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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 18, 1993                   TAG: 9302180447
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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FANS BIASED, BUT IT ISN'T RACIAL

THIS LETTER is addressed to those who have criticized our conduct at basketball games.

I am a proud Liberty University student and Flames fan. I do not mean any disrespect to anyone else or to their fine institutions of higher learning. As a student at Liberty, I attend all home basketball games. In fact, on Jan. 28, I was at the Vines Center to support my friends and fellow students on our basketball team and I sat less than 10 rows behind the Radford Highlander bench. I do not apologize for the fact that Liberty fans make the Vines Center a tough place for opposing teams to play. We take a great deal of pride in this fact. I, however, do not appreciate allegations that we are racially prejudiced in any way.

The "you boy" chant is not racially directed. It is a chant that Liberty fans do to any opposing player, whether he is black, white, American Indian or Asian, when a foul is called on him. Coaches and players cannot claim realistically that they have not heard many other versions of this chant in other arenas.

We understand that the world expects a lot from Christians in the way of outward action. Among the truly legitimate expectations is that we are not racist. The fans at Liberty are completely against racism of any kind. Believe me. But what are we expected to do at basketball games - just watch the game quietly, folding our arms and holding our Bibles against our chests?

Once again, we were not showing any racial prejudice as we have none to show. We are hurt deeply that anyone would think so. BARRY VanCLEAVE ROANOKE

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