7 Shotz That Shut Sportz Down!!!

 

I Am Going On Record 2 Say YES…, I AM A HARDCORE SPORTS GUY!!!  I Love My N.Y. Giants, N.Y. Yankees, BK Nets, & NJ Devils With A PASSION!!!  (Okay maybe not so passionate about the Devils)…, But You Get The Picture!!!  LOL!!!  However What Is Going On With Athletes In Sports Right Now Is A Lil’ Sumthin’ Sumthin’ I NEVER Thought I Would See???  Athletes Have SHUT SPORTS DOWN!!!

When The Milwaukee Bucks Went Rogue & Decided To Boycott Their 08.26.20 NBA Playoff Game In The Bubble In Light Of The Ruthless Shooting…, 7 Shots In The Back Of Jacob Blake As He Tried 2 Leave Police & Get Into His Vehicle In Kenosha, Wisconsin Sent Ripples Through The NBA.

I Can’t Even See 1 Or 2 Shots…, But 7 Shots In The Back Of An “UNARMED” Black Man Surrounded By 3 Cops With Young Children In The Vehicle He Was Trying To Enter???  Help Me See/Paint A Different Picture???  Because Even At My Most Rationale Self…, I CANNOT Un-See What The Video Shows!!!

When The Milwaukee Bucks Decided Not To Play…, The Houston Rockets & Oklahoma Thunder Followed Suit, As Well As The L.A. Lakers & The Portland Trailblazers!!!  There Were Also WNBA Games Scheduled To Be Played & They Cancelled ALL Their Wednesday Games!!!  Not Surprising Because These Women Have Been Activist Pioneers Their Whole Careers As They’ve Fought For Women’s Rights All Along!!!

In Baseball The Milwaukee Brewers Were Slated 2 Play The Cincinnati Reds In Wisconsin No Less…, So They DID NOT Play Their Game!!!  Men’s & Women’s Soccer Cancelled Their Games 2 Show Their Support!!!  The Detroit Lions Cancelled Practice 2 Voice Their Concerns & Then Hockey “OF ALL THE SPORTS” Displayed In Uber Big Letters An “END RACISM” Message On The Big Screen At The Start Of 1 Of Their Games!!!  I Said, HOCKEY NO LESS!!!  SAY WHUT???!!!

As If I COULD NOT Be Even More Blown Away…, The Soft Spoken Half Black/Half Japanese 2X’s Grand Slam Champion Ms. Naomi Osaka SHUT TENNIS DOWN By Refusing 2 Play Her Semi-Final Match (literally 2 matches away from winning the championship) In Response 2 What She Was Witnessing!!!

Do URself A Favor & Google Golfer Cameron Champ!!!  What Did Young Cameron Do???  He Wore Mis-Matched Shoes In A Tournament…, A Black Shoe & A White Shoe!!!  1 Shoe Had “Breonna Taylor’s” Name Written On It & The 2^nd Shoe Had “Black Lives Matter” Written On It!!!  You May Ask URself Why???  But After You Do A Lil’ Research On My Man…, You Will FULLY UNDERSTAND WHY!!!

This Is HUGE Because Tennis & Golf Are INDIVIDUAL Sports…, Not A TEAM Sport!!!  They Both Could Suffer Similar Repercussions Like Colin Kaepernick After He Put Himself Out There On An Island By Himself…, As The Powers That Be Could Martyr Them & Make Their Solo Journeys XTREMELY DIFFICULT!!!  4tunately The Governing Bodies DID NOT As They Respected Their Position & Postponed The Tennis Matches & Allowed Cameron 2 Play On With No Consequences!!!  So I Applaud Both Of Them 7X’s!!!

This Is Not New 4 Athletes…, This Is Just New 4 Athletes In This High Profile Age Of Social Media.  Michael Jordan Laid Low & Kept Quiet Not 2 Stir Controversy As He Built His Empire To Billionaire Status W/O Really Trying To Be That Athlete Who Rocked The “CONTROVERSY” Boat!!! 

2day’s Athletes Seem 2 Have A “2 Whom Much Iz Given Much Iz Required” Woke Mindset As They Step Out Front & Center 2 Speak Outwardly & Openly About These Issues Feelings & Sponsors Be Damned!!!

It Started With The NBA/WNBA Wearing “Black Lives Matter” Shirts, Messages On The Court, & Freely Xpressing Their Thoughts On Social & Press Media Led By The Strongest Voice In The Room LeBron James!!!  Walk Back In Tyme With Me!!!

When Legendary Black Boxer Jack “Galveston Giant” Johnson Thumbed His Nose Up To Racial Oppression By Forcing His Shot To Fight The White Boxing Champion Of The World (as of course boxing was segregated way back then) Beause We COULD NOT Even Think About Having A Black Man Beating A White Man’s Azz In Front Of Predominately White Crowd!?!

When Jack Johnson Triumphed He Ushered In A New Wave Of Black Pride As He Became The 1^st African-American Heavyweight Champion Of The World!!!  People Think His 1910 Fight Against Jim Jefferies Was That Fight, But It WAS NOT!!! 

That Fight Several Years Later Was Just That Quintessential “Black vs White” Racially Charged Dynamic That Drew The Most Attention As Jefferies Came Out Of Retirement Hailed As The Great White Hope (SORRY ROCKY) 2 Put Johnson Back In His Rightful Place!!! 

How Did That Work Out???  IT DIDN’T!!!  After 15 Rounds Of Brutal Punishment, Jefferies Corner Threw In The Towel As They DID NOT Want 2 See Their Boy Get KNOCKED OUT As Jack Johnson Was Much Too Much 4 The Faded Ex-Champ!!!

When Black American Track & Field Star Jesse Owens Defeated Adolph Hitler’s Aryan Athletes At The 1936 Berlin Olympics Capturing 4 Gold Medals It Was “A SHOT HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD!!!” 

How Dare This Black Upstart From America Perform (many folks DID NOT want Jesse to go in opposition to Hitler’s reign) In A Communist Country, Under A Brutal Dictator, Under Incredible World Duress???  Yet Jesse Overcame & Prevailed Sending Shock Waves World-Wide!!! 

Then Jackie Robinson Broke The Color Barrier In Baseball Becoming The 1^st Black Player To Play In The Segregated White Professional Baseball League.  I Now View This Slightly Differently After Reading Robin DiAngelo’s Book “White Fragility.” 

She Comments, “It WAS NOT So Much That Mr. Robinson, Although The Great Athlete That He Was Broke The Color Barrier, As Much As It Was That The Good Ole White Guard Running The Game FINALLY Allowed A Black Man Into This Arena.  Because If Jackie Had Ran Out On The Field Under The Old Rules…, His Black Azz Would’ve Been Dragged Off The Field, Arrested, & Thrown Into Jail Regardless Of How Skilled He Was!!!”  I’m Paraphrasing Here!!!  Shhhh!!! 

If We Re-Frame The Narrative That Way…, Then NE Of The Xceptional Black Athletes Who Were SOOPA-STARS In The Negro Leagues Could’ve Been “THE FIRST!!!”  But Taking Nothing Away & Giving All Kudos 2 Jackie Robinson Cause He Endured The Wrath Of Hatred Placed Upon Him (being spit on, cursed, racially discriminated against, & treated as a second class citizen) That The Next Wave Of Black Players DID NOT Have 2 Endure In The Same Manner.

The Human Rights Protest Of The 1968 Olympics Was Another Flash Point For Black American Athletes.  Track & Field Stars Tommie Smith & John Carlos Upon Winning Their Medals, Stood On The Podium As The National Anthem Played…, Bowed Their Heads & Raised Black Gloved Fists Into The Air!!!  They Were VILIFIED 4 Their Actions As A “Racial Protest!!!”  Just Think About The Turbulent Times Of The 1960’s That These Athletes Were Trying 2 Navigate?!?

Without Question & Hands Down My Favorite Protesting Athlete Is Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali (formerly known as) Cassius Clay Before His Conversion To Islam.  Upon Working His Way Up 2 Win The Heavyweight Title In 1964…, He Gave It All Up As It Was Stripped From Him In 1966 After Refusing 2 Enter The Military Draft Citing Himself As A “Conscientious Objector!!!” 

He Lost 4 Years Of His Prime As He Fought The Government Finally Getting His Conviction Overturned In 1971 Where He Promptly Returned 2 Boxing!!!  It Took 3 Years, 2 Hellacious Battles Against Joe Frazier, & Finally In 1974 Beating Behemoth George Foreman For Ali 2 FINALLY Regain His Heavy Weight Title!!! 

If Athletes Want 2 Model Any Civic-Minded Activist Type Athlete…, It Is Truly MUHAMMAD ALI!!!  Having Spent Tyme In The Nation Of Islam Under Elijah’s Muhammad’s Teachings & Befriending Malcolm X…, Muhammad Ali Was An Intelligent, Articulate, Thoughtful Athlete Who Could Verbally Go Toe-To-Toe With Anybody!!!  Go 2 Youtube & Search Any Muhammad Ali TV Appearance & Listen 2 How He Frames His Thoughts Xspecially With Regards 2 Race, The Vietnam War, The Nation Of Islam, & Of Course His Boxing Prowess!!! 

Ali Was TRULY Ahead Of His Tyme & WOULD NOT Take ISH From NOBODY!!!  He Was Called “The Greatest”…, Imagine How Much More GREATER He Would’ve Been Had He Fought During Those 4 Lost Years From 25 – 29 In His Prime!!!  OMG!!!

Speaking Of Islam, Let’s Not 4get The NBA’s Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf formerly Known as Chris Jackson Who Refused To Stand For The National Anthem As He Called The US Flag A Sign Of Oppression.  As A Denver Nuggets He Was Suspended By The League For Refusing 2 Stand In 1996, Then They Worked Out A Compromise Where He Would Remain On The Court During The Anthem With His Head Down, Eyes Closed, As He Recited A Muslim Prayer Instead. He Too Was VILIFIED Mostly Because Islam To America Was This Deep, Dark, Dirty, Unknown Entity!!!

So As You Can See Athletes Protesting IZ NOT New, It’s An Opportunity 2 Use Their Platform 2 Bring Awareness 2 Issues 2 Help Impact Change!!!  Good, Bad, Or Indifferent, Those Who Are Quick 2 Rail Against These Athletes 4get That Our Own Constitution Of These United States Gives Them The Right To “PEACEFULLY PROTEST” Whether You Like It Or Not!!!

Just Because They DO NOT Protest The Way “YOU” Would Want Them 2 Makes It No Less Relevant!!!  Part Of Being American Is To Voice Your Opinion When You Disapprove Of That Which You Feel Has Come Against You UNJUSTLY!!!

1 Of My Co-Workers Insist They Hate When Artist/Athletes Interject Politics Or Issues Of The Day Into Their Platforms.  I Said, I Disagree Because Some Of The World’s Greatest Art Comes From A Place Of Revolution As Artist Dig Deep Within Themselves 2 Speak About/Portray The Times In Which They Live!!!

In My Humble Opinion An Artist That DOES NOT Bring That Emotional Content/Connection 2 Their Work Is Simply Going Thru The Motions!!!  We Are A Reflection Of Our Environment & That Which We Taste/Touch/Hear/See/Feel!!! 

There Was A Time When HIP-HOP Was Literally The Black CNN As Those Artist Spoke On Record What They Saw Happening In The Streets Before It Became Common Knowledge 2 Mainstream Media.  When Mayberry USA FINALLY Caught Up 2 The Message They Went From Being Appalled By The Message 2 SHOCKED By The Truth Images They Saw Visually Confirmed On Display 4 All The World 2 See!!!

My Fave Muzikal Artist Prince Has Also Delivered Social Commentary (not just mega-hits)  In Subtle Jams With REAL WORLD Messages Such As “Ronnie Talk 2 Russia (cold war theme), Sign O’ The Times (drug addiction, gang violence, black America), America (unity in the USA), Colonized Mind (power structure, politics), 1999 (party before world destruction), Uptown (multi-racial, gendered, safe world), Baltimore (response 2 Freddy Gray’s death with a benefit concert in B-More behind this), Cinnamon Girl (a tale of a Muslim girl in a racist post 9/11 world), Dear Mr. Man (addressing white privilege), New Power Generation (new world order) , We March (60’s civil rights type theme), The Word (religious overtones on love), & New World (similar New Power Generation new world order).”

For Those Who Are Disgusted, Say They Will Now Boycott, Turn The Games Off, Stop Watching, & Give Up UR Beloved Season Tickets Because Of What These Athletes Are Doing, That Is Your God-Given Right To Feel That Way!!! 

However If You CANNOT LQQK Deep Within Your Own Heart & Find Compassion As Black America Is Crying Out 4 Assistance In Solving America’s Systemic Oppression, Police Brutality, Economic Oppression, Healthcare Inequality, Housing Disparity, & Blatant Racism Against Her Black Citizens, That These Athletes Are Trying 2 Bring Light 2..., Then You Are Simply PART OF THE PROBLEM!!!

My Black People Know This All 2 Well & We’ve Gone Thru This Time & Time Again!!!  However Since The Death Of George Floyd There Has Been A Shift In The Universe & The Door Has Opened Up Just A Crack!!!  I Am Proud As “WE” The Citizens Get Involved & Our Athletes (BLACK & WHITE) Have Stepped Up Their Games Too!!!

White America Should Take A Chance & Read Ms. Robin DiAngelo’s Book “White Fragility.”  DO NOT View It As An Indictment On White Privilege, White Supremacy, Or Black People vs. White People!!!  Read It For The Peeling Back The Layers Of How We Got 2 Where We Are 2day, Recognize Those Things In Your Own Self, & Then Ask Yourself What Can I Do 2 Help Effect Change Going FWD???

She Delivers Her Message The Way A Teacher Would In A Classroom Setting Where You Arrive In The Fall & Graduate That Following Summer.  You HAVE NOT Fully Mastered The Subject, But Now You’ve Been Given Insight, Tools, & Techniques That You Can Take With You As You Pursue Higher Learning On A Difficult, Delicate, Yet Demanding Subject. 

This Country Has Been Operating Under This Model For 400 Years…, So This IZ NOT An Overnight Solution.  Black American Has Only Been Free Since 1865…, Yet We’ve Never Truly Been Free As The Head Start White America Has Had Since 1619 Has Kept Us Lagging Behind The 8 Ball Ever Since.  Generational Wealth Is Real & Like Compound Interest…, You Can NEVER Make It Back Up!!!

DO NOT Get It Twisted…, The Election Of President Barack Obama Was An Anomaly…, Not The Norm!!!  That Is Why There Is Such A Buzz Around Vice President Pick Kamala Harris!!!  Not The 1^st Woman VP Pick…, But The 1^st Black Woman VP Pick On A True Major Ticket!!!  Like Barack Obama It Simply Points 2 Hope & The Possibility Of What America Can Produce When We Really Try 2 Live Up 2 Her Ideals!!!

But Until Every American Citizen Is Able 2 Fully Realize & Be Treated By The Constitution Fairly…, None Of Us Are Really Truly Ever Free?!?  Watching The Democratic National Convention Last Week & The Republican National Convention This Week…, I SWEAR There Are 2 Different America’s They Are Talking About???

What Happened 2 Us???  We’ve Lost The Art & The Ability To Respectfully Disagree?!?  & Then When We Used 2 Disagree…, We’d 2 Come 2getha 2 Work Out A Compromise (where you give a lil’, I give a lil’) & Then We Shake Hands 2 Live By The Rules Of The Compromise!!! 

When Did America Lose Her Moral Compass & Disintegrate Into This Reality TV Show We’ve Become 2day???  MY GAWD!!!  As A Black Man In America…, In The Immortal Wordz Of LeBron “L-Breezy” James, “I AM TERRIFIED FOR MY CHILDREN…, MY FAMILY…, & MY OWN BLACK LIFE!!!”  WOW!!!

The Bro J!!!