# Racing Pigeons in Sports Illustrated



## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

I got a call today that there is an article in the January 28, 2008 issue of 
Sports Illustrated written by Chris Ballard. As I read a few lines into the article, it became very apparent that the writer had no interest or love for pigeons. 

From my perspective, the article was a hachet job on the sport. The first few lines pretty much gives you the tone of the article.

*"I knew I was too involved when I got a frantic call from Gustavo. I needed to hear the truth about the race, he said. Things had gotten out of hand. Now there were threats. People might sue. The syndicate from Arizona was pissed. So was the crew from Colorado and the team from Wales, not to mention the Germans, in their matching jackets and rented BMWs. Hundreds of thousands in bets and prize money on the line, and now one accusation after another."*

*How did it come to this? All these men arguing over a bunch of birds. And not just any birds. Pigeons. But that’s getting ahead of the story. Better to rewind to when I first heard about the Vegas Classic, the biggest pigeon race in the U.S., a 300-mile airborne sprint for hundreds of Columba livia. The source was a shady friend of a friend who went on about international gamblers obsessed with these tiny, molting Secretariats. I was intrigued. Who were these people? Why did they do it? And what was so wrong with horses, dogs and long-limbed athletes that they preferred to wager on creatures best known for loosing their stool upon statues of civic leaders? In pursuit of answers, I boarded a *November flight for that great, blinking metropolis in the desert......*


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Gee, Warren...that article was just getting more interesting...

What else did he say? Obviously not a pigeon fan!

Mmmm, Arizona??? Wonder if that involved a man I know here who races pigeons?

Shi


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

That don't sound so good huh? Guess I need to go buy the magazine and see what it's all about.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I just found this on the web site. I THINK it's the article. Going to read it now.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/01/23/the.birds0128/index.html


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Send me an email [email protected] and I will email it to you. It was too large to post on here...25,000+ characters. Don't want anyone to support the magazine by purchasing a copy.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Yep.....just look at the link...


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

that has to be one of the worst written articles and one sided opinions i have evr read in all my years of pigeon flying.what a sad disgrace of an article.


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2008)

I have to agree , he sure did a good job of making pigeon people look like idiots  even took away the magic of how they are true chapions in their quest for home oii , this guy needs a slap.. or two


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2008)

plusssss ...you can tell so much research went into that article too grrr ..still reading it ..


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Warren, I did read all 6 pages and while the author is, indeed, NOT a pigeon fancier, he sure does have a way with words!!

What a shame the race turned out the way it did...

Sorry, but there WERE sections that I found quite humorus!

Of course, he sure didn't change MY mind about pigeons!

Even WITH the negative aspect, thanks for bringing the article to our attention! BTW, I DID learn a little more about pigeon racing!

Shi

OOPS, looks like I am DEFINITELY in the minority with my opinion(s)...


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well..............I've read the article two times. Obviously, this writer does not, nor will he ever see pigeons the way that WE do.......however, he's apparently quoting some of the things that he heard or that were said to him. He's got specific names attached to some of the quotes and I doubt (guess I could be wrong) that he would directly quote someone as saying something that they didn't say. Aside from this writers personal views on pigeons, which, by the way he has a right to, whether we like it or not, I'm not seeing very much wrong with what he's written. 
No matter what we think, this writer can't see past the "rats with wings" and the pigeon poop. He's not the ONLY one in the world who thinks that you know. And after spending three days amongst pigeon fanciers, actually going into a loft, actually seeing a drop of birds.........it obviously just didn't thrill him. It's HIS problem........
There was the comment _"Thus Sittner's lofts are like smelly, poop-encrusted vaults"_.....do any of you personally know Sittner? Have you been to his loft? I surely haven't, so I have no idea how he keeps them. If that's the way this guy sees the lofts OR that's the way the loft WAS the day he was there..........what are you supposed to do? 
As far as the pigeons fanciers being made to look like idiots.......well, it WAS announced that this writer was there. THEY were the ones running off at the mouth.
If I'm missing something.......please enlighten me........I'd be curious to know exactly what you guys are reading that you don't like or agree with.


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2008)

i guess it is a to each his own kinda article and I just dont see how he wasnt entertained or amused by all that went on around him .. I mean hes got 6 pages of stuff written there  All I can really say is why couldnt they of had someone that had at least some interest in what went on do the article to give the pigeon what it is due ..its not like pigeons get anything out of all the work they put in


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2008)

oh and one more thing ,my pigeons have decided after all this not to renew their subscription to the sports illustrated pigeon swimsuit addition


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

i must admit the second time i read it i was only half as mad.what do i personally have a problem with in this article?1) this person is using all the old sayings about pigeons,and molding a readers opinion on them before he himself even gets to the beginning of the event.and he admits he has no knowledge of them while hes doing this.2)he is interviewing people that are drunk(i assume they were) and using some of their comments for forming a opinion on the whole ordeal when you cant tell me he didnt speak to others during this that would have spoken more rationally and probably alot more intelligent about pigeons.3)then when he does finally speak to someone who i know is a good pigeon man and would never put pigeons in a bad light,he makes fun of the mans bad luck in my view,and then in a national magazine insults the mans lofts and puts the whole thing in a bad light.(which he apparently was out to do in the first place.)i could really go on and on about this.i might say pigeon talk isnt the only place i heard about this from,and non pigeon flying people that know me brought this to my attention as well.they had a similiar opinion to me and they dont even fly pigeons,and only have learned basic knowledge about the sport from me.im just flat disgusted


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

It just seems like he didn't even give the sport or the pigeons a chance based on the first part of the article that was written before he even went to the race. What ever he sure doesn't know what he is missing lol.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

Well I read the whole thing... he compared pigeon lofts to a trailer park. Hmm... he sounds pretty biased.... and those darn Hawaiians!


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

What exactly was so negative about this article Warren? 
The article focused mainly on the sport, and on the dirtier side of it which I see nothing wrong with. To me, it's beyond belief how you could run a race with that much cash involved and not have a backup clock. Mr. Sittner hopefully will learn a lesson from this and put some sort of backup system in place for the next Vegas Classic - if there is another Vegas Classic. The simple fact is, when you have hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money and side bets up for grabs and something goes wrong that puts into question the outcome of the race, things can get pretty ugly. 

Is this a bad article because he says that pigeons poop? Is it a bad article because of the way he portrays the fanciers at the race as slightly eccentric? Is it a bad article because he points out that there's big money riding on a lot of these races?

Good article IMO. Finally a fresh perspective on pigeon racing that isn't confined to explanations of how winners are determined, how a clock works, or how many miles a bird can make it home from. I've read all that drivel before and frankly it's getting kind of boring and tiresome I like seeing stuff like this that focuses on a different aspect of the sport. The people themselves, and their many personalities. (actually, reading about it all made me wish I were there)


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

roxtar said:


> What exactly was so negative about this article Warren?
> The article focused mainly on the sport, and on the dirtier side of it which I see nothing wrong with. To me, it's beyond belief how you could run a race with that much cash involved and not have a backup clock. Mr. Sittner hopefully will learn a lesson from this and put some sort of backup system in place for the next Vegas Classic - if there is another Vegas Classic. The simple fact is, when you have hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money and side bets up for grabs and something goes wrong that puts into question the outcome of the race, things can get pretty ugly.
> 
> Is this a bad article because he says that pigeons poop? Is it a bad article because of the way he portrays the fanciers at the race as slightly eccentric? Is it a bad article because he points out that there's big money riding on a lot of these races?
> ...


Just a question... Do you fly pigeons? or Do you have a shred of respect for pigeons at all? This was one of the most negative articles on pigeon racing I have probably ever seen.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> Just a question... Do you fly pigeons? or Do you have a shred of respect for pigeons at all? This was one of the most negative articles on pigeon racing I have probably ever seen.


Yeah, I fly pigeons. I was also a professional gambler from the time I was 19 up until the time I was about 28..... I know how gamblers are, and I know that they will bet on literally anything and that when things go wrong they get upset. Which is basically what this article was about - the massive amounts of cash involved as not only prize money but side bets.



> The source was a shady friend of a friend who went on about international gamblers obsessed with these tiny, molting Secretariats.


I've never wagered a penny on a pigeon race but having been around these types of people it doesn't surprise me one bit especially in a place like Las Vegas.


As for whether or not I have respect for pigeons, nah I wouldn't say it's respect, I'd say it's more of a love..... 

I still don't see what's so negative about the article (except for the references to poop). Care to come up with any specifics?


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

i just moved the article on to my computer and removed all the parts of the article that refer to the gambling and the mishap of the race,etc. and tried to focus on the many things this author does to mislead the readers about the sport.it is just utterly ridiculous.im not gonna even list the many examples because im very angry about this right now,and im gonna reflect on it for awhile.

me-i not only love my birds,i have a deep respect for them as well as any animal that can perform at a level such as our birds do.nuff said on that.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

k-will said:


> i just moved the article on to my computer and removed all the parts of the article that refer to the gambling and the mishap of the race,etc. and tried to focus on the many things this author does to mislead the readers about the sport.it is just utterly ridiculous.im not gonna even list the many examples because im very angry about this right now,and im gonna reflect on it for awhile.
> 
> me-i not only love my birds,i have a deep respect for them as well as any animal that can perform at a level such as our birds do.nuff said on that.


True dat LOL


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2008)

the only problem I can say that I saw with this article was that guy dissed pigeons every chance he got.. like our pigeons ever came close to pooping anywhere near a statue or car for that matter  he even went as far as to diss the fact that they come home at all, like in the wild is so much better for them to be in a world that hates them as much as it does :s all I see was him trying to confirm the fact that all they do is dirty everything and everywhere.. we all know they can poop but so what , look at all the things dogs pee on but you never hear anything from the fire department about them peeing on every fire hydrant they pass within a mile radious do you? like they dont get enuf bad press as it is for just living


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> I've been calling around, getting familiar. It is not hard to get racers to talk. More often it is harder to get them to stop. There is a point in a sport's evolution at which participants no longer need to do their own public relations. Pigeon racing is not at that point. Pigeon racing couldn't find that point on a map with a fleet of GPS satellites. Rather, having a conversation with an avid racer is akin to going to check out a progressive church and walking in the door to find that, uh-oh, it's just you and the preacher.


OK, I'll concede that this part of the article could be seen as insulting to some, but I find it funny because is some instances it's true (myself included).


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I've only read a few lines here and there, other than what was in the first post. I'm thinking I'm not going to like the way this is written.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I think we should just take it as it is. I do like Elvises comment at the end of the article. "The things people do". Also knowing of Sittners antics and meeting the netorious partying Jones Boys, I would not expect much less from the author. This is pigeon racing at its worst. If you have ever been at a pigeon auction and watched grown men spend their monthly mortgage on a bird and then his car payment, it is easy to understand. Many think they are going to strike it rich with pigoens. Many of these races are like gambling is, you only hear about the winnings and not the investment. 

One of these days, I will have to enter the race, just to see for myself. The difference will be that I unlike some of those racers and the author will not purposly exploit the birds, but enjoy their ablilities. 

Randy


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

Well I have read the article twice and there are things that pigeon flyers most of whom in all likelyhood had one to many to drink. Most were shooting off their mouth quoting hear say and half truths.Enough said there is one thing that I feel that the writer miss that is how sorry he felt for SITTER let me quote "In his office Sitter slumps in a chair ,an untouched glass of Jack Daniels in front of him.He is sunburned and has pork juice on his Vagas Classic t-shirt. I feel bad for him.This is obviously a labor of avian love.( here is the kicker) HE MAKES LITTLE OR NO MONEY OFF THIS RACE". now thats a load of pigeon s... We all know that 15% of all thats comes in is Sitter's cut and that aint Pigeon Feed. .GEORGE


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

george simon said:


> Well I have read the article twice and there are things that pigeon flyers most of whom in all likelyhood had one to many to drink. Most were shooting off their mouth quoting hear say and half truths.Enough said there is one thing that I feel that the writer miss that is how sorry he felt for SITTER let me quote "In his office Sitter slumps in a chair ,an untouched glass of Jack Daniels in front of him.He is sunburned and has pork juice on his Vagas Classic t-shirt. I feel bad for him.This is obviously a labor of avian love.( here is the kicker) HE MAKES LITTLE OR NO MONEY OFF THIS RACE". now thats a load of pigeon s... We all know that 15% of all thats comes in is Sitter's cut and that aint Pigeon Feed. .GEORGE


Yeah... that is what I thought the man lines his pockets with gold once a year on this race. And it is his job to make it run, smoothly. Someone that doesnt know much about a sport and a race he thinks he knows everything about when in actuality these races have much more than the one "emotional" layer that he saw. Ignorance is fused into many public forms of media. And second, I agree he read drunk pigeon fliers like a book.


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

i still say the article is garbage-period.whether the guy makes money or not,he should have had a back-up system in place.that said,as i said before this writer goes out of his way to bring a negative impression on pigeon racing from the very start of the article.i believe he also took advantage of the fact he had plenty of drunks to interview.what about the many people that were there that i bet when they talked to him gave a very favorable impression of pigeons.not once does he mention anything favorable.i know a number of people in the sport that i believe were at this race,and i know had he spoken to any of them,he wouldnt have been given a bunch of garbage like he wrote.
i believe it was his intention being as he was there in the first place because of a "shady" character.in my view the "shady" character was him.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Well, I'm pretty much done with the discussion. It certainly isn't worth argueing or fighting over. I have my opinion and all everyone else has theirsand that's your right. 
I still don't see what the fuss is all about and if someone can pinpoint specific quotes, and show me I'm wrong, I promise, I'll be the FIRST one to apologize and agree with you.  
Outta here...............


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## Barn Pigeon (Feb 11, 2005)

I have read the article and I think that the writer was sent on a 3 day trip in which he wish he was somewhere else. He really had a way to fill in space with all those unnessary words of colorful ( do u get the picture ) or u picking up what I am putting down. Sometime in the writers life he may have been looking up when something was falling from the sky. I quess this has left a bad taste in his mouth for all feather friends. I think that this could have been a great article if his Editor would have re-read and made a few edits. Because how many kids read this magazine. I agree this article will get a lot of attention for the sport. Due to fact people just don't know that much about racing pigeons. Next time Sport Illustrated please send a woman writer with a big heart for the birds. We have a few on PT that could have done alot better JOB.. I am done now. 
Rick


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> HE MAKES LITTLE OR NO MONEY OFF THIS RACE". now thats a load of pigeon s... We all know that 15% of all thats comes in is Sitter's cut and that aint Pigeon Feed. .


So where does he get the money for feed, medications, equipment, gas for the vehicles that he uses to train the birds, if he loses a tire on the trailer or his car, to pay property taxes on the land, not to mention his time....... How much do you think he has left over after paying to keep 500 - 1000 birds for an entire season? LOL..... This thread is getting to be absurd because it's obvious that none of you have ever been to a horse or dog track and actually been around these types of people before. 
They're gamblers first, pigeon fliers second and there ain't nothin' wrong with that!




> Yeah... that is what I thought the man lines his pockets with gold


All I can say is.... LOL!!!


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

Hi ROXTAR, I have had a few birds in pigeon races I have also so won a few dollars, nothing that I would brag about. I have given up putting birds in these one loft races. The races that I entered birds were here in SO. CALIF. I was able to see how these birds are handled I saw the feed that was used.I have seen where 200 birds are sent to a 300 mile release point and only 10 or12 birds home on the day and only 30 or so come home at all. I have heard the excuse tuff race course. The same excuse year after year. Most people that put birds in these races are sick with GAMBLING FEVER and never see the true picture and never will until they are cured of their sickness. Many of the people that run these races take advantage of these sick gamblers. No I will never feel sorry for the people that put these races on as I see them as people that are taking advantage of those that have the GAMBLING SICKNESS. You have been there and have had the sickness so you know what its like I on the other hand have never been a big gambler, My compassion is for the sick gambler and not for those that take advantage of them. .GEORGE


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

im done with it too.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

george simon said:


> Hi ROXTAR, I have had a few birds in pigeon races I have also so won a few dollars, nothing that I would brag about. I have given up putting birds in these one loft races. The races that I entered birds were here in SO. CALIF. I was able to see how these birds are handled I saw the feed that was used.I have seen where 200 birds are sent to a 300 mile release point and only 10 or12 birds home on the day and only 30 or so come home at all. I have heard the excuse tuff race course. The same excuse year after year.* Most people that put birds in these races are sick with GAMBLING FEVER and never see the true picture and never will until they are cured of their sickness. *Many of the people that run these races take advantage of these sick gamblers. No I will never feel sorry for the people that put these races on as I see them as people that are taking advantage of those that have the GAMBLING SICKNESS. You have been there and have had the sickness so you know what its like I on the other hand have never been a big gambler, My compassion is for the sick gambler and not for those that take advantage of them. .GEORGE


 The above statement seems a little harsh to me. You are entitled to your thoughts, but I just respectfully would not agree with that, anymore then I would agree that most race horse owners have a gambling sickness.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> You have been there and have had the sickness


I wouldn't consider myself to have had the sickness George. The difference between a compulsive gambler and a professional gambler is that the compulsive gambler almost never wins, they just crave the action. I don't and never have craved the action or bet on anything that was totally out of my control or where the numbers were completely against me just for the sake of creating action for myself. I, on the other hand, relied heavily on those that did. A large pigeon race to me doesn't seem like it would be a very smart bet (especially considering the number of birds in the race, your return would have to be enormous to make a bet with a positive expectation).


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

Hi ROXTAR, Thank you, I miss understood about the the difference between the two and I am sorry if I may have offended you that was not my intent. I believe that you and I are in agreement for the most part. Are you going to fly old birds this year or are you waiting for young birds. .GEORGE


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*From a wife of a United Pigeon Combine member*

This esteemed journalist obviously only wanted to expose the pathetic and dark side of a derivative of the authentic sport of pigeon racing. He is no better than his counterparts, the so called NEWS Journalist of today with their biased reporting. He obviously did not care to take the time for a comprehensive analysis preferring to take a one sided nasty swipe at a wonderful sport for the sake of sensationalism. He did not take a basic and obvious research step which should have been contacting an association like the World of Wings for background and history. Nor did he bother to acquire a few contact names of real competitive flyers for "the rest of the story". Since he will never be held accountable for his sloppy journalism, he need not worry about ethics. The words.... ethics and journalist (of today) are certainly a contradiction of terms. 

He briefly mentioned the tapes, Secrets of Champions, but must not have reviewed them or he would not have made the comment he did. If he looked a bit deeper he would have found other interesting facts..... There are schools in the southwest using Pigeons (care, breeding and racing) in their curriculum to help challenged/troubled students and have reported tremendous success. That is a bit too positive and boring for his style of writing. He needed something more provocative and the idiots at the Vegas Classic gave it in spades. I hope whoever the jerk was that got this journalist on the "hook" for the sake of exposing what seems to be a "personal" vendetta, didn't want or envision this kind of article as the outcome. If that was his intention, I hope they tar and feather him and leave him in the dessert.


I think most of us would agree that the high rolling gamblers have taken the "one loft race" to a distasteful level. This journalist chose to focus only on that sleazy off shoot of which has nothing to do with the original basis of the sport... local, down to earth, hard working people competing via local clubs and regional combines. 
To be fair, there are those who have taken to the gambling side for a variety of reasons........ some good, some bad....... 1) possibly for fun or entertainment ( I myself have encouraged my husband to participate in the CBS Classic to feed/satisfy my own gambling whims. I figure since much of his free time is spent on pigeons, I should at least have a little "action" too!) 2) some because they may not have been competitive in their local area and wanted another outlet or possibly don't have a local club to join. Regardless of some spending 200K on a birds, small time flyers can still score in the one loft races too!. 3) an excuse to take a few trips with the guys and get a way from the wife.....and the dark side......... 4) greed/ "the syndicate" or "Big Money" opportunists. These guys have created a whole new economy using the cover of the legitimate pigeon world! 

I am quite sure when the European flyers get wind of this article.....they will once again look at us as the "Ugly Americans" not to mention second rate flyers! 

Isn't it sad that the current generation will read this article and will be left with the negative side of pigeon flying and will never be made aware of the fact that pigeons are complex and fascinating (their navigation abilities alone are astounding). If not for our winged messenger friends carrying messages across the English Channel .... the Germans would have held on longer and many more of our GI's would have died. A small fact that this journalist most certainly wouldn't know or care about!

My suggestion:

The Combine (via our publicity director) , every club, all the pigeon publications etc. should barrage Sports Illustrated with protests of sloppy journalism and demand a more thorough look at the sport, not just the "dark side". All sports, from Baseball to Olympic medal winners have a dark side with regard to abuses and cheating. But the general public has had a chance to see both their good and bad sides. The only national (non pigeon journal/digest type) report dedicated to Pigeon Racing that I have seen to date is this SI smear job. There needs to be a positive PR article to counteract, defend and educate on behalf of the sport. You all talk about the decline in membership.This article certainly won't help getting the "right" kind of flyers interested in the sport so you need to do a positive campaign!. 
. 
There are probably thousands of people directly or indirectly connected to pigeon flying, (example: companies that sell to the industry!) who should also be asked to raise their hands or 
contribute advertising $'s to protest such abhorrent, sloppy, slanted, and one sided malicious reporting.

Bottom line, letting him get away with this hack job unanswered would be a travesty.

Feel free to share this with anyone you feel would be interested, but please preface that these are just the thoughts of a pigeon flyers wife. A wife who has been on the sidelines for many years and resents this sensationalizing journalist getting away with such a disparaging article of a sport that has taken up so much of mine and my fellow pigeon widow's family time. We might feel like "football widows" at times but we also know that the sport is mostly a love of the birds mixed with, for some, a competitive spirit. We also know our husbands are in the "loft" and not at a bar!  

Just my thoughts,
Pam... (Errol's wife)

PS 
There may be a bright side......This journalist has probably awakened a sleeping giant, the IRS, and he may find himself resting at the bottom of a lake in a block of concrete as I am sure some of the quote "sleazy" individuals he was talking about don't want Uncle Sam aware of what they ere doing or how much they are spending/winning etc.


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

warren,please inform this nice lady that are club secretary is already drafting a letter to si,and we all pretty much bombarded their contact e-mail already.whatever else we could do to help we would.tell her that was an awesome and in my view precise view. k-will


i said i was done with this.i lied.i cant just let this go without atleast letting si know what they allowed this writer to do was wrong.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> did he bother to acquire a few contact names of real competitive flyers for "the rest of the story".


The race, and the people at the race was the story..



> I hope they tar and feather him and leave him in the dessert


That comment right there should be a real shot in the arm for the public image of the pigeon flying community..



> I think most of us would agree that the high rolling gamblers have taken the "one loft race" to a distasteful level....
> 
> I myself have encouraged my husband to participate in the CBS Classic to feed/satisfy my own gambling whims. I figure since much of his free time is spent on pigeons, I should at least have a little "action" too!


I don't have the heart to point out the glaring contradiction in those two statements..... 

But I have to wonder what her reaction would have been if one of her birds were in on the first drop and the clock failed.... I'm sure she would've just given up the $25k for the good of the sport.



> Isn't it sad that the current generation will read this article and will be left with the negative side of pigeon flying....


It probably stands a better chance of attracting people to the sport to know there's money involved. I don't see what's so negative about that.



> If not for our winged messenger friends carrying messages across the English Channel .... the Germans would have held on longer and many more of our GI's would have died. A small fact that this journalist most certainly wouldn't know or care about!


Again, not at all the focus of the article... Besides, do we really need another article about what pigeons did in the military?


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## Guest (Jan 30, 2008)

I know you mean well but your not seeing the big picture as this isnt just about the vegas classic , it makes all pigeon flyers look like they are nothing more then drunken gamblers only looking for money rewards and not as people who put forth years of effort breeding the perfect bird to reach the total exellence of being the strongest faster bird to make it back to the loft .. it paints a bad picture for all the pigeon racing world as a whole and coming across as pigeons being nothing more then dirty disposable objects for making bets upon  you might as well include them with dog fights or cocking fighting in the eye of this reporter ... 
you think its hard enuf now for people fighting for the right to own and keep their pigeons where they live at is already when in so many places they are banned as it is,but after people seeing them as just another gambing venue its just gonna make it harder on all of us plus it will pretty much be seen as some kind of abuse raising birds for the pleasure of just making a buck when we all know that isnt true ..just my 3 cents


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*There has been a thread posted NEWS COVERAGE that i think you all should read news release this is the kind of PR that we need. .GEORGE*


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

> pigeons being nothing more then dirty disposable objects for making bets upon


When someone says "horse"...

I think of this:














Not this:


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

roxtar said:


> When someone says "horse"...
> 
> I think of this:
> 
> ...


 Roxtar,

I am not sure what message you are trying to convey, concerning what you think about when someone says horse. Besides being a bit off topic, I guess what it means is that you spend more time watching Saturday morning cartoons and Roy Rodgers ?  

Since this thread was concerning the article written in SI concerning our sport, I think there may be a link of sorts between the coverage given to horse racing by SI, and the article. I think if one reviews some of the coverage afforded to the race horse industry http://sports.si.cnn.com/default.asp?c=cnnsi&page=horse/news/bjn4077273.htm I think you will find that SI falls over backwards to provide articles of interest to their readers. When it came to One Loft pigeon races, it is obvious they found it a joke. I don't see negative references to race fans who are drinking, or to big piles of poop in the stalls. And as you can see, there are many millions of dollars wagered at horse racing events, compared to the Vegas One Loft Race...you are talking pigeon feed or pocket change.

Roxtar, your post which dissected the letter from a wife of a UPC member, was for what purpose ? On the one hand you defend the article, then you challenge those who post a negative view of their take on the article. I don't think it is necessary. 

For one who to the best of my knowlege is not active in any racing pigeon club or combine, and has not entered a pigeon in any local competition, much less regional or national competition, you sure seem to be awfully opininated about this particular subject at hand. Perhaps, just perhaps....the nice lady whose husband happens to be a leader in his club and combine, and whose local race results are almost legendary, is entitled to voice her feelings on the subject, without someone who has no vested interest in the sport, and who is sitting on the sidelines, from throwing peanuts from the peanut gallery.

This wife and her letter, from the view point of everyone I have spoken to locally, is considered a hero of sorts. I can't say the words that a few local guys used to describe your response to her letter....here on pigeon talk, because we are a family site....but if you look at the picture of Roy Rodger's horsey that you like so much....a part of the horse that you would see from the rear...should give you a hint. Being on the bench, instead of being in the game, it may not mean too much to you, but you have not won any friends in the racing community in the UPC. But, don't get all that upset, they rarely read these posts anyway................


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## k-will (Dec 15, 2007)

i can tell you this....i emailed si in regard to my viewpoint on this article.the answer i got back was from what i could gather there have been "many" outraged flyers who have done the same thing.the person from si said they were still trying to take in the information that was given to them in the hundreds of emails they have received.



warren-if you read this,tell george schaffer i said hi,and i hope hes doing alright.not many years back he flew in the pigeon club i have rejoined since coming back,and was a great guy to have around.he was very good friends with my mentor,and they still talk from time to time.oh,tell him keith said hi.


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2008)

hehe I had to do it


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Reply from the American Racing Pigeon Union*

This reply was shared with me, from the American Racing Pigeon Union.

*January 31, 2008


Mr. John Huey
Editor-In-Chief
Sports Illustrated
Time & Life Building
New York, N.Y. 10020-1393

Dear Mr. Huey:

I read with interest the January 26th edition of Sports Illustrated, as it was the second time recently the sport of racing pigeons had been mentioned in your magazine. As a long time enthusiast and member of the Executive Board of the American Racing Pigeon Union, I was intrigued on how Mr. Ballard caught a snapshot of a small percentage of the sport and painted a picture of the whole hobby. 

For your information, The American Racing Pigeon Union (AU) is the largest racing pigeon organization in the United States representing approximately 10,000 fanciers nationwide.

Your recent article, unfortunately, did not capture any of the numerous positive benefits of involvement with racing homing pigeons nor the true vast majority of those involved in the sport.

These benefits include youth involvement through 4-H and Scouting, school projects and home school pigeon projects and family sport participation. Pigeon fanciers compete in local club activities for diplomas, trophies and ribbons.

It is this phase of the sport that has allowed school projects to keep students actively involved in their education when many other doors have been closed. For many, like myself, it has been a source of great enjoyment and taught me many lessons in life that have served me well. As in any hobby or sport, there are different segments within it. I know that those highlighted in your article are but a small percentage of those who enthusiastically are involved in the sport. 

Mr. Ballard was correct when he points out that the sport has been in the US for more than a century and that pigeons have been used extensively as messengers from the Romans up through current times, however, he missed the point when he stated that the birds "voluntarily return to captivity " as our birds are cared for and treated the same as many take care of their pets be they dogs, cats, fish, or horses and their lofts are their homes, not areas of captivity. 

As past President of the American Racing Pigeon Union, I applaud your going outside the box to cover a unique sport, but I caution that comparing what was covered in Mr. Ballard's article to the sport that exists for the vast majority involved, would be like saying all football from youth football on, was the same as what happens surrounding those attending the Super Bowl. Both are "football," but that is where the similarities end. 

I would also point out that our national organization does not govern or participate in the type of race you described no more than our youth commission for football governs the events surrounding Super Bowl Sunday. That said, thank you for opening the eyes of your readers to a unique hobby that takes place usually in the confines of ones home and more as a family activity than covered in your article. 

Sincerely,

Frank Greenhall
President Ex-Officio/Secretary
American Racing Pigeon Union, Inc.
PO Box 18465
Oklahoma City, OK 73154-0465
405-848-5801
www.pigeon.org*


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## lawman (Jul 19, 2005)

Hello Everyone,

Seems to me your all more or less arguing the same thing........... bottom line is the guy who wrote the article who calls himself a journalist is in fact no such thing. I can think of a few names that would fit him better but there not appropriate on this web site. 

So I'll settle for this, the defenition of a journalist is as follows: A journalist is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues and people.

Reporters/Journalists create reports as a profession for broadcast or publication in mass media such as newspapers, television, radio, magazines, documentary film, and the Internet. Reporters find sources for their work, their reports can be either spoken or written, and *they are expected to report in the most objective and unbiased way to serve the public good.*

This guys report was nether unbiased or complete as to our sport. I wish I truely knew what his real intent was in writting the article. It seemed more about gambling in general than about our sport/hobby. But as we all know the journalist's of today are all about the headlines and not neccesarily the truth. 

Just my thoughts,

Lawman


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

*Racing Pigeon Digest...........*

has an article in it about this very SI article. (March 15th issue) Did anyone read it? Seems he wasn't upset about the article either and had to go back and read it a few times to figure out what everyone was so upset about. Guess he , like myself, never did figure it out.


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## roxtar (Aug 21, 2006)

Perhaps that's because there's really nothing to be upset about.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

roxtar said:


> Perhaps that's because there's really nothing to be upset about.


Ya think????


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