Andrew Merz New York, N.Y.. I hate to be the PC militia, but I thought this might be worth noting after Mike Woitalla’s recent response to allegations of sexism in SA. (Q&A with the SA Editors: April 13, 2000) Mr. Woitalla pointed to the recent article by Senior Editor Scott French, “US Soccer: Pitched Battled or Partnership,” discussing the nascent women’s pro soccer league, as proof of SA’s gender equality. Alas, one of the subtitles in that very article was “Beauty contest could turn ugly.ö hmmm… Frankly, I was quite surprised that this made it through the editing process, obviously sexist pun that it is. Make whatever claims you like, but this is precisely the sort of thinly veiled put-down that PC standards were created to deal with. In the mainstream media, where soccer’s viability as a big-time sport is constantly questioned and made fun of, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so surprising. But in SA? I have always and continue to expect more. Mike Woitalla: Was that a sexist subhead? I would make that judgment by asking whether we would run the same subhead if the story addressed a battle between menÆs leagues. If we would, then I donÆt think itÆs sexist. And we would. Seeing as weÆre discussing this man-to-man, I will assure you that I shall seek female opinions on it. I can also assure that whatever that reference may be perceived as being — and your points are thought-provoking — it was not designed as a put-down. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)