---
title: "Best Frank Deford Sayings"
description: "Benjamin Franklin Deford III was an American sportswriter, novelist and regular sports commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition from 1980 until his death in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b057/author-frank-deford-3856.jpg"
---

![Portrait of Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b057/author-frank-deford-3856.jpg)

# Frank Deford

(1938–2017)   Novelist   United States

 **120** quotes in **515** categories

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Frank Deford was a novelist from the United States, best known for *Alex*.

## Quick Facts About Frank Deford

Born December 16, 1938

Died May 28, 2017

Nationality United States

Profession Novelist

Notable works Alex

## About Frank Deford

Benjamin Franklin Deford III was an American sportswriter, novelist and regular sports commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition from 1980 until his death in 2017.

## Awards & Honors

National Humanities Medal

##  Quotes by Frank Deford · Page 3

> [The wonderful thing about delivering sports commentary on NPR was that because it has such a broad audience, I was able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/the-wonderful-thing-about-delivering-sports-commentary-on-npr-was/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/frank-deford-3856_culture_the-wonderful-thing-about-delivering-spo_2526554.jpg)

> [Dan Rather pulling on a sweater and thereby winning a whole new chunk of the populace: That's television. President Reagan's press conferences:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/dan-rather-pulling-on-a-sweater-and-thereby-winning-a-whole-new-chunk/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Frog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frog/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/frank-deford-3856_frog_dan-rather-pulling-on-a-sweater-and-ther_94217.png)

> [I've been delivering these little homilies since 1980 - that's 37 years - and altogether, NPR statisticians tell me, my bloviation total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-ve-been-delivering-these-little-homilies-since-1980-that-s-37-years/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/frank-deford-3856_little_i-ve-been-delivering-these-little-homili_2653470.png)

> [It costs a lot of money to deliver newsprint. It's so much easier to do it through the air, Internet, radio, television.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/it-costs-a-lot-of-money-to-deliver-newsprint-it-s-so-much-easier-to/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/frank-deford-3856_internet_it-costs-a-lot-of-money-to-deliver-newsp_3001203.png)

> [I never wanted to be an editor. I never wanted to be a boss. I just wanted to write, and it didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-editor-i-never-wanted-to-be-a-boss-i-just/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boss/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/frank-deford-3856_boss_i-never-wanted-to-be-an-editor-i-never-w_86556.png)

> [Since too few Americans go to the polls, I say what this country needs is a bobblehead election, where voters will get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/since-too-few-americans-go-to-the-polls-i-say-what-this-country-needs/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a60/frank-deford-3856_choice_since-too-few-americans-go-to-the-polls_2768370.png)

> [I remember one time I wrote something very, very critical about Wilt Chamberlain. The next time I saw him - and Wilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-remember-one-time-i-wrote-something-very-very-critical-about-wilt/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/frank-deford-3856_football_i-remember-one-time-i-wrote-something-ve_230273.png)

> [I think we have enough trouble finding community in this country, and sport does provide that. It is a mediocrisy, the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-think-we-have-enough-trouble-finding-community-in-this-country-and/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/frank-deford-3856_best_i-think-we-have-enough-trouble-finding-c_2925248.jpg)

> [If the players aren't getting paid, there's something terribly, terribly wrong, and that's true only in the United States. Everywhere else, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/if-the-players-aren-t-getting-paid-there-s-something-terribly/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/frank-deford-3856_college_if-the-players-aren-t-getting-paid-there_230278.jpg)

> [The only thing we know for sure about superiority in sports in the United States of America in the 20th century is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/the-only-thing-we-know-for-sure-about-superiority-in-sports-in-the/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/frank-deford-3856_alone_the-only-thing-we-know-for-sure-about-su_1201810.jpg)

> [It's almost impossible to explain how little the NBA amounted to when I started covering it in 1963. It wasn't fair to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/it-s-almost-impossible-to-explain-how-little-the-nba-amounted-to-when/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/frank-deford-3856_explain_it-s-almost-impossible-to-explain-how-li_1300663.png)

> [When Juan Antonio Samaranch said the Olympics are more important than the Catholic Church, I just couldn't believe it. I said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/when-juan-antonio-samaranch-said-the-olympics-are-more-important-than/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/frank-deford-3856_believe_when-juan-antonio-samaranch-said-the-oly_432748.png)

> [It was not that long ago when the accepted wisdom in football was that the running game had to be established -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/it-was-not-that-long-ago-when-the-accepted-wisdom-in-football-was/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/frank-deford-3856_always_it-was-not-that-long-ago-when-the-accept_1058912.png)

> [The year after Russell retired, in the famous seventh game of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, Willis Reed, the New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/the-year-after-russell-retired-in-the-famous-seventh-game-of-the-nba/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Famous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famous/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/frank-deford-3856_famous_the-year-after-russell-retired-in-the-fa_1850218.png)

> [I grew up in Baltimore and that's why I root for the Orioles. I'm very suspicious of people who move and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-grew-up-in-baltimore-and-that-s-why-i-root-for-the-orioles-i-m-very/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Baltimore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baltimore/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/frank-deford-3856_baltimore_i-grew-up-in-baltimore-and-that-s-why-i_230060.png)

> [Nothing made me happier than to hear from literally hundreds of listeners who would tell me how much the commentaries revealed about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/nothing-made-me-happier-than-to-hear-from-literally-hundreds-of/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Listeners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listeners/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/frank-deford-3856_listeners_nothing-made-me-happier-than-to-hear-fro_1795200.png)

> [The stories that are most unfamiliar, the ones that seem to come out of the blue about people that aren't well known,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/the-stories-that-are-most-unfamiliar-the-ones-that-seem-to-come-out/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/frank-deford-3856_blue_the-stories-that-are-most-unfamiliar-the_3094179.png)

> [First and foremost, Howard Cosell is sports. There are all these people, these fans, who claim that when Cosell does a game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/first-and-foremost-howard-cosell-is-sports-there-are-all-these-people/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/frank-deford-3856_bad_first-and-foremost-howard-cosell-is-spor_664184.png)

> [Every now and then, I get a free ticket from someone, and I look at the price, and it says $800, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/every-now-and-then-i-get-a-free-ticket-from-someone-and-i-look-at-the/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/706/frank-deford-3856_look_every-now-and-then-i-get-a-free-ticket-f_2802209.png)

> [I can remember going to see the minor league Orioles. Until I was 15 years old, we'd go down with 3,000 people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-can-remember-going-to-see-the-minor-league-orioles-until-i-was-15/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/frank-deford-3856_city_i-can-remember-going-to-see-the-minor-le_629934.jpg)

> [I never saw war, so that is still my vision of manhood: Unitas standing courageously in the pocket, his left arm flung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-never-saw-war-so-that-is-still-my-vision-of-manhood-unitas-standing/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/frank-deford-3856_business_i-never-saw-war-so-that-is-still-my-visi_437153.png)

> [Hard as it is to believe, there were three magazines fighting over me. 'Newsweek' wanted to keep me, 'ESPN The Magazine' was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/hard-as-it-is-to-believe-there-were-three-magazines-fighting-over-me/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Amazing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amazing/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/frank-deford-3856_amazing_hard-as-it-is-to-believe-there-were-thre_2459539.png)

> [To write long pieces - or not even long pieces - to write stuff like the columns of Red Smith and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/to-write-long-pieces-or-not-even-long-pieces-to-write-stuff-like-the/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/frank-deford-3856_baseball_to-write-long-pieces-or-not-even-long-pi_1735537.png)

> [I think there are more good sportswriters doing more good sportswriting than ever before. But I also believe that the one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-think-there-are-more-good-sportswriters-doing-more-good/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/frank-deford-3856_believe_i-think-there-are-more-good-sportswriter_2607308.png)

> [ The sport \[football\] is simply more and more identified with violence, both in its inherent nature and in its savage personnel... \[The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/the-sport-football-is-simply-more-and-more-identified-with-violence/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Ceo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceo/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/frank-deford-3856_ceo_the-sport-football-is-simply-more-and-mo_3104775.png)

> [It's fascinating, isn't it, that whereas so many of our statues have been of military leaders, now it may well be sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/it-s-fascinating-isn-t-it-that-whereas-so-many-of-our-statues-have/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/frank-deford-3856_leadership_it-s-fascinating-isn-t-it-that-whereas-s_1681905.png)

> [In the summer of 1963, my second with 'Sports Illustrated,' Jerry Tax, the basketball editor, got the Celtics' Frank Ramsey, the NBA's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/in-the-summer-of-1963-my-second-with-sports-illustrated-jerry-tax-the/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/frank-deford-3856_basketball_in-the-summer-of-1963-my-second-with-spo_1925915.png)

> [When I was covering games, and this is back in the '60s, you'd go into the manager's office. I can still visualize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/when-i-was-covering-games-and-this-is-back-in-the-60s-you-d-go-into/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/frank-deford-3856_beer_when-i-was-covering-games-and-this-is-ba_2858383.jpg)

> [We exalted that Michael Phelps-consecrated water. Rose petals were strewn in Peyton Manning's path when he retired. But hey, that's natural. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/we-exalted-that-michael-phelps-consecrated-water-rose-petals-were/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e8/frank-deford-3856_achieve_we-exalted-that-michael-phelps-consecrat_889987.png)

> [Once again it is peaceful at Augusta National Golf Club, after some rather ugly stand-offs in recent years, when the club balked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/once-again-it-is-peaceful-at-augusta-national-golf-club-after-some/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Augusta national](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/augusta-national/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/frank-deford-3856_augusta-national_once-again-it-is-peaceful-at-augusta-nat_2048522.jpg)

> [I think, in accepting the amount of money that athletes make, I think that fans accept that now. It's the nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-think-in-accepting-the-amount-of-money-that-athletes-make-i-think/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Entitlement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entitlement/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53c/frank-deford-3856_entitlement_i-think-in-accepting-the-amount-of-money_2280314.jpg)

> [I think the best thing I've written is a story called 'The Boxer and the Blonde.' It's a piece about Billy Conn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-think-the-best-thing-i-ve-written-is-a-story-called-the-boxer-and/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/frank-deford-3856_best_i-think-the-best-thing-i-ve-written-is-a_1977266.png)

> [To see the glory in sport, where somebody comes from behind and does something, sinks a shot in the last second or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/to-see-the-glory-in-sport-where-somebody-comes-from-behind-and-does/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[And at the end of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/and-at-the-end-of-the-day/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/frank-deford-3856_and-at-the-end-of-th_to-see-the-glory-in-sport-where-somebody_297936.jpg)

> [The Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, and Pistons are there today as sure as they were when what was good for General Motors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/the-tigers-lions-red-wings-and-pistons-are-there-today-as-sure-as/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Basketball team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-team/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/frank-deford-3856_basketball-team_the-tigers-lions-red-wings-and-pistons-a_2035043.jpg)

> [I don't think there are many kids who sit around and want to be actors. I don't think there are many kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-don-t-think-there-are-many-kids-who-sit-around-and-want-to-be/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/frank-deford-3856_actors_i-don-t-think-there-are-many-kids-who-si_1124386.jpg)

> [As it happens, Cumberland was on the verge of bankruptcy and had to give up football. But the villainous Heisman made it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/as-it-happens-cumberland-was-on-the-verge-of-bankruptcy-and-had-to/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/frank-deford-3856_existence_as-it-happens-cumberland-was-on-the-verg_1173125.png)

> [I think there are white alumni out there who wouldn't mind having an African American president of their school, but would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-think-there-are-white-alumni-out-there-who-wouldn-t-mind-having-an/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[African american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/frank-deford-3856_african-american_i-think-there-are-white-alumni-out-there_1581771.png)

> [So much about big-time college sports is criticized. But the worst scandal is almost never mentioned: the academic fraud wherein the student-athletes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/so-much-about-big-time-college-sports-is-criticized-but-the-worst/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/frank-deford-3856_college_so-much-about-big-time-college-sports-is_2591809.png)

> [“(Joe) Dimaggio was, in fact, mostly just a cold fish. Not even his brother Dom, who played outfield for the Red Sox...,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/joe-dimaggio-was-in-fact-mostly-just-a-cold-fish-not-even-his-brother/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/frank-deford-3856_baseball_joe-dimaggio-was-in-fact-mostly-just-a-c_2763106.png)

> [I have survived so long because I've been blessed with talented and gracious colleagues and with a top brass who let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/i-have-survived-so-long-because-i-ve-been-blessed-with-talented-and/)

[Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/)

[Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessed/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/frank-deford-3856_blessed_i-have-survived-so-long-because-i-ve-bee_1938990.png)

## Frank Deford by topic

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                        "text": "Dan Rather pulling on a sweater and thereby winning a whole new chunk of the populace: That's television. President Reagan's press conferences: That's television. Keith Jackson is television. So are Kermit the Frog, instant replay, and the Fiesta Bowl.",
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                        "text": "To write long pieces - or not even long pieces - to write stuff like the columns of Red Smith and people like that - they're different then what it is today. Everything today is based on x's and o's. Inside baseball, it's all, 'Who's gonna win?' or you're comparing things - it's not as thoughtful as it used to be.",
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                        "text": "The sport [football] is simply more and more identified with violence, both in its inherent nature and in its savage personnel... [The National Football League] now needs a guardian, not a CEO.",
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                        "text": "It's fascinating, isn't it, that whereas so many of our statues have been of military leaders, now it may well be sports stars who are the ones more likely to be so honored.",
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                        "text": "In the summer of 1963, my second with 'Sports Illustrated,' Jerry Tax, the basketball editor, got the Celtics' Frank Ramsey, the NBA's first famous sixth man, to do a piece for the magazine revealing some of the devious little tricks of his trade. Things like surreptitiously holding an opponent's shorts - nickel-and-dime stuff.",
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                        "text": "When I was covering games, and this is back in the '60s, you'd go into the manager's office. I can still visualize Earl Weaver from the Baltimore Orioles. I can just see Earl now in his underwear... with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other, holding court. And that was the way it was done then.",
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                        "text": "We exalted that Michael Phelps-consecrated water. Rose petals were strewn in Peyton Manning's path when he retired. But hey, that's natural. As we should, we admire those in any craft, no less so in sports, who appear out of nowhere to achieve remarkable feats.",
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                        "text": "Once again it is peaceful at Augusta National Golf Club, after some rather ugly stand-offs in recent years, when the club balked at changing its all-white, all-male membership tradition. African-Americans and female Americans are on the club manifest now along with other golf-Americans, and all is serene once again.",
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                        "text": "I think, in accepting the amount of money that athletes make, I think that fans accept that now. It's the nature of the beast; that's the way it is, so they understand it. All, I think, fans have changed - because the price of tickets has gone up so much - that they feel a certain sense of entitlement when they go to a game.",
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