Apparently the NFL has taken the moniker of Sin City a bit too seriously in its refusal to air commercials sponsored by Las Vegas during this year's Super Bowl. Fearing the effect such ads could have on the "credibility" and "moral character" of the league, the NFL rejected the ads claiming the league did not associate itself with such criminal and immoral elements associated with the city.

Paying for all your equipment, facilitiy use and providing your own transportation to get to games and practices is a norm for most club teams.

The Eastern men's swim team has been a powerful force with seven wins, one tie and only two losses this season.

Super Bowl XXXVII reaffirmed the theory Panthers head coach Bob Spoo went into the off-season recruiting season with - defense is all about speed.

Lantz Arena will host the biggest matchup of the Ohio Valley Conference Thursday at 7:10 p.m. at Lantz Arena when Eastern (7-11, 2-4) hosts Tennessee Tech (11-8, 4-2).

Three weeks may not seem like a long time but, for Eastern women's basketball team it has been an eternity, and at 5:15 p.m. Thursday in Lantz Arena the Panthers will be out for revenge in a rematch with Southeast Missouri State.

Every year athletic teams of all varieties face a common unforeseen deterrent - injury. This year the Eastern wrestling team has battled constant minor injuries throughout the course of the season.

ESPN; The Magazine gave what it called its ultimate standings in which they take the big four professional sports (baseball, football, basketball and hockey) and ranked them by worth from one to 118. The publication rankings included such determining factors as stadium experience, coaching, ticket affordability, players, championships. According to fans and writers the Green Bay Packers are the best and Cincinnati Bengals are the worst. The most surprising aspect of the piece was the disappointment in the city of Chicago.

The Eastern football team is losing another member of its coaching staff that took the Panthers to an 8-4 record and a Division I-AA playoff game.

So much for a rebuilding era.

Eastern's athletic department's proposal to replace the natural grass field at O'Brien Stadium with an artificial playing surface was removed from the agenda of Monday's Board of Trustees meeting.

Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo lost a staff assistant and a neighbor on the same day.