'s parent company, Knight Ridder Corp.
A message left after hours at Knight Ridder was not returned.
NBA studies union offer in labor dispute
Luxury tax level remains hurdle to be ironed out
The Associated Press
NEW YORK—As presently constituted, the NBA players union's luxury tax proposal won't give the owners much extra revenue.
million. The tax money would be redistributed to low-revenue teams.
In fact, union president Patrick Ewing is the only player under contract for the 1998-99 season with a salary big enough to trigger the tax.
The league's negotiating team spent Wednesday studying the union's proposal to see if it would actually slow the growth of player salaries.
Ewing would make $18.5 million, meaning that $500,000 of his salary would qualify for the 50 percent
"We're plugging in the numbers and considering a counterproposal," said Jeffrey Mishkin, NBA chief legal counsel.
Under the union's offer, a 50 percent tax would be levied on the amount of any annual salary more than $18
tax. Last season, only Ewing ($20.5 million) and Michael Jordan ($33 million) had salaries that would have triggered the tax. A middle ground would have to be negotiated to make a tax acceptable to the owners.
"The numbers are negotiable,"union attorney Jeffrev Kessler said.
"We are going to examine every element of this tax to see whether under some circumstance, at the right levels and in the right amounts, a tax could work," NBA commissioner David Stern said.
— a new economic operating system for the next collective bargaining agreement.
If the owners latch onto the concept and adopt the tax system in a counterproposal today, it could signal that the sides have found an acceptable mechanism for solving the biggest rift between them
The lockout is now 31/2 months old, and the league took the unprecedented step Tuesday of canceling the first two weeks of the regular season.
Both sides are awaiting a ruling from arbitrator John Feerick on the union's grievance about whether more than 200 players with guaranteed contracts should be paid during the lockout.
One thing a luxury tax might not do is reduce the amount of basketball-related income being devoted to player salaries.
Feerick's decision, which could have a major impact on the negotiations, is expected by Sunday.
In the last labor agreement
"We're plugging in the numbers and considering a counterproposal."
Jeffrey Mishkin NBA chief legal counsel
reached in 1995, the owners agreed to pay the players between 48 percent and 51.8 percent of revenues. If the percentage went higher — and owners claim it reached 57 percent last season — they had the right to toss out the old deal.
Owners have proposed a hard salary cap that would reduce that number to 48 percent over four years, while the union has proposed two cap-tightening measures if the number rose to 63 percent.
Stern indicated that the owners might accept a luxury tax proposal if it included a provision that included a hard cap. That way, if the tax system wasn't keeping salary costs down, another system would kick in to ensure cost certainty.
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All-Sports Combo
Basketball Ticket Distribution Please read before picking up your tickets
Your Assigned Pick-Up Date
Allen Fieldhouse
9:00 - 4:00
A-E
F-L
M-R
S-Z
Make-Up Day
You may pick up only your own coupons.
Monday, October 12
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Thursday, October 15
Friday, October 16
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You must bring your KU Smart Card to receive your coupons
If you miss your assigned pick-up date and make-up day, you may pick up your tickets at the Athletic Ticket Office in the East Lobby of Allen Fieldhouse beginning Monday, October 19, 1998.
DON'T FORGET! KANSAS FOOTBALL 1998.
Oct.24 Colorado Nov.7 North Texas
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