,-riday, February 17, 1C34
Dally Nebraskan
Peg 3 13
Athletes move from beer ads
to new television series
Hi, hello, how are you? Welcome to
the world where Debbie Armstrong
;ave the U.S. team its first gold medal
In the Winter Olympics, the world
vhere Nebraska AU-Amcrican half
back Bobby Reynolds will be inducted
;nto the National Football Founda
tion's Hall of Fame, and the world'
where Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith
open beer cans and watch opera.
In other words, welcome to the
sports world. - I
II.
r
m Allen
The last item about Butkus and
Smith has me wondering about the
integrity of American sports, though.
I could handle it when they started
the light beer commercials. Then, it
was just a coupl3 of former jocks goof
ing around and being cooL Remember
Smith's "easy-opening cans" where he
ripped the top third off of an alumi
num can?
Lately, however, things are getting
out of hand.
I turned on the television one Friday
night and who did I see but our own
Butkus and Smith running around in
police uniforms and playing with, get
this, a giant blue helicopter.
Of course, my Erst response was the
same as yours would have been. I
poured the 2 beer from the
can I was holding and vowed never to
drink so much rain.
Then, I turned on the TV again and
they were still there. The shame of it
all Two former star athletes going
from first beer commercials at half
time to this, the most degrading place
imaginable, prime-time television.
I learned later that the helicopter is
the same one for the hit movie Blue
Thunder, and that yes, there is a pro
gram built around Butkus, Smith and
a giant blue helicopter. -
The imaginations of some of these
television writers have gone wild (I
suspect hallucinogenic drugs) and they
are exploiting former sports heroes for
their own personal gain. '
Where will this stop, you may ask?
To which I answer, it's only beginning.
Concerned, and using Daily Nebras
kan expense money, I set out for Hol
lywood to see just what was going on.
Now really concerned, I found that
Daily Nebraskan expense money would
only get me halfway between Lincoln
and Seward.
. While walking back along 1-80, I
imagined what kind of television pro
grams we might expect on prime time
in the future, using this popular athlete
popular movie exploitation formula
mula.
Don't be surprised to see Joe DiMag
gio go from hawking Mr. Coffee to night
time television.
Poor Joe would be reduced to a steel
worker who deep inside wants to be a
male stripper in the TV version of
Flashdance.
' Worse yet, 0 J. Simpson might soon
be running through airports all over
the world in full gear in the television,
version of An American Running Back
in London. .
Do you want to see Wilt Chamber
lain exploited in Godzilla Meets the
Stilt? I should hope not.
The list goes on. Suppose you turn
on your television set and see the
Super Bowl champions turned hood
lums, where they steal food from super
markets in Raiders of the Lost Cart
Now, you may be saying, but Bill, this
Blue Thunder is only one show. Surely
it can't be this serious. And besides,
former athletes make guest appearan
ces on television all the time.
These reactions may be accurate,
and yes they may be valid. My only
response is I don't care.
I urge you to write your U.S. senator
and put a stop to this exploitation that
is ruining the image of our national
sports heroes.
And if you aren't that upset and
refuse to write such a letter ... oh well,
I was just kidding anyway.
Americanfulfllls prediction,
wins Olympic skiing event
From Renter News Eeport
SARAJEVO, Yugoslavia Californ
ian Bill Johnson fulfilled his Olympic
prediction Thursday when he won the
men's downhill race to become the
first American male skier ever to win
an Olympic alpine event.
The 23-year-old Johnson's victory
gave the United States its second gold
medal in the Winter Games both in
skiing. On Monday Debbie Armstrong,
who had never won a World Cup race,
captured the women's giant slalom.
Michela Figini of Switzerland, who
like Johnson is not a member of the
skiing elite, won the women's downhill
Thursday.
Although Johnson and the 17-year-old
Figini claimed titles on slopes 37
miles apart, they shared a common
bond superb gliding styles perfectly
suited to the straight-line courses on
which they competed.
Figini was the first to win a gold
Thursday. Then, 90 minutes later, it
was Johnson's turn to spear through
the ranks of the race-hardened vete
rans and end Europe's monopoly of
the blue ribbon speed test.
Johnson arrived in Sarajevo with
only one downhill triumph to his credit.
But he made his presence felt imme
diately by dominating the practice runs
on the Mount Bjelasnica course.
He said repeatedly that he would
win, and he fulfilled his promise, leav
ing Swiss Peter Mueller and Austrian
Anton Steiner to pick up the silver and
bronze medals, respectively.
The victory margin was .027 second
confortable for a downhill.
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The final leg of the trip will be spent in Cozumel
Island, one of the best places in the world to sldn
dive, according to EbeL
Most of the group will be able to do some simple
skin diving off the coast of the island if they wish. As
in the hiking at Palenque, Ebel said there will be an
opportunity for more advanced divers to do more
difficult diving.
There will be two pre-trip meetings to brief partic
ipants on the objectives of the trip and to teach the
basics of skin diving.
The deadline to sign up for the trip is 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 22. A $250 deposit is required at
that time.
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