The Mighty Pen

Maybe it's because Terrell Owens was trying to join a team instead of get thrown off one; maybe it's because we're in Year Two of the post-Bonds era; maybe it's because the NBA's dress code is finally making a difference. Whatever the reason, these last few months have seen a shift in sports infighting, from coach vs. player to coach vs. journalist.

The most prominent example of this came when Ken Krayeske asked UConn's Jim Calhoun about his salary in relation to the state's budget crisis. Last Wednesday, though, the revolution reached our children. Michael Daly, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the managing editor of the Royal Purple, its weekly student paper, wrote an op-ed titled "Spoiled athletes need reality check." The school's football coach, Lance Leipold, summarily banned his players and coaches from talking to the paper. In other words, he pulled a Calhoun.