CAPITAL COVERAGE NEWS SERVICE
media in the public interest
Magic Johnson on Fast
Break as AIDS Educator
Forget Olympics, Magic Says at NKU
by John Zeh 2/9/99
Capital Coverage News Service
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY - Basketball legend Magic Johnson came to Northern Kentucky University's arena here February 7 to show that he's not been benched by HIV disease, but instead is coaching people about the dangers of the life-threatening AIDS precursor.
"My goal was to be the best winner in the NBA," he told fans on the campus just south of Cincinnati. "I'm happy about that, and now I'm winning at life and in business. "I'm living proof that you can do it."
After announcing that he is HIV positive almost eight years ago, Johnson set out to show that he could "overcome the odds" (his talk's title) of living with a suppressed immune system.
"NBA players are really supportive," he told reporters. "I'm teaching the guys about HIV and AIDS. Our awareness level had been really low before I announced, but now the NBA has the best (HIV awareness) program in sports."
He said he is happy to be visiting such a "hotbed of basketball"- Kentucky and Cincinnati especially, but also neighboring Indiana and nearby Michigan. Johnson is part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, owns several movie theaters, a production company, restaurants, and a bank. While shooting hoops, he won five NBA championship rings, an NCAA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.
His mention of the international games prompted a reporter to ask if Cincinnati's bid for the Olympics would be welcomed in the wake of Issue 3, which bars any municipal protections from discrimination aimed at gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals.
"The Olympics won't happen in Cincinnati," he said immediately. "That's the truth of the matter." Phoenix lost a Superbowl and an NBA all-stars game, "a lot of revenue," after it refused to recognize Martin Luther King with a holiday, Johnson noted.
At NKU students' request, he hosted a benefit reception for AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati after his talk. "It feels good to work with groups (such as AVOC)," he said. "It's the small, grass-roots organizations that deserve the (credit), not myself. I'm your voice." His Magic Johnson Foundation, which has donated over $15 million to non-profits, will get his $30,000 fee from NKU, officials said.
Johnson said that over 55 percent of people with AIDS are minorities. "We must bring that number down and quit being in denial. It can happen to your sons and daughters," he told the crowd of over 1000. "We need a message that our kids can understand, and get it on the radio, which kids listen to a lot."
The round-ball icon conceded he doesn't have answers to all AIDS issues such as health insurance and needle exchange programs, but pledged to help make medications "more affordable," encourage better treatment options, and help educate young people and minorities about the disease.
Does he face stigma from being known as HIV-positive? "I
don't worry about it. I just keep rolling, and educating,"
he responded. "There's nothing you can do if people don't
want to educate themselves, except keep talking to the uneducated
until you knock those walls down."
Johnson blamed stress as "a main factor" in causing
HIV to become AIDS. He avoids AIDS by practicing a "holistic
regimen" - working out daily, staying in shape, medications,
and using strength from God to stay "healed," as he
put it.
"I'm doing great. The number one healer is your frame of mind," he said. "Be positive, even if something goes wrong. Anger is wasted energy. Stay focused. I beat the odds five or six different ways. I know in my head that as long as I take care of myself, I'll be okay."
Touring is not taxing, he assured the audience. "I love
to work. That's my passion."
