I am writing this letter, not as an EMCC employee, but as a member of the 1964-65 Lion Football team. Coach Sullivan told me one day that the only people who are not criticized are the ones who don’t do anything. If you are going to put your name out there, whether it is in competition or community service or the editor of the local paper, someone will find fault with what you are doing. Benjamin Franklin said “any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain… and most fools do!”
Unfortunately, we live in a society today where mediocrity is rewarded rather than excellence. We no longer have to work to provide food for our family. Housing is provided even if we can’t pay the rent. School children are promoted “to protect their self esteem,” and the list goes on.
Sports, particularly football, is one of the last bastions where young men can hurl their bodies into each other in non lethal combat to test their manhood, to achieve excellence, and be rewarded for their work.
The margins of victory by our Lion football team are the result of having good players, good coaches, hard work and strength of schedule. EMCC has no control over the schedule; it is set by the State Association. The control that we do have is the quality of our players and coaches. At EMCC our goal is to always reward excellence rather than mediocrity. This is true not only in the sports arena, but in everything we do. Our goal is to be the best.
Your goal should be to achieve excellence as well. One way for you to improve is to get all of the facts before you form an opinion. Your readers would certainly be better served. With this in mind I would like to invite you and your editorial board to our next home football game as my guest. We play ICC on Thursday, October 24; kickoff is at 7:00 P.M. Just let me know if you can come.
Go Lions.
Nick Clark
EMJC Class of 1966
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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