I just finished reading every word of Mike Connolly's Irish Insight column in the Oct. 11 Observer in which he trashes Jim Sanson. I don't usually read all of a column like this; today's exception is the result of my belief that there would be an ounce of compassion somewhere before the end. Alas, there was not. The photograph of Sanson's face above the same column speaks volumes about the human factor in sports, and how painful failure is for the one who fails.

The column shows none of this humanity. How many times does Connolly feel he has to kick the already down Sanson? It reminds me of those spectacles one occasionally sees on the football field, where a player who has just injured another stands over the other with arms raised and muscles flexed in triumph. You can't hear the growling victory cry, but it's a gruesome scene just the same. This sort of behavior is penalized on the college football field, because it is un-sportsmanlike, and maybe also because it is stupid.

I, too, celebrate Miller's success. But I also share Sanson's sorrow. It doesn't look like Connolly is capable of that. Once he has experienced a little more of life, Connolly will also have failed miserably at something very important to him. Perhaps, if he remembers writing today's column, the experience will teach him a little empathy. I hope no one is there to roar in triumph over him when it happens. It is not the way human beings should treat one another.

Ursula Williams

Director, Language Resource Center

October 11, 1999

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