Lake Larsen | Sports editor
In the weeks since my last installment of “From the Sports Desk,” I have received some comments and concerns about my coverage of the financial difficulties of the athletic programs on campus, my ethics as a journalist and my coverage of NCAA sports on campus. Because of this, I would like to take a moment to clarify myself and help resolve any questions other readers may have.
One of the most commonly mentioned criticisms I have received in regards to my columns are about my lack of mentioning the athletic accomplishments achieved by the student athletes at Western. While I do understand that my non-coverage of these facts may seem misleading, there was a purposeful intention as to why I did not include them — they are irrelevant to my story.
When I stated in “Opinion: From the Sports Desk” from Issue 4, that football was killing off the sports around it, my intention of this was to highlight how football was pulling funds away from other athletics, causing those other athletics to struggle financially. It was not meant to downplay the achievements of the other varsity programs.
However, these achievements play no part in my research for this story. In 1991, Western cut the wrestling program due to funding issues. In the final season of the wrestling program four members competed in the national championship. I bring this up because the size of the trophy case of a team means nothing if the team cannot afford to exist.
The other complaint I’ve received in regards to my coverage is how the sports section doesn’t cover enough of the NCAA sports on campus. This lack of coverage is also done for a reason.
The number of club sports being offered at Western is the same as the number of athletic teams yet the media coverage is nearly non-existent for club sports.
The argument that’s been voiced to me about needing to cover more NCAA sports has to do with the amount of work Western’s student athletes put into their teams. It has been told to me that they work very hard thus earning the right to be covered. However, this point is mirrored by the club sports on campus. Western’s club sports all work tirelessly to put together competitive teams and rarely a whisper is heard about them.
While many of the comments I have heard in regards to my opinions have been negative, I welcome the feedback. The more I hear back from readers, the better I can educate myself and others. But it is important to remember that the opinions in my column are based on research into the finances of an athletics program, whose director himself referred to as underfunded.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
