THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503240028
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Armpits were the topic of the week. Michael Jordan's armpits, to be specific.
Apparently it's OK to put that part of the anatomy on a sports page but display them on A1 and you get a big whiff of trouble.
``Michael Jordan and his hairy armpits did not enhance our Sunday morning breakfast,'' sniffed one reader. And another: ``Is there not something in this world more significant for your front page than a matched pair of uncoifed armpits?''
These and similar gibes were the result of last Sunday's front page, which had a 1 1/2-inch-deep banner ``I'm back'' atop a photo of Jordan - in his Bulls tank top - making a reverse dunk.
There were his uncoifed armpits for the world to admire.
The real problem was whether this fine athlete's return to the Chicago Bulls really merited the biggest chunk of the front page - the Sunday front, no less.
If you ask me, and some readers, it didn't.
The Jordan spread was ``way out of line,'' said Mary Crawford, a sports fan. ``It belongs on a sports page. I think we make way too much of our college athletes and professionals these days. It's just not that important.''
Crawford liked the previous day's front page, which had a six-column photo of Old Dominion's ecstatic band members and an even bolder banner headline, ``ODU! WHAT AN UPSET!''
``Yes, I can see ODU getting on the front page,'' said Crawford. ``That's a local crowd and they did very well.''
But the Jordan splash, she said, was not appropriate.
All in all, it was a big week for sports happenings; most deservedly made the front page.
ODU was back out there Monday when the Monarchs lost their bid to reach the NCAA's Sweet 16. ``A bittersweet end for ODU,'' said the headline.
On Tuesday, both the Pilot and Ledger mourned the loss of a local athlete in a front-page story that transcended the playing field. Sixteen-year-old D.A. Taylor, a Norfolk Academy student, had lost his battle against meningococcal bacteria.
And on Thursday, the Norfolk State Spartans' victory over Alabama A&M was celebrated with a jubilant front-page photo.
No one questioned the play of these stories, though there were other complaints. Three readers objected to the victorious ODU photo, which showed white band members cheering on Page A1 and black players on the sports front.
``The coach and the team should have been on the front. . . The boys did the work, not those young ladies,'' said Mel, a Portsmouth reader. ``This was a positive thing for people of color, an opportunity to show that people are doing something more than crime in the area.''
I see Mel's point although, traditionally, reaction shots tend to make the front page while game photos end up in Sports.
A last word on armpits. There was another one on a front page - Wednesday's Ledger-Star showed a plaster model, complete with armpit, of the Crazy Horse Memorial near Rapid City, S.D.
No one complained.
A DRESSING DOWN. Write about the proposed teachers' dress code for Ruffner Middle School and it seems there's always controversy. But a new point of contention arose when ``The Ruffner Look'' made the March 23 cover of the Norfolk Compass.
It was a catchy cover, demonstrating ``good'' and ``bad'' dress under the code. For the ``good,'' a leggy model wore a short suit, light pantyhose and high heels. For ``bad,'' she sported a bright, bulky sweater over leggings with low, flat-heeled shoes.
Charlene Christopher gave them both thumbs down, as well as other photos with the story. Christopher is president of the Education Association of Norfolk, most of whose 1,700 members are teachers. She also opposes the dress code.
What bothered her here was that the poses were too sexy, the models too young and the clothes, both ``good'' and ``bad,'' inappropriate - especially a lacy tank top with tight jeans.
It reflects poorly on teachers, she said, to portray them as sexy young things. ``We don't have teachers dressing that way,'' she said. ``Our teachers are more middle-aged and stately.''
And, she added, can you imagine a pre-kinder teacher sitting on the floor in a tailored pants suit with silk blouse?
What Christopher did not mention is that Ruffner is a predominantly black school; the two models were white. That bothered me as much as any clothes or pose. MEMO: Call the public editor at 446-2475, or send a computer message to
lynn(AT)infi.net. by CNB