Good changes that were resisted

[jppopma]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

Lights....in the case of Wrigley.

[coxfan]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

Women's college sports. When the NCAA first recognized women's basketball in the 1970's, I was one of the first fans at a UGA women's basketball game. There were only two fans there (seriously), though the Coliseum seated about 13,000. The other fan seemed to be a boyfriend of a player. I went to about three other games, but the "crowd" never got past about five of us.

Last weekend my wife and I returned to the UGA Coliseum for the South Carolina-UGA women's game. ( It the first time I'd been inside the Coliseum since the 70's, though I've seen UGA baseball games next door). The crowd was well over 2,000 screaming fans, including about 150 South Carolina ones who traveled there. The South Carolina Women's team is averaging nearly 3,000 fans/game this year here in Columbia.

In the 1970's, most "girls" teams used special rules to minimize their exertion. They had six players on a team, but three of those were forwards who had to stay in the half-court near their basket. The other three were guards, who had to stay in their defending half-court. Thus, each player was idle for the half of the game played at the other end of the court.

But NCAA women's basketball has used regular five-player rules for women's teams. Anyone seeing the high degree of athleticism shown by top NCAA women's teams will laugh at the idea that they needed to minimize their extertion!

[godwulf]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

How about what would be a great change that is still being resisted? An expansion of the types of calls that are subject to instant replay review in Major League Baseball? The review of "boundary calls" is a positive first step, but it needs to go farther. In recent years, we've seen teams eliminated from the post-season, and at least once instance of a perfect game being stolen, because of an umpire's failure to do his job correctly.

[coxfan]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

I agree with godwulf regarding instant reply, and I'd add one thing: Umpires should be trusted with reasonable discretion when they want to check a video replay for any reason. The lost perfect game, with all its negative consequences for pitcher, umpire, and fans could have been corrected on the spot. But umpires feel they wouldn't be allowed to look at a replay even if they wish.

It would be no different from allowing them to reverse a call after they confer, as is done occasionally now. Bud Selig has done many very good things, but his biggest weakness is an excessive love of tradition within the game on the field. ( As opposed to his forward-thinking on organizational issues.)

[coxfan]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

On MLK Day, it's good to recall how slow was desegregation in sports. At least a decade after Jackie Robinson, an average or utility MLB player had to be white; desegregation was limited to star-caliber players. Anyone who reads Aaron's autobiography "If I had a Hammer" will be chilled by reading the innumerable racist death threats sent to him and his family-(including an apparent kidnapping plot against his daughter)-in the early 1970's.

In football, it was also slow in places. In 1966, UGA athletic officials said the alumni weren't "ready" for UGA teams that weren't all white. In the early 1960's the Washington Redskins wanted to court a Southeastern fan base by keeping an all-white team. After they went 1-12-1 one year, they soon abandoned this all-white policy.

[MLB~NUT]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

On MLK Day, it's good to recall how slow was desegregation in sports. At least a decade after Jackie Robinson, an average or utility MLB player had to be white; desegregation was limited to star-caliber players. Anyone who reads Aaron's autobiography "If I had a Hammer" will be chilled by reading the innumerable racist death threats sent to him and his family-(including an apparent kidnapping plot against his daughter)-in the early 1970's.

In football, it was also slow in places. In 1966, UGA athletic officials said the alumni weren't "ready" for UGA teams that weren't all white. In the early 1960's the Washington Redskins wanted to court a Southeastern fan base by keeping an all-white team. After they went 1-12-1 one year, they soon abandoned this all-white policy.

Cool, a new book for me to read!!!

[JDubbs73]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

In the early 1960's the Washington Redskins wanted to court a Southeastern fan base by keeping an all-white team. After they went 1-12-1 one year, they soon abandoned this all-white policy.

I just learned something today, did not know this as a 'Skins fan.

[coxfan]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

Aaron's autobiography is "I had a Hammer" (with Lonnie Wheeler, Published by Harper, 1991). I wasn't home when I typed my post, and mentally inserted the "If" in its title.

My memory on the Redskins was correct. Their last all-white season was 1961, when they went 1-12-1 and simultaneously came under pressure to integrate from the newly-installed JFK administration (since the US government owned their playing facility.)

[godwulf]

Re: Good changes that were resisted

Went to the movies on Sunday, and saw a trailer for a new film coming out soon. It's called "42", and is the Jackie Robinson story. Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. Kind of hard to believe (and correct me if I'm wrong), but there hasn't been a movie about Jackie Robinson since he starred as himself in "The Jackie Robinson Story" in 1950!