Re: "Say yes to affirmative action ... in sports," Feb. 4 column.

Affirmative action was designed to remedy past inequalities that made it a problem for the poor and unfortunate to succeed. Not that this is the best means for a solution, but it's a start. However, this is specifically designed for increasing a person's chance of becoming more successful and educated even with the meager resources they possess. This can be applied on several topics ranging from future education to employment. In terms of sports, everyone has had an equal chance at becoming an athlete in terms of race. Whether you are black or white, you are not inhibited from being an athlete. It is genetics and by Darwinian means, the strongest will survive. Not even the people that play sports in college have a great chance of succeeding in the pros. Nobody wants the meager player to participate over the more athletic individual.

Sports are about competition and professionally, lead to money. People pay to see a good, competitive match. Nobody will pay to see mediocrity. The NCAA Tournament or the Bowl Games are determined by the best athletic teams. It is not that black people are chosen over white people due to race, but because of their abilities. White and Asian people may not make up the majority, but the ones with the skills do play. You are using affirmative action for the wrong purpose and have come to an unintelligent conclusion. Affirmative action is there to create equality for past discrimination. There is no past.