European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 07, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday february 7, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 13 lure of Lucre can Lead Good skates to to Ellen Goodman just when you thought the Kudzu like plot of the Nancy and Tonya Story could t grow any thicker or faster along came a sturdy Little subplot. Outside the rinks and the courts there were visible sprouts of another rivalry Between ree Bok and Nike. Ever since Nike s president put up $25,000 for the defense of Harding tongues have been wagging. Were the folks a Nike really Ante ing up for truth and Justice or Are they  it to ree Bok since ree Bok has Nancy to endorse their goods does Nike want to endorse Tonya As an opponent this is a subplot that Only a cynic could love. But the wholesale transformation of athletes into actors vying for the starring role in ads has made cynicism obsolete. It is taken As a Given in this sorry tale that the real Gold Tonya and Nancy were going for is the big fat pot of endorsement Money. Even Tonya openly and misguided by shared her olympic fan Tasy saying there Are Little Dollar signs spinning around my  now Amateur analysts pin Harding s supposed bitterness on the Way she was denied endorsements. They say this As if successful athletes were entitled to take their rightful place in the realm of the 30-second and world. In the other Camp Kerrigan trackers declare that she s a Winner before she gets on the norwegian ice. Why be cause her agent s phone has t stopped ringing with offers. In Hollywood actress Candice Bergen goes from Murphy Brown to sprint. In Orlando athlete Shaquille o Neal goes from the magic to , Susan Powter starts out with an and and ends up a Best Selling a  it s a Small world in which Victory goes to the one with the highest q rating. The Only time we seem to notice the Subtle merchandising of everyone is when figure skating grows up politicians such As Geraldine Ferraro andean Quayle move from Selling them selves in Campaign ads to Selling Pepsi or potato chips. The Speed with which this has happened among athletes is record breaking. And yes depressing. Even Nova Lank tree who brokers sports figures for commercials remembers when athletes used to be called heroes or  now she says they Are called stars. They share this firmament with entertainers All twinkling for and dollars. How Long ago was it when we complained that soviet athletes were sup ported by the state they pledged Alle Giance to socialism. Our own Are supported by sneakers Colas and Ham burgers. They pledge allegiance to consumerism. The real winners and losers become those who do and Don t have the right stuff. The stuff to be successful at sales. Tonya loyalists Are absolutely right in noting that women who win endorsements fit a too narrow pretty Femi nine Dorothy Hamill Chris Evert and yes Nancy Kerrigan Mold. No Tough girls need apply. But when All is said and done soon i Hope the sorries spectacle is not just Tonya is. Nancy or Nike is. Reebok. It s the grand slam takeover by companies who award the real Gold medals. In this world every accomplishment has the same value a Market value. What you can do is Only Worth what you can sell. Any Day now the cameras will move from this seamy drama to the glamorous one at Lillehammer Norway. Light the Torch High. Welcome to the xviii olympiad the ultimate infomercial. Let the ads begin. C Tho Boston Globe Farrakhan dumb in g Happy family co n cent the speech was delivered nearly two months ago by a Man whose name you probably had t heard. And yet the remarks of Khalid Abdul Muhammad and the reaction to them May turn out to be a defining moment in american race relations. The speech itself was extraordinary even for ear used to hearing anti semitic digs and unfounded racial accusations from certain leaders of the nation of islam. Muhammad has been a senior aide to the Rev. Louis Farrakhan Leader of the religious organization. Jews he charged in his nov. 2.9 address at new Jersey s Kean College control the White House own the Federal Reserve Bank and manage National policy from be Hind the  notwithstanding that jews Are sucking our blood in the Black Community he said Many Black politicians Are in the Palm of the White Man s hand but particularly in the Palm of the jewish White Man s  then almost As if to show he is not merely anti semitic the speaker lit into the head of the roman Cath Olic Church the old no Good Pope you know that Cracker. Somebody need to raise that dress up and see what s really under there and called for the Slaughter of every White South african Man woman and child who fails to leave that country when Blacks gain Power there. The quotes unchallenged by the nation of islam Are from the anti defamation league which says it has transcribed a recording of the speech. It was As i say extraordinary. But so was the response. Black leaders especially the Rev. Jesse l. Jackson but also rep. Weisi Mfume chairman of the congressional Black caucus the Rev. Al Sharpton former rep. Bill Gray and others denounced it As racist anti semitic damaging and untrue. More extraordinary yet Jackson called on Farrakhan to repudiate Muhammad s remarks Farrakhan said last thursday that Muhammad had been removed from his Job the associated press re ported from Washington. I found the speech after listening to it in context vile in manner repugnant malicious mean spirited and spoken in mockery of individuals and people which is against the spirit of islam Farrakhan said at news conference. While i stand by the truths that he spoke i must condemn in the strongest terms the Man Ner in which those truths were represented Farrakhan  could possibly re turn to his Job if he Demon Strates that he is willing to con form to nation of islam standards Farrakhan said there has Long Keenan uneasy coexistence of main Stream Black organizations with the nation of islam in Many ways like the relationship Between the 1960s civil rights leaders and Malcolm x. One has been Black America s civil voice the other its impudent in your face Macho voice. The two might by now be Spe Kingas one. But the civil rights leadership has gagged on the nation s anti semitism both As a practical political matter jews remain important political allies and As matter of True revulsion. For a Long time it did t matter much. But in recent years Farrakhan has coveted a role in american poli tics and to that end he has moved to make himself and his following less unacceptable to the mainstream. William Raspberry he has met with White editors and reporters Longa no no for the organization. He has tried to be helpful to Black politicians. He has softened his anti jewish rhetoric. He even performed a violin recital he played Mendelssohn As a sort of peace offering to jews. Then during last september s congressional Black caucus weekend in what Many saw As a major break through Farrakhan and the mainstream Black leadership appeared to reach an Accord. It was in fact less a breakthrough than a trap. There. Benjamin Chavis new head of the a act tried at a Public forum on race to Patch things up with Farrakhan Over the latter s exclusion from the commemorative March on Washington a month earlier. The minister and leaders of the movement should meet in private to work things out Chavis said. Farrakhan spotted the opening and went for it. " when we have this meeting in closed session he said May we Iron out whatever differences we May have and make a pledge to each other that we can Sayin Public that we will never let somebody outside of our family determine what goes on inside our family. And we will Tell those who wish to exclude a member of the family from participating with the family to keep their Mouth out of our family  / translation let me Back into the family and Don t worry what the jews will say. Jackson and the others have made what amounts to a counter offer if you want to be Welcome at thee family table Stop playing in the dirt and Wash your hands. C Tho Washington Post