Regarding George F. Will's June 20th editorial, “The Unnatural”:
A part of my heart died when I found out that Willie Mays had passed away. Yes, he was a talented hitter, slugger, fielder, baserunner and pitcher.
But this combination of physical qualities wasn't Mays' most valuable or attractive quality. Rather, he rarely complained and spent his time playing stickball with enthusiastic fans and signing autographs. Most importantly, he nearly always had a big smile on his face. He was so much fun, I imagine he would have played baseball even if he wasn't getting paid. That's what made this athlete a role model for people like me who grew up in the 1950s and '60s.
But hope is not lost. Other great, physically gifted athletes have followed Mays' example by doing exactly that. For many years, I've called Earvin “Magic” Johnson the Willie Mays of basketball. For once, there was rejoicing in Mudville, because Mays may have struck out every now and then at bat, but he always hit a grand slam in the game of life.
Bruce N. Shulman, Silver Spring
Willie Mays took his versatile talents from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues to the historic Giants franchise. From the East Coast in New York and San Francisco to the West Coast, Mays inspired generations of players and fans as baseball grew and established itself as the national pastime.
Shortly after his career began to take off, Mays served his country in the United States Army from 1952 to 1953. As the 1954 National League Most Valuable Player, he led the Giants to a World Series victory and made one of his most memorable plays, “The Catch,” in deep center field at the Polo Grounds. In addition to winning numerous awards during his playing career, Mays was named one of Major League Baseball's greatest living players in 2015 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom later that same year.
“But his incredible accomplishments and statistics don't even begin to describe the awe I felt watching Mays dominate the game in every way possible. We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Mays' family, friends in the baseball world, Giants fans around the world, and his countless admirers around the world.”
Paul Bacon, Hallandale Beach, Florida
George F. Will quite rightly cited Mickey Mantle of the Yankees as a rival for the late Willie Mays of the Giants, but he neglected to mention the third greatest New York center fielder of that era, Duke Snider of the Dodgers, who those of us who grew up around Ebbets Field well knew as a match for the two M's.
C. Fred Bergsten, Norfolk
Regarding Sally Jenkins' June 18 sports column, “DeChambeau is a total fraud. Not like Stewart at all.”:
Sally Jenkins' column on the most recent U.S. Open winner was certainly a good read, but her decision to label Bryson DeChambeau a “cheat” in a scathing indictment of Saudi sportswashing only served to deepen the social divide that already engulfs golf and most other sports. While lessons of fair play and sportsmanship are still taught in schools, money, not morality, is now the guiding principle in professional sports.
As long as the rules of the game are followed, trying to criticize professional athletes for taking money from the highest payers is misguided at best — it's like pointlessly lashing out at a dog's tail when its fangs are digging deep into its already mangled paws.
DeChambeau is getting the accolades he deserves for winning his second U.S. Open. He beat more than 150 top golfers who played on the same course, with the same prize money and by the same rules. Of course, he idolizes Payne Stewart, the Southern Methodist University alumnus who lit up the course with his gear. DeChambeau has loved golf since he was a young man and plays it with passion. His enthusiasm for getting fans excited is refreshing and far less narcissistic than tennis legend John McEnroe's tendency to yell at umpires about line calls.
Now, under intense media scrutiny, it's clear his maturity doesn't match his courage. The 30-year-old is a respectable player who has finished in the top six in all three majors he's played this year, but he's still developing as a respectable person.
But that is separate from the fact that the tyrannical monarch has never been held accountable for the brutal and inhuman murder and mutilation of Jenkins' Washington Post colleague Jamal Khashoggi — an ugly fact that should continue to make headlines.
Saudi Arabia's attempt to launder its reputation through huge investments in sports is just a few of the things that are hard to understand in sports today: Rory McIlroy's tendency to fall woefully short, the rude company of Northern Irish golfers yelling “USA, USA” after three-putting, or the sight of a golf commentator encouraging fans to place bets on FanDuel. Sadly, calling Bryson DeChambeau a world-class trickster doesn't improve any of this or make it any easier to understand.
Bob Ruprecht, Roswell, Georgia
I commend Sally Jenkins for her thorough analysis of Brian DeChambeau's character. It is clear that Mr. DeChambeau values wealth above basic moral principles. While watching the final round of the U.S. Open on television, I was disturbed to hear the crowds cheering for this unethical money-making guru, chanting “USA, USA.” All Mr. DeChambeau needed to do was entertain the crowd with a display of showmanship. Any doubts about funding terrorism and defending a government that violates basic human rights were apparently forgotten. The actions of these deluded people have tarnished the reputation of the U.S. Open, a venerable tournament that will celebrate its 125th anniversary next year.
Jerry Bradley, Springfield, Virginia
Regarding Jerry Brewer's June 9 sports column, “The Fiercest Fight in Sports,” and The Washington Post's June 13 letter to the editor:
“As a father, physician, and athlete, I am incredibly grateful for Brewer's article. In addition to bringing a respectful and sensitive discussion to the issue, it centers the experiences of transgender athletes and tells the story of Sadie Shriner. Too often, public figures use people who are different to them as talking points, erasing their uniqueness and struggles in the process.
The nearly 600 anti-transgender bills currently on the books in our country are the deliberate culmination of decades of systematic efforts to oppress and exclude — wrong when they were perpetrated against gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans, and wrong now.
The most common conditions I treat as a primary care physician are all related to a sedentary lifestyle, lack of good social support networks, or both. Sports and exercise are one of the best treatments I can prescribe. Being active and having a supportive environment where you belong is literally human medicine. Intentionally attacking and excluding a tiny minority of people who already face disproportionate health and safety challenges is clearly unhealthy for them, but such cruelty is also harmful to the soul of our nation.
Adding to these concerns, these decisions should be made by local communities who actually know the children involved, not state government officials who openly advocate for exclusion. Common-sense policies that would ensure that unfair hormonal advantages are not created already exist in many places, based on input from medical and policy experts and parents who interact with children every day. Would any child (or even adult) be willing to alter their body, submit to scrutiny and outright hatred, in order to win a sports trophy? This is more about freedom and authenticity than it is about sport.
I don't want to spend the rest of my career writing prescriptions for insulin, Ozempic, blood pressure meds, and antidepressants. Given the choice, I'd choose prescriptions for sports every time. Whether on the field, in the doctor's office, or in the public square we share with our fellow Americans, we are all weakened when doubt and anger prevail.
Alex Dworak, Ralston, Nebraska
Sally Jenkins’ June 16 sports column, “Athletes, You Don’t Want to Be University Employees,” made a thoughtful and persuasive argument that the National Labor Relations Board should not get involved in the mess that is athlete employee status.
But Jenkins left out perhaps the most troubling legal issue: the NLRB does not have the authority to rule on labor issues involving public universities; its jurisdiction is limited to the private sector. So Arch Manning and the University of Texas are outside the NLRB’s jurisdiction, while the Amherst quarterback is beyond the reach of the short-sighted institution. The Longhorns, Buckeyes, Badgers and Nittany Lions are safe. Not so for Duke, Northwestern or any Ivy League program. Those teams could be dragged into a collective bargaining quagmire over a “workforce” that may be significantly turned over each year. What will this mismatch of jurisdiction and experience mean for college sports, and for college athletes?
