Readers Feel Graduation Is Always the Smart Move

It bothers me that some of the same voices who criticize athletes for going pro straight out of high school or for not finishing their degrees are nailing Vince Carter for attending his graduation ceremony. At best, they’re sending a mixed message. At worst, they’re sending a message that states that it’s wrong for an individual to celebrate a personal victory at the possible expense of company profits.

Sure, we’ve seen that teamwork over individual effort is a successful formula. (I’m glad the Lakers figured this out.) However, some things are of a much higher social importance than pro sports, and all the pro basketball teamwork in the world doesn’t mean anything if we as individuals in this nation can’t read, write and think for ourselves. When Vince Carter thought for himself Sunday, he was teaching us all that education is more important than anything he could have done on the court that day. That’s the real lesson.

James Harper

North Hollywood

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The very idea that Diane Pucin would insult Vince Carter’s decision to go to his college graduation is despicable. Selfish? Please, give me a break. I’m sure that Carter was much less exhausted from his 90-minute flight from Raleigh/Durham to Philadelphia than his teammates who woke up from a typical wild night of clubbing, drinking and sleeping around (not to mention the 60% who are pot smokers, according to Carter’s teammate, Charles Oakley).

Of course, reporting on these activities is boring. Who cares when you can attack a man who has fulfilled a promise to his family to graduate from college? Here is Vince Carter, in the headlines for getting his diploma, and not for writing a violent, hate-filled rap album; for fulfilling a dream, and not for a barroom brawl; for skipping most of his ceremony so that he could get back to Philly in plenty of time for the game, and not for missing his flight and showing up at halftime (i.e., Isaiah Rider). No, this is Vince Carter, the admirable role model, who is trying to show kids, along with players such as Jason Williams and Shane Battier, the value of an education.

Eric Liang

Los Angeles

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Carter’s gesture of putting his college graduation above all else sends a great signal to the youth of America. Education is far more important than a game, regardless of the game’s importance. And what perfect timing! Pro basketball has such a poor image and so few role models to point to. Carter did the absolutely right thing.

Donald J. Prado

Valencia

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I’m not quite sure what point Jiminy Cricket--er, sorry, I mean Diane Pucin--was trying to make in her diatribe against Vince Carter. Was he “selfish” because he chose to attend his graduation, only staying long enough to take part in a portion of the ceremony? Was he “selfish” because, unlike Shaq, he didn’t stay to party? Or was he “selfish” because of all the things that might have happened . . . but didn’t?

Bruce Hampson

Ventura

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I am absolutely outraged by Diane Pucin’s assertion that Vince Carter was selfish for choosing to attend his college graduation. Articles like this are the reason I read and orally edit the sports page before allowing my 14-year-old to read it.

How dare she write that a game, any game, is more important than education. I wouldn’t have cared if this was the seventh game of the finals. Vince Carter has, and will play in hundreds of games, but he will only have one college graduation. He didn’t even miss the game; though I think he would have sent a tremendously powerful message to our youth if he had missed it. We are only talking about one missed shot, anyway. He and his teammates had the entire game to be winning.

As for Pucin’s assertion that he caused a distraction, obviously it was the media that created the distraction, not Vince Carter.

Catherine Wirtz

Thousand Oaks