University of Virginia Library

From The Sidelines

The Record

By Tom Bell

THE RECORD IS HERE, AND WITH IT comes a storm of
controversy. The fans whose protests have been heard this
week have felt that the record is the last straw in a disturbing
publicity campaign. They could laugh at the post cards. They
frowned silently at the gaudy signs in the University Hall
rafters. They muffled an anguished groan when the bumper
stickers appeared. But when the record came, they could no
longer stay silent. Things, perhaps, had gotten a little out of
hand.

From numerous sources the protests have come WUVA has
banned the record from play, calling it "an insult to Barry, the
team and the school itself." A WCHV poll, conducted over the
air, resulted in a 78-62 vote of disapproval. Students all over
the Grounds are saying that things have gone too far in the
push to make Barry Parkhill an All-American basketball player
and that the pressure on him is great enough without the added
strain of worrying about a big publicity campaign. In addition,
they say, the Parkhill campaign takes away from the other
members of the squad.

THE RECORD IS THE RESULT OF EFFORTS by
Robb Hilliard, a second-yearman from Jersey City, N J who
was struck with the idea after Parkhill's record breaking
51-point performance against Baldwin-Wallace last December.
After writing words and music, he approached Sports
Information Director Barney Cook with the idea of making a
record and contributing the proceeds to the Student Aid
Foundation. Mr. Cook agreed, so Mr. Hilliard rounded up two
Waynesboro singing groups, the Lasers and the French
Revolution, and they recorded the song as The Occasions.

Mr. Hilliard admits to being "a fanatic" about Cavalier
basketball. "I'm really in love with the basketball team," he
says, "and I think Barry Parkhill should be All-American." Mr.
Hilliard is quick to answer the charges against his record. It is
not commercialism, he says, because all the proceeds go to the
Student Aid Foundation which provides basketball
scholarships. If all the copies are sold (at $1.00 a shot),
enough money will be made to supply an in state student
with a scholarship for one year. All that Mr. Hilliard will
receive from the record is a basketball, autographed by the
team, which he says he will gladly give up for a $500
contribution to the Student Aid Foundation.

TO THE CHARGE THAT THE RECORD DETRACTS
from the efforts of the other team members, Mr. Hilliard
points out that there was originally a flip side to the record
entitled "The Amazin' Cavaliers", but it had to be scrapped
when he could not get permission from Booker T & the M G s
to use the tune from "Hang 'Em High."

For those who claim that the record damages the image of
the University, Mr. Hilliard argues that the damage could not
be nearly so great as that caused by the hurling of paper cups
onto the basketball floor.

UNDOUBTEDLY, PUBLICITY IS A MAJOR FACTOR in
picking of All-American teams, especially at a school like the
University which has never before received any significant
national exposure for its basketball program. For Barry
Parkhill to make the major All-America team, Mr. Cook and
his sports information staff will have to do an excellent job (as
they have done with a six page flyer entitled "Barry Parkhill.
All-American which was distributed nationally this week). The
question, then, is not whether, but how, to publicize the
Wahoo star.

There are good arguments on both sides of the record
question. It will add to the publicity Parkhill receives, and in
addition, help the Student Aid Foundation which always
needs more money. Still, there is something about the record
(as well as the rest of the publicity stunts) which disturbs us.
The University has always prided itself on being a unique
institution, immune from many of the bush league stunts
which go on at other schools. Perhaps the long years of losing
caused us to misjudge student attitudes and think that we
could accept winning with a certain dignity not found at other
schools.

IF POST CARDS, BUMPER STICKERS, GAUDY SIGNS
AND RECORDS are necessary to earn Barry Parkhill the
honors which he certainly deserves, then reluctantly we will
accept them as another step in the march toward State U. It is
important for Parkhill and the future of the basketball
program that he be recognized as one of the nation's top
players. However, we should remain careful in our campaigns
to stay within reasonable limits, keeping in mind that what we
believe to be a majority of students feels that the massive
campaign is potentially damaging to the University as a whole.
The record at least comes close to passing reasonable limits.