To the Editor:
Once again, kudos to my favorite writer Joseph Epstein for articulating my thoughts about contemporary sports figures—many of whom are spoiled, pampered babies (“Our Gladiators,” December). One of the main reasons that NFL viewing is down is that some players take a knee during the national anthem. Their lack of respect for those who have no knees to bend because of war injuries is an affront to many. Their political commentary has nothing to do with sport.
Mr. Epstein is correct in acknowledging Tiger Woods’s public persona (grim, sour, temperamental). Woods is so focused on competition that he loses sight of the pleasure that should come with such talent.
As far as the Brooklyn Dodgers moving to California, there was a time when the two most hated people in Brooklyn were Adolf Hitler and Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley. But O’Malley was forced to move because there was no parking around Ebbets Field. As one sportswriter quipped, “The home of the Dodgers is harder to get into than the Social Register and harder to get out of than Alcatraz.”
I enjoy high-school sports—except for some of the immature behavior of the players’ parents. And I also enjoy Mr. Epstein’s graceful writing and perceptive insights.
Jenene Stookesberry
Denver, Colorado