So long Cornhuskers
November 16th, 2010 by John Creighton in Snapshots
Tags: Atwood, Family, Kansas, Sports
Dad would have been more than satisfied with the Jayhawks performance against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their final game as Big 12 rivals. Kansas lost 20 to 3, but Dad never looked at the final score, only the Cornhuskers’ margin of victory. He considered the Jayhawks victors if they kept the spread under fifty-points. That was the requirement to collect a dollar from his long-time law partner and friend, Forest Brown. Dad is the only person I know who could [...]
Read more...Schleck and Contador Spark Global Ethics Debate
July 19th, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Civility, Public Values, Sports
LONGMONT, Colo. — I was surprised when Andy Schleck’s back wheel popped up and he jolted to a dead standstill in this morning’s stage of the Tour de France. I was more surprised when Alberto Contador rode past without hesitation. I had just said to my kids watching the tour with me, “Watch this, I bet Contador slows to a crawl.” I was wrong. My favorite historical moments of the Tour are the occasions when Lance Armstrong waited for Jan [...]
Read more...Open letter to CBS: Show families respect
March 12th, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Civility, Parenting, Sports
Dear CBS Executives, I love March Madness on CBS Sports. My wife and I will be watching your network for hours and hours over the next three-plus weeks. Our children will be watching, too. The NCAA tournament is a family affair. I am fortunate my alma mater, the University of Kansas, has another good team this year. The schools my wife attended — Kansas State University and the University of Maryland — are competitive this year, too. Our kids get [...]
Read more...Boo who?
March 9th, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Civility, Kansas, Public Leaders, Sports
When is it appropriate to boo the President of the United States? Let me back up and ask when is it appropriate to boo anyone? The purpose of catcalls such as boos is to convey contempt or disapproval punctuated by an exclamation point. In other words, when we want to make it unambiguously clear that we don’t like someone or don’t approve of their actions, we boo. We are most accustomed to this type of heckling at sporting events. Crowds [...]
Read more...Bobby Knight: Spokesman for Civility?
January 21st, 2010 by John Creighton in Dispatches
Tags: Civility, College, Sports
I watched Bobby Knight and Brent Musburger call the Kansas State-Texas basketball game on ESPN Big Monday this week. Number nine ranked Kansas State upset number one Texas 71-62 – though a home victory by one top ten team over another is hardly an upset. Kansas State fans began to chant in celebration late in the game as victory became imminent. Bobby Knight took issue with their chant. The Kansas State fans were yelling, “Over rated; Over rated,” indicating their [...]
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