Letter to William Paley, Chairman, CBS Inc. in New York. The letter says the CBS Sports Spectacular telecast of the Knoetze fight celebrated a value abhorrent to people throughout the world - racism. Action must be taken by CBS to reduce the social damage caused by such a celebration. Knoetze's personal involvement as an agent of the South Africa regime in crippling a Black African child intimately links him with that racism. Discrimination on the basis of race still characterizes sports in South Africa. In 1968 South Africa was expelled from the International Amateur Boxing Association because of its racial practices and its expulsion has not been revoked. Not only was the status of racism...
Letter to William Paley, Chairman, CBS Inc. in New York. The letter says the CBS Sports Spectacular telecast of the Knoetze fight celebrated a value abhorrent to people throughout the world - racism. Action must be taken by CBS to reduce the social damage caused by such a celebration. Knoetze's personal involvement as an agent of the South Africa regime in crippling a Black African child intimately links him with that racism. Discrimination on the basis of race still characterizes sports in South Africa. In 1968 South Africa was expelled from the International Amateur Boxing Association because of its racial practices and its expulsion has not been revoked. Not only was the status of racism enhanced by staging the fight, but also by the manner in which CBS Sports televised it. An editorial by Jack Whitaker was included with (a) condemned the U.S. Government's actions in seeking to adhere to its international commitments to deny racism a platform in this country and (b) castigated opponents of the fight, suggesting that had they had their way we would be creating an Orwellian 1984-type of society. No representative from ACCESS or PUSH or any other organization with an opposing view was given time to respond. Some element of balance can still be contributed by provision of promotion and program time on CBS Sports Spectacular to a recognized authority opposed to the position taken by Whitaker and CBS Sports. Let me suggest the Black South African sportsman, Dennis Brutus, who is a professor of English at Northwestern University. Copies of the letter were sent to Robert Wussler, Pres., CBS Television Network Division; Barry Frank, V.P. CBS Sports; FCC, Operation PUSH, NAACP, Urban League.
