He said, she said
July 14th, 2007, 9:28 am · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Zeiger
Transcribing the myriad interviews I did for this project resulted in a Microsoft Word document of 19 pages, single-spaced. Not every good quote could make it into the newspaper, and here’s a few that were left over:
John Bebbling, Arizona State University athletic booster, on Sun Devil Stadium: “It needs some help, especially with the women’s bathrooms. You want to bring a woman to a football game, you should take care of her toilet for her. They’re waiting in line for a long time.”
Michael Crow, ASU president: “One of the key elements of American success is competition in contests. Our culture has evolved with that, and it’s been a part of our tradition for a long time. American colleges are the place where that character is expressed. It’s the highest level of amateur sports, other than the Olympics. It’s a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate American competitiveness and build that spirit, and athletics is absolutely a central part of that for a university.”
Lisa Love, athletic director, on the role athletics should play on campus, particularly financially: “We are an entertainment entity that has a good ability to make some money. We ought to be able to, down the line, call a librarian or professor and ask how we can help and write a check. The direction for our biggest revenue producers is real. The opportunity with football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball is big. We’re getting good play on television, and it’s a very positive vibe. Now, we have to make the dollars and cents work.”
Sheila McInerney, women’s tennis coach, on what keeps her going after 23 seasons at ASU: “In college coaching, you get older, but the kids stay the same age. That invigorates you. When the kids move in the dorm as freshmen, that gives you a shot of energy. You get as excited about it as they do and want them to make the most of it.”
John Spini, women’s gymnastics coach, on ASU’s reputation as a party school: “What I always tell (parents) — and I would say this to your daughter if I were recruiting her for gymnastics — is that if they wanted to find a party on any campus, they would find one. If they wanted to find the library, they would find it. A lot of times, the kids they are hanging out with, you need to be aware of them more than anything else.”
