SPORTS MAIL.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The Register-Guard sports department welcomes letters on all sporting topics. Our length limit is 250 words. Writers are limited to one letter per calendar month. Letters must be signed with the writer's full name.

Mail letters to:

Sports Mail,

P.O. Box 10188,

Eugene, OR 97440-2188

Fax:

687-6674

E-mail:

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Title IX farce

The University of Oregon's athletic director wants female students to lead their own fans' cheers because cheerleading can be an independent sport.

Will the Ducks' newly monikered "spirit team" serve as cheerleaders for the "varsity cheerleaders'" competitions?

Since cheerleaders necessarily require an audience and since I can cheer exceptionally well, I expect Pat Kilkenny to offer me an academic scholarship for my watching, yelling, whistling and clapping skills.

While male UO athletes aspire to advance to professional teams, UO's future cheerleaders have no equivalent. They may aspire only to join a cute women's auxiliary supporting a male sports team.

Kilkenny should offer female students more than sports lite.

Pretense of gender equity designed to make gender equity appear burdensome and foolish is not what women need.

The federal Office of Civil Rights should acknowledge the administrators' Title IX wink-wink by requiring them to abolish the athletics department.

ARIEL FRIESNER

Eugene

Lose the mascot

I've been to three Eugene Emeralds games this year, making the trip from the coast. I've enjoyed the quality of play and the intensity of these young Emeralds.

But on July 28, I saw something that really troubled me. The mascot, Reggie, may have been funny to some with his antics, but I found his hijinks vaguely salacious, and I'm no prude. Particularly tasteless was his taunting of the Volcanoes' first-base coach while the game was under way.

Do we really need this pathetic farce of attempted humor? I think we are sufficiently entertained by the teams' play and the between-innings promotions. Lose the mascot!

LAURENCE BURKE

Reedsport