My wife and I just returned from our annual Valentine's Day and anniversary trip from Las Vegas, and I felt compelled to write this letter. Some might consider it racist, even though it absolutely is not.
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We have never had a worse trip to your city than this year. With the NBA All-Star Game and the emphasis on hip-hop entertainment, the Strip was overrun with the "hip-hop" generation. It was appalling to listen to the language coming from both the young men and young women as they walked the Strip. The rudeness and attempted intimidation made walking on the strip a very unpleasant experience.
I am 64 and my wife is 57, and very rarely did any of these young people even attempt to move over slightly to let others also pass. The loudness, rudeness and total lack of civility exhibited by the majority of these young people was very sad to see. I do not understand why the city of Las Vegas would seek this type of visitor. They make everyone's trip much less enjoyable.
JERRY WAAK
FORT WAYNE, IND.
Not real
To the editor:
In response to Ron Nowicki's Friday letter about the "desecration" of the Statue of Liberty at the New York-New York hotel by putting a giant basketball jersey over it: He does realize it's not the real Statue of Liberty, and that this one is attached to a casino?
Drew Semprazik
LAS VEGAS
Obnoxious behavior
To the editor:
The NBA was in town this past weekend for the annual All-Star Game. Sounds great. Lots of publicity, numerous famous people and lots of action. It also brings a boost to our economy.
On the other hand, maybe you are like me and got the true taste of this weekend.
Young, aggressive types loitering for great lengths of time. Hordes of toughs who filter in and out of the hotels, drinking to excess, trying to catch the attention from one or all. Intimidating men and women abusing the staff and disrupting the flow of business because they could not care less. Their obnoxious behavior was the norm this weekend.
For every real fan of the NBA or legitimate tourist taking in this weekend, there were far too many more looking to enjoy themselves at the expense of others.
It is too bad Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman didn't get the opportunity to be a security officer, waiter, cocktail server, bartender, casino porter or policeman. Maybe then, he could celebrate these heroic efforts.
michael contorelli
LAS VEGAS
NBA 'element'
To the editor:
I hope that after this weekend, the mayor and his cronies finally give up wooing the NBA in an effort to bring a professional basketball team here. Shootings, fights with 100 or so people involved -- I was shaking my head while watching the news and hearing about the crime that happened over the weekend that could be directly attributed to the "element" that the NBA festivities had attracted to Las Vegas.
While police can be commended for doing an excellent job of keeping these idiots from doing too much damage, officers have enough to deal with in terms of day-to-day crime.
Thank you, NBA Commissioner David Stern, for finally saying the obvious: the Thomas & Mack Center is not big enough for another game. I know Las Vegans are not willing to go through another weekend like the last.
Elizabeth MacDowell
LAS VEGAS
Family values?
To the editor:
After the Janet Jackson and Prince performances in recent Super Bowl halftime shows, one would have thought the NBA would show some common sense and offer family entertainment during Sunday's All-Star Game. However, the decision to flaunt scantily-clad showgirls throughout the evening and the decision to feature Christina Aguilera showed poor judgment by the NBA.
This was hardly family entertainment and served up a black eye to Commissioner David Stern and the NBA. What happened to the day when children could watch a basketball game with their parents and not be bombarded by blatant sexuality?
Sunday night's lesson in exhibitionism was an affront to families and to decency.
DENNIS DURBAND
CHANDLER, ARIZ.
Neff's got game
To the editor:
Erin Neff's columns are hard to categorize. Like the morning dew (or sometimes like acid rain), they are all over, which indicates the reach of her interests and knowledge.
With her Sunday column about David Stern and the NBA, however, she has outdone herself. Terms such as "sucker bet," "chump change," "take a 13 percent hit," "taking the league off the board," and "give it our best shot, the worst that can happen is the jumper rims out" (a classic) are not terms that are part of the typical female vocabulary. Plus, her perspective on the whole Las Vegas pro sports betting scene was the most comprehensive I have heard or read anywhere, and it was dead on.
I hesitate to say this because she might be offended, but when it comes to sports knowledge, Ms. Neff is one of the boys. The lady has game.
