Dear Editor:
I just want to share some thoughts on two of the recent articles in your sports section.
The first is regarding the Lindsay Lynch article on the “softball chanting.”
I think that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but this piece had no business being printed.
It was full of uneducated assumptions and even went so far as to impose what the actual players might have felt about “cheerleaders.”
It’s pretty obvious that Lynch doesn’t have a clue as to the culture or the traditions of women’s softball.
Lynch would have projected a much more journalistic professionalism if she had actually interviewed the players and made the article an educational opportunity instead of a juvenile attempt at analyzing an aspect of a sport that she had no base from which to judge.
As a fan of the game, I’m appalled at her lack of professionalism.
I understand that there have subsequently been some disciplinary actions against several student athletes who expressed to Lynch that her article was out of context and misguided. I don’t agree with the approach that some of them took, but they also have the right to disclose their perspectives.
If Lynch can’t stand the heat and fallout of inflicting her opinion, she might want to go sit in the shade and take up knitting instead of journalism.
The second article focused on the culture shock of one of our golfers who hails from Wales.
It is my understanding that the student athlete was approached to do an interview for a class and was not informed that this could possibly end up in the newspaper.
I find this lack of disclosure unprofessional. I know this student personally and don’t appreciate the way his personal life was misrepresented. He’s a very friendly and outstanding young man who is enjoying his experience at ETSU and in the United States.
Unfortunately, he will have to face the ramifications from the athletic department and from discussing his “culture shock” with a fellow student who failed to disclose the intent of the interview.
Kim Reece

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