People need to learn how to read better, especially Chris Choukalas and Emily Woline. I am writing again to set the record straight about my feelings on sports.

Even as I write this, I am amazed by the way you both were able to misinterpret what I said. Let me explain.

In Choukalas’s letter, he said that I attempted to legitimize professional sports and that I fell short in my attempt. This was his first of many mistakes. Never in my two letters did I mention “professional” in any manner. He is trying to put words in my mouth.

He proceeds to say my answer of “no” to the question whether or not Americans are simply dumb and uneducated is wrong. His proof is that I identified that more people can identify sports heroes than social workers.

From there, he poses some questions that would lead the reader to believe that sports are the root of all evil. He concludes that he would be willing to bet that sports fanaticism varies inversely with education, and that means that the more you’re into sports, the dumber you are.

Now Mr. Choukalas, let me set you straight. Not every athlete is stupid. In fact, most aren’t.

ISU basketball player Paul Shirley came here on an academic scholarship. Todd Bandhauer, ISU quarterback, earned a prestigious scholarship for graduate school while playing sports. And that’s just two of many examples.

I did not say that every athlete is to be considered a hero or role model, I said that only some were (i.e. Payton Manning, Tim Couch, and Tim Duncan during their respective collegiate careers).

Is every politician a saint? Certainly not. Thomas Jefferson had kids with slaves. Should we remove his likeness from Mount Rushmore? No.

You then implied that because Americans spend so much time with sports and watching television that we have gotten dumber and that we don’t vote often enough. This may be true, this may not. That’s not the point.

The problem with this situation is that people like you are actually leading to the moral degradation of society.

You’re looking for someone or something to blame; in this case, you have chosen TV and sports. Maybe you could be a character witness in the court case concerning the Paducah, Ky., shootings where the parents of the gunmen are suing Hollywood, among others, for putting the ideas of shooting in their sons’ heads. The bottom line is that people won’t take responsibility for their own actions.

If you get a bad grade on a test, whose fault is it? Is it the television’s for distracting you while you’re trying to study? No. Is it the pencil company whose pencil you used to fill in the wrong answers? No. It’s YOUR fault that YOU performed poorly.

In the future, I would advise you to read items more closely, to think before you speak and to show some responsibility for your actions. Then and only then will the world start to become a better place in which to live.

And for you, Ms. Woline, I would have expected more. In your opening sentences, you contradict yourself. You say I made “a gross generalization about American people” and that you “doubt that every single one of them is a sports fanatic.”

Here’s your problem: Generalizations aren’t specific and don’t include phrases like “every single one.” That’s why they are called “generalizations.” Generalizations make general inferences about general topics.

Your second mistake is the fact that I used the word “average,” not “every” American when I said they would be more likely to know who Babe Ruth is than some artist or social worker. There is a huge difference there. If you honestly believe that statement is not true, then I would like to see what hole you crawled out from under to write your letter.

In closing, Ms. Woline, I’m glad that you like sports. I’m glad you are smart enough to know about other disciplines as well, and I will be eternally grateful for your advice on generalizations.

Next time, I will be sure to misinterpret what I read and then make some “generalizations” about things I don’t really understand.

Thank you for setting me straight.

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Shawn Miller

Sophomore

Exercise science and journalism