More On Lolo & Shawn: 'Scott Pierce Said Publicly What a Few Folks Were Afraid To Say, For Fear Of Being Ripped Apart'

R. H. of Des Moines weighs in on the Lolo Jones/Shawn Johnson situation as it relates to the Des Moines media:

"On another subject, I'm still waiting for our local media to recognize Lolo Jones as an Olympian. Granted, her performance was disappointing. But it will be a long time before this area produces another Olympic track athlete. Sure, Shawn Johnson represented us very well. But it's easy to be humble with medals around your neck. Lolo's character was tested. She didn't just pass the test---she aced it.

"It is not my intention to stir the race baiters like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, but I can't think of another reason Lolo was slighted by our local media these past several weeks. For as long as I live, I will remember WHO-TV's pre-Olympics special "Iowa's Golden Girl" being about Shawn Johnson. If they mentioned Lolo (and I have to admit I did not watch it), they certainly didn't mention her in the promos or the opening of the show."

Ron,

"I've been listening (and so have everyone else) to Scott Pierce for about a decade now. I have been a fan of his for a long time.

"He nailed it with Mariotti the blowhard and the local coverage with Lolo.

"I'm going to stick with the Lolo angle for the purpose of this e-mail. Scott is the first person who publicly came out and said what a few folks were afraid to say, for fear of being ripped apart: Why the slight against Lolo?

"Was it because she came out of nowhere in the Olympic trials to win the hurdles and qualify for the Beijing Games? Is it because Lolo was in only one race, and Shawn was in several routines? Was it because Lolo lost her race?

"Or is it, as Scott pointed out, is it because Lolo is not Shawn Johnson? I think what Shawn has done was great, but Lolo was a greater story because she has spent a better part of 10 years going from the lanky runner from Roosevelt to an Olympian. Shawn is just getting started. Lolo had to perservere and work harder to realize her dream.

"To second Scott's thoughts was watching WHO-TV's late-night news coverage on the day Johnson winning the gold and Lolo losing her race. Nearly 10-15 minutes was devoted to Shawn (her routine, her parents, the kids from her gym at Boston's, the neighborhood watch party, etc).

"Anyone who ...
-always make it a priority to return home to visit family and friends every year,
-commit to running the Drake Relays every year, even if her sponsors didn't like it,
-to get her sponsors to pony up about $8,000, combined with her Olympic Trial winnings to give to a flood victim,
-and to donate shoes to her high school's track team

"...is a Gold Medalist in my book and is more deserving of media attention, or at least the same coverage that Shawn has received.

"I wonder if fellow gymnast Nastia Liukin still has that frown on her face. She hardly cracked a smile, even when she won gold.

"I look forward to hearing Scott call the Bulldogs-Peacocks tilt on KRNT tonight!"


R.H.
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for your comments, R. H. As usual, you made a lot of sense, and I know there are many people who agree with you. I, too, will be paying attention to Scott Pierce's broadcast of the Bulldogs-Peacocks tilt tonight from the local stadium, aka Johnny Bright Field].

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Lolo Jones is pictured at the top of this column, Shawn Johnson is pictured at the right.