In response to Dan Esposito's column in Thursday's paper ("Michael Who?"), I would like to express my indignation at his assertion that swimming is not a sport. Frankly, I find this claim outrageous. As a swimmer until the age of 18, I competed for school teams as well as club teams. Although I only reached state-level competition, at the height of my training I practiced three times per day: from 6 to 7 a.m., after school from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and again for my club team from 6 to 9 p.m.
Although Esposito concedes that Michael Phelps is an undoubtedly gifted athlete, he cannot make the claim that swimming is not a sport because it has not attained the levels of spectatorship that football has. Swimmers train just as hard as athletes who play other sports, and just because swimming is an individual sport does not make it less of one. Perhaps Esposito does not find "anything to" swimming, but there are many people who do - why else would people pack the stands at large meets? How else do you explain the millions who tune in to the Olympics, screaming at the television as the swimmers make the turn into the final 50-meter lap?
In light of the simple fact that many find swimming an incredibly exciting sport to watch, even in non-Olympic years, Esposito's assumption is both offensive and erroneous.
Micaela Lade
BC '06
Choice of Palin may backfire
John McCain's surprise pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for his vice-presidential nominee has been hailed as everything from brilliant to idiotic, but come November it will be a mistake the Republicans will almost certainly regret.
Even the staunchest liberal would have to agree that McCain has made what seems to be a brilliant political maneuver. Following a historic Democratic National Convention, McCain has managed to turn the nation's attention 180 degrees away from the Democrats and toward himself. The media has dropped every story regarding Denver in a mad rush to find everything possible on Sarah Palin.
Every political discussion on campus is revolving around who she is and why in the world she was picked. Upstaging such an incredible Democratic convention in such an unprecedented election season is quite a feat. But, unfortunately for him, Palin will be one of the biggest reasons he will lose the presidency.
The first reason Palin will bring McCain
down is the same reason McCain chose her in the first place. Palin is a woman, and it is pretty clear that he's trying to grab at Hillary's supporters that were upset over her so-called snubbing by the Democrats. The problem with this perception, right or wrong, is that Hillary's female base is composed mostly of traditional feminists.
Palin is a far-right Republican whose stance on abortion and other traditional feminist issues is a far cry from the Hillary
base. Once the initial shock of the pick wears off, most of the Hillary backers
will realize that the two women have little in common beyond their sex.
Another big problem Palin brings is a complete reversal of months of Obama-bashing by the GOP. One of the most common knocks on Obama is his lack of experience, but he looks like Robert Byrd compared to Palin. Her political career has consisted of six years as mayor of Wasilla, a city in Alaska with the same population as the student body of Boston College, and two years as governor of Alaska, a state with a population of less than 700,000. Yet the Republicans have been hammering Obama on his lack of experience since he became the presumptive Democratic nominee in June.
If the GOP can't keep it straight why Obama isn't fit to be president, what can they keep straight? The question of experience goes beyond a simple comparison with Obama. McCain is 72 years old and has had four malignant melanomas in his life. If McCain were to die or become incapable of carrying out the duties of president, would Sarah Palin really be ready to take the helm as the leader of the free world?
While one of the biggest draws of McCain's pick is the surprise factor, the GOP might have more than they bargained for in Palin. She is currently under an ethics investigation for firing an Alaskan public safety commissioner. The investigation stems from allegations that the commissioner was relieved for refusing to fire Palin's brother-in-law, a state trooper who is currently engaged in a custody battle with her sister.
Her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant, and while she will marry the father, unwed teenage pregnancies are not the backbone of the party that always champions family values. The huge national spotlight that is currently shining on the GOP has already revealed perhaps a bit more than intended, and this is less than a week after the announcement.
McCain's surprise vice presidential pick has certainly garnered significant media attention and placed the Arizona senator's party back in the national spotlight. But once the initial shock wears off and people start to realize who Sarah Palin is and what she stands for, McCain might end up regretting his decision come Nov. 5.
Kevin Porter is a sophomore in the Carroll School of Management.
2008 Woodie Awards
