Is taunting the other team at Allen Fieldhouse the right tradition for KU Athletics?

Ditch the dissing

On Thursday, Nov. 10, I attended my first Jayhawks men’s basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse. To prepare myself for the visit and check on the parking situation, I did an internet search and stumbled upon some of the traditions of attending a University of Kansas basketball game.

I should not have been surprised when I was handed a copy of the University Daily Kansan upon entering the building. I recalled one of the practices leading to the tip-off is to take the paper and give the appearance of reading it and flash the pro-KU poster often printed on it, not showing any significant interest as the opposing players are being introduced. Another tradition is to boo as the visiting team takes the court.

Shortly thereafter, I read in the Kansan a story about university sports venue renovations. The second paragraph stated that after a yearlong review, the 46-member committee for KU Athletics unveiled its “To the Stars” strategic plan with nine core values the school aspires to. They are integrity, accountability, commitment to excellence, resiliency, optimism, inclusive excellence, authenticity, competitiveness and togetherness.

Perhaps KU students and fans might reconsider their home game “traditions” to better reflect the values of the “To the Stars” campaign.

- Steve Oakes, Kansas City

Make them pay

We wonder why there is so much hatred and bitterness in the world. Well, the recent political campaigns are a good place to start.

Why can’t the candidates just tell us what they will do and be prohibited from bad-mouthing their opponents? Any candidate should be fined $1,000 each time he or she mentions an opponent by name in a derogatory manner. The fines should be accumulated and applied to the national debt.

If things continue as they are now, our debt would be reduced significantly in just a few elections. Perhaps eventually candidates would alter their behavior and the public would have less hatred and bitterness in their lives.

- Dennis Rabbitt, Leawood

Clear the way

I am a conservative who voted for former President Donald Trump twice. But no more. His time has come and gone.

I would like to thank Trump for two great things he accomplished: One, he kept Hillary Clinton out of the White House. And two, he gave the Supreme Court a solid conservative majority.

But now he has to go away. He will never be reelected — he is toxic. It’s time for Republicans to get behind Gov. Ron DeSantis of the great state of Florida.

- Daniel M. Meier, Village of Loch Lloyd

All that matters

God does not care about your sexual orientation. He only cares that your heart is filled with mercy and compassion for others in need.

- Thomas Krause, Kansas City

Waste of money

Having been a longtime Kansas City Royals baseball fan, I find it appalling that team CEO John Sherman and his part-owners are contemplating building a $2 billion stadium downtown. (Nov. 17, 1B, “Royals owner Sherman gives specifics on new ballpark”)

The money that has gone into Kauffman Stadium, via Jackson County taxpayers, has been money well spent. The stadium is beautiful. The Royals are not consistent winners by any means, but their stadium is fabulous.

A downtown stadium would take a tremendous amount of money to build. Yes, it would bring jobs to our city, but many of those workers might not even be from the area. Would it take advantage of the new streetcar line? Maybe. But with a downtown stadium, the only fans in attendance would be those young people who live downtown.

Without parking, you can say goodbye to the Johnson County, Lawrence and Topeka fans. Tailgating would be a thing of the past. With the current success of the Royals, tailgating is the only thing some fans look forward to.

Use that $2 billion to clean up the trash in Missouri and make the roads safe and accessible.

- Kate Kreamer, Fairway

Their own dime

I am a Kansas City sports lover who appreciates our teams, win or lose. The Royals’ intention of building a stadium downtown is an interesting prospect. I would be very happy if the owners decide to build a $2 billion edifice — as long as they honor their current lease on Kaufman Stadium and pay for the entire new project out of their own pockets.

Even if the Royals were perennial World Series champions, it would be excessive hubris to think that the taxpayers should contribute to this project. The team owner’s suggestion that the city would see a considerable financial gain from a new stadium should be carefully scrutinized. He mentions big numbers but doesn’t discuss the offset of the benefits realized at the current stadium.

What about all the jobs lost from closing the current stadium, as well as the financial impact on the area surrounding it?

This is not a case of a new team coming to town and building a brand-new stadium from scratch, but rather a trade-off of one site with all the attendant jobs and revenue for another.

Again, I am all for doing this if the team wishes to pay the entire cost. Then it really would be something for the city.

- Terry Rodeghier, Kansas City

Just two steps

I want to buy a new car or a house or a college education. I get a loan. I pay it back.

- Rex W. Hedding, Independence