From: dwarner@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (david j warner)
Subject: Re: Whatiz whatizit (pc in action)
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 20:16:06 GMT

The following column will hopefully appear on August 26 in the INDIANA DAILY
STUDENT.  I'll be sports editor there, so it better appear.  :)

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ANOTHER FINE COLUMN BY DAVID J. WARNER.

   1996 isn't too far away.
   For someone who remembers Mary Lou Retton's perfect vault in 1984 as if it
were yesterday, you realize that rather quickly.
   Not enough time in the world will pass, however, before I get sick
of that horrid Olympic Mascot.
   Anyone who has seen Whatizit asks exactly that question.  Whatizit
is basically a giant, Carolina blue pseudo-bug with large white
spheres for eyes, stars for pupils, a perfect smile for a torso,
oversized sneakers for feet, and Olympic rings dangling from its
pointed tail.
   It is simply too cute for words, and I hate it already.
   Let's face reality here.  The Olympic Games were created as a
salute to the glory of sport and the thrill of competition.  Sure,
things have gotten a little commercial as a result.  It happens in
our capitalist society.
   Does this mean, however, that Atlanta expects us to buy into this
computer-generated farce that looks like somthing Matt Groening drew
while he was stoned?
   A mascot should have some character without being soppy.  Sam the
Eagle, Los Angeles' mascot in 1984, and ______, the Bengal Tiger of the '88
Games in Seoul, both had enough personality to avoid being sacchrine.
   Even this year's mascot, Charles Barkley, was something the world
wanted to see.
   This sorry excuse for the '96 mascot, however, is one strike
against Atlanta in my book.
   Couldn't they have picked something just a little more realistic?
How about Deion Sanders?  He's a good mascot for Atlanta, and he's
just as flashy.  Or maybe Lonnie Smith, who embodies the idea that
winning is not as important as just competing.
   Even Ren and Stimpy would have made better mascots if they weren't
so busy trying to beat Clinton and Gore for re-election.
   Anything would have been better than this half-brained brainchild
of DESIGNefx in Atlanta.  For my money, I would have preferred
Das EFX.  BUM-Sniggety-BUM-Sniggety-BUM-Bum! A-whuggity-whatta-am-I?
Who knows?
   Here's hoping that whoever gets picked for the 2000 games learns
from our mistakes and just chucks this mascot business altogether.

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Just another $0.02:  I hope that Atlanta doesn't send the Braves away for the
whole of the '96 Games.  I think it'd be cool to be able to see a Braves-Reds
for a night or two, especially for some of the athletes.  I doubt it will
happen, but it would be nice to see.

-- 
- David J. --------- BLUE RIDDLE PRODUCTIONS.  Bloomington, IN; Durham, NC. -
- e-mail: dwarner@miami.ucs.indiana.edu -------------------------------------
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