Was Story Kwan’s Fall or Lipinski’s Rise?

The front page of Sunday’s sports section had a color picture of a falling Michelle Kwan, accompanying a story by Mike Penner of how Michelle lost the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The story finally makes reference to the winner, Tara Lipinski, with a small black-and-white photograph on Page 5.

It is a sad state of affairs when a newspaper allows the loss by one individual to overshadow the accomplishment of another and totally play down the victory.

Tara Lipinski is only 14. She performed far better than the competition. She deserves the accolades--the color photos and the headlines. Why not get your readers interested in this?

ALLEN WEINGARTEN

Irvine

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My sons often turn to the sports page, looking for something positive to share as a current event at school. Your glorification of poor sportsmanship is making that increasingly difficult.

If $36 million doesn’t make Shawn Kemp smile, then tell us more about athletes like Tara Lipinski, who can perform flawless routines, win national titles and keep smiling, despite your lopsided reporting.

BETH CONNOR

Rancho Cucamonga