Letters

Flipping the coin on college sports gambling

Regarding "Sports gambling – an air ball" (March 22, Editorial): I must take issue with your stance on sports betting. The vast majority of people participating in NCAA pools are upstanding Americans who bet on games for entertainment, and many of these people watch sporting events because of bets they've made – big or small. Without these bets, ratings would plummet and the money received from advertisers would disappear – followed by money for scholarships – causing many athletes to miss the chance to get a college education. These athletes, although having nothing to do with gambling, would surely find themselves the innocent victims of your proposals.

The NCAA knows about sports gambling but completely turns its back to it, knowing that gambling increases their ratings. They know it's a cash cow for them. Make no doubt about it, legal or not, people are going to be betting on these games.
William Allsup
Las Vegas

Your editorial reveals the huge increase in Internet gambling by all strata of society – especially 1 out of 20 college students who are addicted to it. This could turn into a monster, which would only add to financial crises, poverty, and ruined careers. Everyone knows that the poor people who gamble become poorer. In an age of terrorism, with the strength of our economy targeted, why do we need gambling to add to the malaise? Relying on chance is building on sand.
Henry Rutledge
Davis, Calif.

Speed not contagious

Regarding "Zoom, zoom... wait a minute!" (March 21, Editorial): "Auto clubs in Australia complain such car ads encourage poor driving habits in teens, and have developed national slow-down campaigns aimed at the principal offenders: young males." I find it hard to believe teens would need to be targeted by auto clubs or that a car ad could encourage such behavior among teens.

I have yet to see an ad with a teenager driving poorly behind the wheel in any media source. And I'm almost positive the drivers of the vehicles in these ads are trained professionals – far from their teenage years.

I'm also sure young males are not the only people driving fast. Whenever I go to the track where I race I see plenty of females racing in the events, not to mention that there are probably more 25-and-over adults racing than teenagers. Lastly, not all the "young males" and "teens" driving recklessly drive this way because of commercials. Usually, it's just because they're "not the brightest crayon in the box" and just happen to own a car faster than a Ford Festiva.
Mike Lucero
Parker, Colo.

Keep up the good work

I don't know if it's just me, but the Monitor seems more alive in recent days. I particularly enjoyed "Driving Miss Detroit" and "Sports Versus Studies." (March 11, Editorials). It took courage to air such clear-headed and unpopular views. These editorials helped me target the core issues involved without getting lost again in the decoys of political PR.

"Immigration Policy Not Politics" (March 14, Editorial) was particularly helpful too. The mish-mosh of US immigration policy has endured for far too long. It's time we knew where we stood, communicated what is most just for all concerned, and then drafted new legislation – or enforced what is already on the books.

One reason I trust the Monitor is that I feel we're all in this together – and that my participation is as needed and as valuable as anyone else's. I'm a more committed reader of the Monitor today than I was a month ago.
Susan Deal
Princeton, N.J.

The Monitor welcomes your letters and opinion articles. Because of the volume of mail we receive, we can neither acknowledge nor return unpublished submissions. All submissions are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include your mailing address and telephone number.

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