8A - Thursday, November 2, 2006 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Sports and politics can coexist 4 Carson Butler leads Michigan tight ends with 10 receptions on the season. Butler was a state champion in basketball at Detroit's Renaissance High School. Former hooper catches on his Monday, college basket- ball coaches from across the state - including Michi- gan State coach Tom Izzo and the University's own Tommy Amaker - announced their opposition to ballot Proposal 2, which would amend Michigan's constitution to ban some race- and MAW gender-based preferences in SINGER public institu- tions. Spitting Fire It seems odd that these coaches, who make their living teaching young men how to win basketball games, would get involved in such a hotly contested political issue. But Proposal 2 is more than your typical political football. If passed, it will fundamentally alter the makeup of Michigan's universities. Just ask California residents, who approved a similar measure 10 years ago and watched minority enroll- ment in their public universities plummet. With Election Day rapidly approaching and the poiis showing a tight split in the electorate, the coaches decided that Proposal 2 is too important to ignore. They are taking a stand, opening themselves up for criticism and abuse based on their political views, in addition to the usual complaints about their coach- ing. So why bother? Why put your head on the chopping block for the slim chance that your appeal actually impacts the outcome of an election? The answer: Basketball coaches are citizens, just like the rest of us, with an interest in how this state is governed. The only difference is that they, as public figures, have a bigger megaphone through which they can speak. If they want to use it, by all means, they should. That's not to say coaches should devote their time to traveling the state, rallying support for every state- house candidate and local election. But if an issue is monumental enough - as Proposal 2 no doubt is - sports figures should be encouraged to take a stand. It happens more often than you might expect. In 2004, then-Toronto Blue Jays first basemen Carlos Delgado pro- tested the Iraq War by refusing to stand for the singing of "God Bless America." "Sometimes, you've just got to break the mold," Delgado told The Toronto Star at the time. "You've got to push it a little bit or else you can't get anything done." Political speech in sports isn't just a liberal phenomenon. Immediately after winning the World Series in 2004, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling turned his attention toward securing another victory - President George W. Bush's re-election. He went on "Good Morning America" to tout Bush's candidacy and later recorded telephone calls supporting Bush. Many sports figures even run for public office. Jack Kemp, once an NFL quarter- back, was the 1996 vice presidential candidate. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky was a hall-of-fame pitcher. Former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne moved straight from the sidelines to the U.S. Capitol as a member of the House of Representa- tives. NFL castoff Heath Shuler is cur- rently running for Congress as a Democrat, while NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann is the Republican guber- natorial candidate in Pennsylvania. Of course, there is nothing special about sports figures that makes them better politicians or more responsible in their political choices. But because of their notoriety, they're especially capable of increasing public dis- course and widening the political debate. In my mind, that's always a good thing. One look at a counter-example - a famous athlete who stays out of politics at all costs - demonstrates the negative repercussions of athletic apathy. In his home state of North Carolina, Michael Jordan famously declined to endorse African-Ameri- can civil-rights leader Harvey Gantt, who twice ran for Senate against notorious race-baiter and conserva- tive Republican Jesse Helms. Gantt lost narrowly both times. The always image-conscious Jor- dan explained his neutrality with the stomach-churning words, "Republi- cans buy sneakers, too." No one will ever know if Jordan could have turned the tide in those elections, but to me, his actions serve as a clear example of what sports fig- ures shouldn't do. Athletes and coaches need not be political junkies, but they can alert an apathetic public to political hap- penings much more important than the outcome of this year's Michigan- Michigan State basketball game. On Tuesday night, we'll find out if affirmative action has a future in Michigan. But no matter how the vote on Proposal 2 turns out, Amaker and Izzo deserve credit for putting them- selves on the line and standing up for their beliefs. - Singer can be reached at mattsing@umich.edu. 4 By MATT SINGER Daily Sports Editor Two years ago, Carson Butler was a wide receiver at Detroit Renaissance High School, and his primary role was catch- ing passes and blocking skinny defensive backs. But after making the move to tight end at Michigan, Butler's job description changed. Among his new responsibilities: taking on arguably the best defensive end in the country every day in practice. "During fall camp, I was messing with (Butler), saying 'I'm gonna come get you every day,' " senior co-captain LaMarr Woodley said. Facing Woodley was just one of the new challenges Butler faced during his transi- tion to tight end. "The hardest thing to grasp at tight end for me was blocking at first," Butler said. "You gotta get used to blocking, reading coverages and defenses. It was all a big change from high school to college. It was just starting all over again." Butler took the new responsibilities - and Woodley's threats - in stride. And in the second half of his redshirt fresh- man season, Butler has finally received the opportunity to show off what he's learned. Coming into the 2006 campaign, Butler was listed as the third tight end on Michi- gan's depth chart, behind fifth-year senior Tyler Ecker and redshirt sophomore Mike Massey. As a result, he saw limited snaps early in the season. Due to some injuries, the situation soon changed. Ecker went down with an ankle injury against Minnesota and then Massey got injured during the Penn State game.Tor better or worse, the door opened for Butler. During the past three games - including the matchup with Penn State - Butler has played a key part of the Wolverines' pass- ing attack. He's caught seven passes for 61 yards in that stretch, and his 10 receptions on the season are tops among Michigan's tight ends. But Butler has learned that extra playing time isn't all fun and games. After playing virtually all of the Iowa game, Butler was winded. His coach noticed and dealt him a playful verbal jab. "(Coach Lloyd Carr's) comment to me was: 'First you weren't playing that much. Now you're playing a lot, and you can't take it,'" Butler said. Still, you can bet Carr is happy that the 6-foot-4, 247-pound Butler is playing his college ball on the turf, instead of the hard- wood. Butler's main focus in high school was basketball, and during his junior year, he didn't even put on his helmet and shoulder pads. That season, Butler helped Detroit Renaissance to the Class B state champion- ship. Despite his success on the basketball court, Butler didn't forget about football. He returned to the field for his senior year and starred at wide receiver, earning a foot- ball scholarship to Michigan. Football may pay his way through school, but Butler can still hold his own on the basketball court. Back in Detroit, he hoops it up with high school teammates Malik Hairston (Oregon) and Joe Craw- ford,(Kentucky). "Whenever we're all at home, we play basketball," Butler said. "It's fun. We keep in contact, we're all good friends. It's a good thing because we all went off to college, and it seems like a lot of things are working out for each of us." Butler, who averaged 21 points per game and earned all-state accolades his senior season, even has visions of one day suiting up for the Maize and Blue in Crisler Arena. "I'd love to play basketball here," Butler said. "That's just up to what my future is as far as football and what Lloyd needs me to do." Dreams of playing for Tommy Amaker's squad aside, Butler's focus right now is strictly on the gridiron. The undefeated Wolverines are two games away from an epic matchup with Ohio State. And with Ecker and Massey's status still uncertain, Butler will play a key role for Michigan down the stretch. Butler says he's ready for the challenge. "When Tyler went down, when Mike went down, that was a lot of playing time," Butler said. "They are great assets to our team, of course we want them there, but now it's an opportunity for me to step up and take advantage." 4 Johnson's suspension shakes up lineup at forward and on defense By JAMES V. DOWD Daily Sports Writer With sophomore standout Jack Johnson sus- pended for Friday night's hockey game at Michi- gan State, Michigan coach Red Berenson is displaying a growing trust in seniors Tim Cook and Morgan Ward. To fill the defensive void left by Johnson's absence, Berenson will shift Cook back to his former spot on the blue line and insert Ward as a fourth-line forward. Ward will likely skate with sophomores Danny Fardig and Brandon Naurato. The move back to the blue line is a natural one for Cook, who had never played a single game as a forward at any level before this season. At the beginning of this season, the Wolverines welcomed freshmen defensemen Steven Kampfer and Chris Summers into the lineup. With Cook seeming tobe the odd defenseman out, Berenson experimented with the senior at forward where he has been pleased with Cook's hustle. "(Cook) gives us something that the average player can't," Berenson said. "He's a team player, he's enthusiastic. He'll do whatever it takes to help the team. He's growing with that position, too - he never played forward before. But you can see he knows how to play the game." As unnatural as it was for the lifelong defen- seman to move up front, Cook has adjusted well. He loves playing forward and does whatever he can for the team. Playing forward has also helped Cook learn lessons about how defensemen can contribute to the offense more efficiently. "It helps me to see where to get the puck to (the forwards when I play defense)," Cook said. "We need to give it to them in a place where they can do something with it. (I now see) howhard it is to take it off the boards and do something." Like Cook, Ward is excited to get into the lineup. After playing just three games last season, Ward will equal that total this year with his appearance on Friday. In the two games he played this season, Ward notched an assist against Alabama-Hunts- ville and played significant minutes in a victory over Miami (Ohio). The assist was Ward's first point at Michigan. Although Cook has seen more time in the final forward spot recently, Ward believes he can pro- vide a physical presence when he plays. Ward also thinks he can provide valuable competition for his teammates week in and week out. "Any time you get into the game, you want to shine," Ward said. "A lot of competition (for lineup spots) will make the team better." Part of Ward's task will be to jumpstart the fourth-line offense. Michigan's third- and fourth- line forwards haven't scored a goal this season. If the Wolverines expect to compete with Mich- igan State this weekend and Nebraska-Omaha the following week, they will need contributions from those forwards. The Spartans and Mavericks are averaging 4.50 and 4.83 goals per game, while allowing just 3.00 and 2.50, respectively. When Johnson returns on Saturday night, Cook will likely move back into his forward posi- tion, leaving Ward out of the lineup. But Ward's opportunity to play will prove invaluable come December, when several players, including John- son, will likely be lost for the Great Lakes Invita- tional while Michigan plays at the World Junior Championships in Sweden. 4 Student Housing Student Owned Democratically Run Since 1937 4 & 8 Month Fall/Winter Contracts $475/mo. 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