Affirmative Action in Sports

I take exception to the point of view espoused in “Blacks Find Support but Not as Scholars” (July 25).

The Penn sociologist quoted in the article, Elijah Anderson, speaks as though young black athletes are the passive pawns of the white power structure.

As someone who used to teach exclusively minority secondary students, I can tell you that the problem is not with the failure of “English teachers [to encourage] large numbers of promising young writers.” Whenever I had a promising writer in my English class, I encouraged him. The problem is, there aren’t many gifted young writers in our schools of any color. Sadly, there aren’t many students who can even write a coherent sentence, let alone demonstrate true writing talents.

The reasons are complex, but a very important one is that they did not want to grow academically but only physically.

But I agree with Anderson that the fault for the lack of academic progress among black students does not lie solely with them. The main cause of the mediocrity of all but the most talented American students is that our culture does not put much value on academic talent.

If the system is going to change, and white males are to be challenged for their dominance, then women and minorities are going to have to set new personal goals for themselves. The professions will start taking women and minorities seriously when they start taking themselves seriously.

BECKY IVANS

North Hollywood

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* How can The Times classify the athletic recruitment process as “a special brand of affirmative action,” when, to the contrary, it is one of the few remaining institutions where individual excellence is valued over one’s group status.

After reading in the article that blacks are overrepresented in the NBA and NFL, and that other groups such as Asians and Latinos are not represented at all, I wonder how many proponents of race-based preferences would continue to watch college or professional sports if the players really were selected using affirmative action?

MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE

Santa Barbara

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* I feel I have had preferential treatment all my life. I grew up in upper-middle-class Irvine. By having fairly wealthy parents, I was given the opportunity to take SAT courses and my school had all the facilities necessary to aid me in preparation for college (the latest computer programs, updated textbooks, a low teacher/student ratio, etc.). My affiliation with wealthy friends has granted me an employment network with their parents, and consequently it has never been difficult for me to find part-time work. Finally, as a high school and collegiate athlete, I have always been given priority from counselors, coaches and administration with regard to class registration and tutorial services.

I know I have been extremely lucky, but can Gov. Pete Wilson and the rest of our society say that the bulk of African and Chicano/Latino Americans in California have these same opportunities? Probably not. Most ethnic minorities cannot afford to take Princeton Review for the SAT, nor are the high schools in the inner cities funded sufficiently.

Clearly the playing field is not even, and it is affirmative action that makes the playing field a little more level. As an individual who is half Japanese, half Caucasian, the dismantling of affirmative action will actually help me. At the same time, however, I am conscious of the fact that because of my economic class and ethnic background, I have already been granted preferential treatment.

A large proportion of African and Chicano/Latino Americans are in the lower socioeconomic classes, and by negating affirmative action, the distorted proportions in higher education will only grow.

DAVID TOKIHARU MAYEDA

Irvine