Re: Cheerleader poll results

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.andara.com>]

Only on this list could such a simple question invoke such a complicated
response :-)

Cecil

-----Original Message-----
From: Adi Inbar <bis@world.std.com>
To: celtics@igtc.COM <celtics@igtc.COM>
Date: Sunday, June 21, 1998 6:21 AM
Subject: Re: Cheerleader poll results


>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.
>:)
>