Letters: Oct. 2, 2000

The Greatest Show on Earth

A double thumbs-up for your articles on the Games [SUMMER OLYMPICS, Sept. 11]. Here in Nigeria just as much fuss is made about them as everywhere else. That is true despite the fact that we just won our first gold medals in 1996 in Atlanta. We would count ourselves lucky if our athletes as a group could win the five gold medals that runner Marion Jones is aspiring to capture all by herself. The joy of competing and interacting with other nations, cheering the winners and even agonizing over the losses makes it all worthwhile--gold or not. YEWANDE FAMUYIRO Lagos

Jones is an extremely gifted athlete who is pretty, vivacious and supremely confident. She seems to have thrived on the pre-Olympics hype for her goal of winning five gold medals. Every Olympic event has its sad moments when an athlete fails to live up to expectations. The pressure on everyone is enormous. I hope she has the kind of success experienced 40 years ago by sprinter Wilma Rudolph, who won three gold medals in Rome. Rudolph was the model of grace and humility, two qualities all Olympic athletes today might emulate. PAUL L. WHITELEY SR. Louisville, Ky.

The only thing truly Olympian about these athletes is their appetite for self-aggrandizement. MARGARET ROBBINS Philadelphia

Jones is incredibly strong, intensely focused and unabashedly beautiful. Seeing her, I no longer have any doubts about America's future! DAVID C. SCHROEDER Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Drugs and the Games

Your report on drugs and Olympic athletes cited nations with cheaters, including Canada, East Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands [SUMMER OLYMPICS, Sept. 11]. Although you mentioned American shot putter Randy Barnes, who tested positive for steroids, why wasn't there more of a discussion of cheating by U.S. athletes, who hail from a veritable mecca of sports drugs? Any competent sports-medicine authority will affirm that the top echelon of world-class athletes includes those who use chemical assistance, and Americans are no exception. SEAN BOYLE Geilenkirchen-Gillrath, Germany

If athletes use drugs to compete, the only contest is who uses the stronger drug, not who is truly the best athlete. Drugs not only destroy an athlete's body, they are a disgrace to the Olympic Games. CHARLIE FENG Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Thinking About Australia

Thanks to Robert Hughes for a beautiful and perceptive overview of his native Australia [SUMMER OLYMPICS, Sept. 11]. He may be pleased to know that some of us Americans are not misguided about Australia. Indeed, on our bad days, I wish that Americans would behave more like Australians. KRIS GALLAGHER Oak Park, Ill.

When God Speaks

It was interesting to learn that Al Gore often makes decisions by asking "What would Jesus do?," that Joe Lieberman called for the nation to renew its dedication to "God and God's purpose" and that Jesus is George W. Bush's favorite philosopher [NATION, Sept. 11]. Unfortunately, what God wishes man to do requires interpretation, and this is likely to be clouded by an individual's personality and biases. It would be reassuring to know that when God speaks to our politicians, they are indeed hearing the real word of a benevolent, omnipotent spirit and not merely invoking God as a propaganda tool. ROBERT L. JOYNT Ann Arbor, Mich.