>"Ho" is used more and more commonly today by the younger population as a general "friendly-insult" and is losing it's power and meaning just like the N word. Listen to rap music if you don't believe me. I believe the only problem was that Imus is white and said it, and if Snoop or Dr. Dre would say it, it would be fine.

Or ask Santa. HO! HO! HO!



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>>I also see a difference though, in the type of crap they have to put up with in comparison with their male counterparts. When was the last time you recall an announcer calling a male player a pimp, or a prostitute. Generally, the stuff male players have to put up with is aimed at their playing ability, or their mistakes, or, if they are in fact, law breakers, then that. These women were called prostitutes with no justification. That goes way over any line that any athlete should have to put up with even if they are in the public eye.
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>>>>>>Playing on a college sports team should not open one to the kind of public insult these girls were subjected to.
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>>>>>Well if you pick something to do that's going to land you in the public eye you best be prepaired to deal with the nutjobs and flakes (and the media).
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>>>>Actually, I have a problem with that in a couple of ways. First, that attitude is why we get such mediocre candidates for office. We've made running for and serving in public office such an ordeal that the people we'd really want doing it have no interest.
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>>>Quite true. Eventually if you try to run for a public office they'll start showing a video of you stealing a candybar when you were 4 years old and say you're a hardend lifelong criminal. Maybe someone will action off the wrapper it came in on eBay.
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>>>>Second, I'd argue that playing a college sport isn't the same as playing a professional sport, which certainly does make you a public figure (and thus subject to higher standards for slander and libel). If college athletes are subject to the same rules, what about high school athletes? Where do we draw the line?
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>>>Hey I didn't say I thought it was a good idea - it's just the way things are. I see things about high school football players on TV every year so that line has already been crossed - and heck they have little-leage baseball games on ESPN. But, knowing that this is the way things are, if you decide to be one of these athletes then you should be prepared to deal with the side-effects. Hopefully coaches & parents can have these kids and young adults prepared on how to handle idiot comments like what Imus made.
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>>>>I'd also argue that being a female basketball player at Rutgers isn't the same thing as being a male basketball player at Duke or being a football player at USC. There's definitely a continuum of expected publicity.
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>>>Also a good point. But still, it's a college sport and their team was a top rated team. No matter what there is going to be publicity. The local news is going to cover them and there are going to be a LOT of people that go to the games - so the players are going to be in the public eye to some degree anyway. And...being in the public eye you've opened the door for all the b.s. that's goes along with that.