Re: Cheerleader poll results

[bis@world.std.com (Adi Inbar)]

Rich Davies <davies@theshop.net> wrote:
>Well, here's the results.
>
>FOR - 7
>AGAINST - 34
>
>And 1 INDIFFERENT. Somebody wrote in just today to tell me my poll was
>incomplete because it didn't have a DIDN'T CARE or INDIFFERENT vote.

That was me.  I don't think a glitzy halftime show is necessary, and
it doesn't seem likely to me that it'll put many more fans in the
seats, but I don't see how it could be a distraction from the game.
Presumably, people show up to see a basketball game.  They don't play
basketball during halftime anyway, so what difference does it make if
they have cheerleaders, or a dancing gorilla, or exploding
motorcycles, or nothing?  They could have Bozo the Clown reading
poetry in Greek for all I care.   "Tradition" is a funny answer - I've
never understood why some people think something should or should be
done just because it has or hasn't been done in the past.

>Everybody's entitled to their opinion, and mine is, if you don't care,
>ABSTAIN. Most of the list did, as 43 votes is not even 10% of the total
>list membership (close to 600, as I recall).

Well, abstaining from a poll isn't the same as not having an opinion.
I don't think an opinion poll can be very meaningful if it doesn't
count people who are either uncertain or indifferent.  Your results
are roughly an 80-20 split, but does that mean that a large majority
are against cheerleaders, or does that mean that a minority are
opposed to cheerleaders, and an even smaller minority are in favor?
It could be that 25% don't want cheerleaders, 5% want them, and 70%
either are on the fence or couldn't care less.

>In any case, not this poll nor any list member will have an effect on
>the real decision by the organization to put the cheerleaders out there.
>Unless, of course, they get booed off the floor.

And we don't know whether that's likely or not, because we don't know
if the majority of the fans are against cheerleaders or don't care.
:)