[NEohioPAL]B-J Cuts

[mike melville]

I have to look at this as a distraction of the masses. The main reason 
athletics gets as much press as it does is simple economics- think about he 
longest running Broadway musical. Now think about the amount of people that 
saw it.Honestly tell me that they had more butts in the seats thanany single 
years attendance to an Indians game.
Sports sells. That simple. To see a pro team play is expensive. But I know 
that my tickets for Spamalot cost me more than my tickets to see the 
Browns.Community theater is great, but it is a narrow genre. There are a lot 
of farmers in the northeast Ohio area, but you don't hear them up in arms 
about the lack of coverage on alpaca prices. They simply started their own 
publications.
Now I do realize that marketing is an important way of getting butts in 
seats, but all the reviewers in the world aren't going to get someone that 
doesnt know or like theater to a show.Besides, how many shows have any of 
you gone to see that was already panned by critics?
Its a tragic loss, and a blow to local performance arts, but the arts have 
always been a very self sufficient little nook. I really don't see how these 
cuts will effect attendance or public knowledge in the least. Its like a 
smoker short on cash- you will always find a way to get waht you need...
Mike
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Burnett" <TBURNETT at neo.rr.com>
To: "Pantsios, Anastasia" <apantsios at freetimes.com>; 
<neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL]B-J Cuts


> Anastasia:
>
> In an ideal world, yes, I agree. When I see those signs at various  city 
> boundaries, "Home of the State soccer champions" or whatever,  I'm 
> thinking, "What about the kids with the 4.0+ averages, the  National Merit 
> scholars, the science fair winners, the musicians, the  actors, etc.?" You 
> never hear business owners complaining about a  shortage of trained 
> wrestlers or football players, so why are they  celebrated and not the 
> students who excel in other areas? In an ideal  world, Lebron James would 
> not be getting paid as much as 200  teachers, because a good teacher is 
> worth 200 basketball stars.
>
> Saying that, if you publish a daily newspaper and forgo prep sports 
> coverage, you better be planning your next career. If your decisions 
> about coverage are based on what should be instead of what the  readers 
> want, your paper won't last very long. At the same time, I do  think the 
> PD could do far more in covering the accomplishments of the  non-athletes 
> at our schools, without affecting its (very popular)  sports coverage.
>
> Tom
>
> On Aug 30, 2006, at 11:50 AM, Pantsios, Anastasia wrote:
>
>> I know I'll be in a minority here but I think high school sports  should 
>> abolsutely NOT be covered by big city dailies. It adds to  the mystique 
>> that sports are the single most important thing for a  kid to focus on 
>> and the sure path to riches, acclaim, popularity  and success. The kid 
>> who aces the SATs, is a National Merit scholar  and gets into Harvard 
>> gets their little paragraph in the special  education issue or a mention 
>> buried in the metro section but the  kid who excels at sports is on the 
>> front page of the sports section  every week and it gives totally the 
>> wrong message. When columnists  wring their hands about how many more 
>> inner city kids want to be  basketball players than accountants or 
>> doctors, I always think "Go  look at your own paper's coverage and you'll 
>> see one of the big  reasons why." Community and high school papers are 
>> the proper place  for this ongoing coverage.
>
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