The Curious Case of Marcus Smart

If you haven't heard, Marcus Smart, is a sophomore guard for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys. He also happens to be a projected Top 5 NBA Draft pick for the upcoming 2014-2015 season.  And in a recent game, he was ejected for shoving a fan.  Marcus shoved this after the fan yelled something at him.  Because of this, Marcus was suspended for 3 games by the Big 12.  Never mind that no one knows WHAT this fan said to Marcus.  Never mind that numerous college basketball players throughout the years remember this same 'fan' talking crap.  Never mind that he's never had any other disciplinary issues.  Marcus was culpable.

Three weeks prior to this, Richard Sherman, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks was interviewed by a (White female) sideline reporter after his team advanced to the Superbowl. The reporter asked him a question to which he replied that the wide receiver was wack and that indeed he, Sherman, was the greatest cornerback of all time.  Is it true? Maybe not, but I respect his bravado.  I guess I was the only one. Nevermind that Sherman has a degree from Stanford.  Nevermind that he's a member of a respected Black fraternity. Sherman was crucified in the media for being thuggish and brash.

Both of these incidents happened with young Black men against 'innocent' White people.  I guess the archaic notion of Mandingo isn't as irrelevant as we thought.  Is this the post-racial society we were hoping for?  Where racial microaggressions go unchecked?

Marcus Smart.
       Richard Sherman.
             Trayvon Martin.

All of these young Black men regarded as thugs.

Reacted to disrespectful fan. 

      Pumped up after making play to advance his team to the Superbowl. 

             Wearing a hoodie in the wrong neighborhood. 

Happy Black History Month.

LeBronathan James

I believe it's time to put all the speculation to rest.  I know you were waiting on me to weigh in on the LeBron/Kobe/Jordan comparisons and I'm finally ready.  LeBron James is arguably the greatest basketball player we've ever seen.  Here's why:

• Kobe and Jordan both had Hall of Famers in their supporting cast.  Shaq was the most dominant player in his prime and Scottie Pippen was easily the #2 player in basketball, after Jordan of course.  The only reason LeBron didn't win earlier in his career was because of his supporting cast.  His teammates were Boobie Gibson and DeLonte West -_-
• LeBron is a team player and usually looks to pass first, unlike the other two.  This guy gets triple doubles as often as a teenagers get pimples.  The last time Kobe got a triple double, it was a SportsCenter headline.
• He's the size of a power forward (think Karl Malone - look it up), but with the quickness of a point guard (think Rajon Rondo)
• LeBron is the youngest player to do EVERYTHING.  Youngest #1 overall pick, youngest at every thousand point milestone, youngest triple double, youngest to average 30 points...I could be here all day.  And remember, when Kobe came out of high school, he was trash his first year.
• And, just look at his stats: Career Assits ~ LeBron (6.9) Jordan (5.3) Kobe (4.7)  Triple Doubles ~ LeBron (35) Jordan (28) Kobe (18)

So do yall agree with me?

Broke Ballers

Terrell Owens, Allen Iverson, Antoine Walker, Vince Young.  The list goes on. What do all these guys have in common? Well, they're broke. Despite once being millionaires and world class athletes, these dudes are broke.  But, it didn't have to be that way.  There are plenty of dudes who have been able to parlay their sports careers into wealth.

Take Magic Johnson for example. He's parlayed his basketball career into an empire. Even after being diagnosed with HIV, which could have been career (and life) ending, Magic just kept buying Starbucks & movie theaters.  And look at him now, he owns 2/3 of L.A.  Michael Strahan.  He's got a gap in his teeth and now he sits next to a perky White girl on a national morning talk show.  He's winning.  George Foreman wasn't smart enough to give his 12 kids different names, but he was smart enough to slap his name on that grill.

That's why it baffles me when you hear of the latest, former millionaire, who's filing for bankruptcy.  I mean, how many chains and rims did you buy?  Bet you regret poppin that last $600 bottle in the club don't you.  Until athletes (and Black people for that matter) understand the difference between being rich and being wealthy, going broke will always be an issue.

Let me break it down for you: as long as you're cashing a check endorsed by someone else, YOU AIN'T WEALTHY.

XLVII

Just a quick post as I head out to watch the HarBowl....

Dear Non-sports fan (and yes I'm talkin to you ladies who fake chose a team for the DAY)

Stay out of my way today.  If you don't know the difference between a touch down and a lay up, just sit down and eat your chicken wings.  I hear there will be funny commercials and a really cute girl* performing at half time.  As for the sports watching and trash talk, leave that to the professionals.

Signed,
A Professional

*Beyonce, I worship at your Louboutins...

Fantasy Reality

Do you play fantasy football? If so, you're one of 35 million people who do.  Hey, I don't really have a problem with Fantasy Football, if it'll keep AK-47s out of single mothers' hands in Chicago, it's good with me.  And the League loves it.  Fantasy Football is a gazillion dollar business on top of the trazillion dollar business that is the National Football League.

Actually, I do have one issue with fantasy football...I think it's ruining fan-dom.  Traditionally, you have your 1 maybe 2 teams you cheer for, and that's all that matters to you.  Those players, that quarterback, that's it. In the world of fantasy, you care about errrrrrybody just cuz they're on your fantasy team.  There's no reason a Redskins fan should ever cheer for Tony Romo to do well, unless he's on their fantasy team then all bets are off? Nah son.  

Where it really gets funky is with fans and players.  'Fans' (and I use the term loosely) have gone so far as to tweet injured players to see if they will be playing on Sunday.  Not because they were concerned for that player but because that player is on their fantasy team.  Huh? Nah son.

Basically, just cheer for your team.  Would the Hatfields cheer for the McCoys?  Would the Montagues cheer for the Capulets?  Hell, would Tom cheer for Jerry?  I think not.

The Curse of the Celebrity Girlfriend

In sports, the worst thing that could ever happen to an athlete is getting a celebrity girlfriend.  I'm serious.  A celebrity girlfriend is worse than a lockout, getting traded, or a torn ACL.  When these athletes mix with Hollywood, they become more concerned about their next reality show deal instead of getting to the gym to do their job.  Lemme give you some examples:

• Tony Romo - He dated Jessica Simpson & The Cowboys didn't make the playoffs.
• Mark Sanchez - He's dating cougar Eva Longoria and the Jets are having their worst season in a long time.  She was good luck for Tony Parker, bad luck for the 3-4 Jets.
• Lamar Odom - Married Khloe Kardashian, got traded from The Lakers, went crazy, got sent to the D-League.
• Carmelo Anthony - Well, ask the entire city of Denver, Colorado how they feel about his wife, LaLa Vazquez.
• Jay Cutler - Dating & knocked up some girl from The Hills.  Wait, is she even a celebrity?
• Ochocinco - I rest my case.

As a sports fan, I don't like to see Hollywood and the sports world intermix.  It muddies the waters.  Remember when Shaq made Shazaam? Yeah...

It's never too late

As an avid sports fan and educator, I often see the intersections of these two fields as problematic.  It's usually that colleges and universities put too much emphasis on the sports side and not enough on the education side.  We all know of the Calipari's out there who run 'one and done' factories but the fact of the matter is, most male professional athletes haven't completed their college degree.  Most female athletes have their degrees (and even Masters degrees) as they can't enter the league early. 

Now, there are a few exceptions to this rule:

• Shaquille O'Neal ~ He's got a PhD.  It's weird, but he's Dr. Shaq.
• Ben Roethlisberger ~ Graduated from Miami University in Ohio 9 years later.
• Vince Carter ~ He was criticized for missing a playoff game to attend his college graduation at UNC.  Clearly, some people have the wrong priorities.

So, I'd like to propose a national campaign for professional athletes to go back to school and graduate: "ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO GO BACK AND GRADUATE".  Imagine the effect this could have on the kids who look up to these players.  Imagine how this degree could change the future of retired athletes.  Imagine professional athletes using their off-season to finish a degree instead of getting arrested.  Imagine if the sports world publicly put this emphasis on education.  I think the possibilities are endless.

#NeverTooLate

A Girls Guide to Football Season

Well Ladies, football season is upon us.  I'ma huge football fan (GO STEELERS!) but I feel like female football fans usually fall into 4 categories:

• True Fans: These girls actually watch the games, know the players & plays, and possibly have a fantasy team.
• Groupie Girls: These girls know players, contracts, and away team hotels.
• If you like it, I love it: These girls talk about football because they think guys like it.  In actuality, they don't know the difference between a LB and OL.
• What's Football?: These girls don't care about football, at. all.

Since I'm always breaking things down for yall, I wanted to give you the Girls Guide to the 2012-2013 Football Season.

True Fans: So many story lines for this season: The return of Peyton Manning and his broken neck; Lolo Jones' soul mate (Tebow) trying to help make the Jets relevant while the Giants continue to quietly go about their business; the media made rivalry of Andrew Luck vs RGIII; can the Saints rebound from Bountygate?; and finally will an old favorite (STEELERS, Patriots, Packers) win it all or will a "oh so close" team finally put the pieces together (49ers, Eagles, Ravens).

Groupie Girls: You might want to spend most of your time checking the sidelines and learning jersey numbers.  Also, make sure you read reports of who's gotten cut; football players can get cut mid-season & then they'll be unemployed, like yourself.  Also, if they are on Special Teams, their career probably won't last too long...go for a REAL player, go for the starters.  Obviously everyone goes for the quarterback and wide receivers.  If all you want is the baby daddy or to live the "Basketball Wives lifestyle" go for the offensive lineman.  They usually have long careers, make decent pay, don't have groupies like yourself following them, and can protect you from anyone trying to tackle you.  What more could you want in a man?  

If you like it, I love it: Make sure you know which team is playing each other each Sunday.  Also, if you know what city they're from & what their mascot is, you're doing great.  Actually, you can't go wrong cheering for the home team.  Come on, just watch the local news and you should be able to learn SOMETHING about them; a coach, a player, a team color.

What's Football?: Ummm, you might want to get another TV for your household.  

So there you have it, the Girls Guide to the 2012-2013 Football Season.  Are you ready for some football?

The Olympics: The Best, Worst, and In Between

The worst: London.  Beijing brought it in 2008; drummers, millions of Chinese dancers.  The opening ceremonies this year was the history of London. NOBODY CARES. A James Bond skit about the Queen? Don't nobody care about that either. Even your Queen was bored. London: Worst Host Ever.

My new favorite athlete: Pistorious. A) He's cute B) He's a paraplegic and y'all know I *love* people with disabilities.

The "I told ya so": The USA Women's Basketball Team has won their 5th straight gold medal.  They beat France, the 2nd place finishers, by 36 points.  They also have a 41 game winning streak in International competition.  Can we say "Dream Team"?

The Hoodie award: Serena crip walking after she won the gold medal.

The Dumbest Olympic Sport: Trampoline, Sailing, Equestrian, Race Walking 

The best: The Sex! For the athletes, some of them might not have won gold medals but they were getting it in in the Olympic village.  All those perfect bodies from those various countries all living in confined quarters was a recipe for disaster.  But you know who didn't have a lot of sex in the Olympic village?? Lolo Jones.  And she had a 4th place finish. (j/k Lolo, j/k).

Well, that's my recap.  Hope yall enjoyed it, now on to book my tickets to Rio!

The problem with the WNBA

Do you know when the WNBA season began?  Prolly not.

Do you know the name of your local WNBA team?  Prolly not.

I'm a fan of basketball.  Period.  I am also the sister of a former high school basketball star, so ladies' sports was big in our family.  We've been ride or die with the WNBA since the very first season, 16 years ago.  However, in the last few years the WNBA has been on an amazing descent into oblivion and bankruptcy.  Lemme tell you a few problems with the WNBA:

1. The play: Now, while the WNBA doesn't have much dunking, it's strong on fundamentals.  But if you're a basketball fan, that shouldn't matter right?  I'll be the first to say it: people like dunking.  That's what makes Blake Griffin & Amare Stoudemire so popular; not their fundamentals but the flash.  But if basketball was just about the flash, we'd all be lining up to see the Harlem Globetrotters.  
2. Marketing: The WNBA season begins around Memorial Day.  Just as the NBA is entering into playoff season and professional basketball is winding down, there is more basketball on the horizon!  But does the WNBA market to avid basketball watchers? Nope.  They put their commercials on Lifetime in between a tampon commercial and another Rachel McAdams movie.  And the league doesn't know how to market them: are they NBA counterparts or sex symbols? They've tried both, both have failed.
3. The season: Well, the season is only 30 games, which amounts to like 3 months.  AND during Olympic years, the league shuts down for like 3 weeks since most of their stars are playing for an Olympic team.  What league you know that does that?  AND not to mention they play WNBA games on ESPN: The Ocho and not ABC or TNT like NBA games.
4. Lesbians: I don't mean this as disrespect to lesbians.  The problem with the WNBA is the lay-person believes the league and the games are only for lesbians.  Now, I applaud the WNBA for being LGBT-friendly; I think they're one of the only sports leagues that openly welcomes everyone.  But that doesn't mean that the WNBA isn't family-friendly as well.  

Well, I say all this to say 2 things: 1) More people, especially MEN, should start watching the WNBA.  If you're a fan of basketball, it shouldn't matter if the players have 2 X chromosomes or one. 2) WNBA, hire me!  I'll make everything better.  I promise! 

Top of the Summitt

We're huge basketball fans in my family.  One team we always root for is the University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Team.  Until about a week ago, the team was led by legendary Coach Pat Summitt.  She recently stepped down because of her battle with early-onset dementia.  Pat is a legend in our family not just because she is an amazing coach, but because she is an extraordinary woman.

Most people know Pat's coaching stats:

1,908 wins
8 NCAA championships
14 Olympians
1st women's basketball coach to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Made an appearance in the NCAA tournament every single year she's coached.
More Tennessee players have been drafted into the WNBA than from any other school.

Her players have a 100% graduation rate, which in the college sports world is unheard of.  (Take that Coach K.)  She's run a clean program with no major coaching violations.  She didn't buy any players a house to get them to come play for her, *cough* Pete Carroll.  She was intense on the court, but kept it classy and never threw a chair.  

Pat was not just a coach to her players, she was a surrogate mother.  When players came to Tennessee, they didn't just go to college, they joined a family.  She's single-handedly put women's basketball on the map so it's hard to describe in a few sentences what Pat Summitt has meant to her players and to college sports.  In this day and age, when coaches are in the news for fiscal impropriety, adultery, and cheating, it's refreshing to know that there are still people like Pat out there.  To Pat, I wish you a long, healthy, prosperous life.  Thank you for the impact you made on basketball and on young women everywhere.

I heart Jeremy Lin

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, there is a player for the New York Knicks who is taking the basketball world by storm. No not Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin!  (I actually think Mike D'Antoni stepped on Carmelo's groin to keep him out longer...the Knicks are phenomenal without their $80 million star.)  But back to Lin...I <3 him!  Let me tell y'all why I love this guy:

He Loves the Lord: My #1 requirement for any man I date is that they love the Lord. And Jeremy surely does! From his Twitter picture to his recent declaration he wants to be a minister...he's automatically marriage material in my book!

He's Humble: Every time Jer is interviewed, he's always incredibly humble. Any praise he gets he immediately defers to his team yet in defeat, he takes it all on his shoulders.

He went to Harvard: So y'all know he's smart. Good. Nothin more I can't stand than a stupid man.

He's obviously good at sports: I LOVE basketball. So does Jeremy. Nuff said.

He already lives in NYC: I have a rule about dating people outside of the city, actually my borough. Well, J is based right here in the city on the isle of Manhattan!  Win.  Win.


So Jeremy Lin, there's one thing I wanna know: Will You Marry Me?

Black Mamba Millionaires

I'm sure yall have heard by now that Vanessa Bryant walked away with $75 million in her divorce settlement from Kobe Bean Bryant.  I'm sure yall have also heard the lyric "b*tch, you wasn't with me shooting in the gym" from Drake, America's saddest R&B rapper.  A lot of people, mostly dudes, have been riding with this lyric as though Vanessa is not entitled to any of the fortune that was amassed during their marriage.  But you know what, I'm not mad at Vanessa.  Lemme tell you why:

1. They shoulda signed a pre-nup.  Maybe if they hadn't gotten married when they were 14 & 12, Bean would have been smart enough to protect his money. Even Kim K and her sham of a 72 day marriage was smart enough to sign a pre-nup.
2. Vanessa stood by her husband is his darkest days.  She sat there (albeit looking foolish), holding his hand during his press conference regarding rape accusations.  It's a scientific fact (aight, maybe not) that when wives stand by their husbands, their careers bounce back quicker.  Look at Hillary & Bill vs. Tiger & Elin.  See?
3. Just because someone marries an athlete/entertainer does not mean they've signed an agreement to be cheated on.  Point blank, period.

So, was she out there shooting free throws, winning championships & getting endorsements? Nah.  But did she stand by him, have his children, and set up a cozy life for him? Yeah.  What's that worth?  I can't really say, but the state of California says $75 million!

Petition: Keep the Kardashians out of sports

As I've mentioned before, I'm an avid sports fan.  As a fan, I must say the WORST thing to happen to sports in the last 5 years (besides the cheating, gambling, & Sandusky-ing) is the Kardashians.  Let me give you a lil history of these ladies.

Reggie Bush was the first.  He dated Kim while he was on the New Orleans Saints.  When the Saints won the Superbowl in 2009, it was a great moment for Reggie.  Every athlete's goal is to win the championship in their respective sport.  Well, while Reggie was being interviewed & congratulated, who decided that was the perfect time to jump on the field and take a seat??  Kim Kardashian.  This man just won a SUPERBOWL but somehow this became her moment.  I saw the look in Reggie's eye (something to the effect of oh no this B---- didn't!)...he dropped her shortly after.

Lamar Odom was next.  He's an average player in the NBA.  He won 6th man of the year recently, so he's on the better end of the average players.  He married Khloe a few years back & despite what everyone thought, they're still going strong.  Lamar just got traded to the Mavs & instead of the news story being about why the hell any team would want Lamar Odom, it was about whether or not Khloe would be okay moving to Dallas!  Umm, how about we don't care.  Sit down, shut up & cheer just like every other NBA wife.

Kris Humphries, who you probably never heard of before April, is the most recent Kardashian victim.  Last week, he was voted the most hated NBA player.  Now explain to me how a man who averages 14 MPG, 5.6 PPG and  has been on 4 teams in 9 years could be the most hated player?  Maybe it was his sham of a 72-day marriage to America's #1 Ho-fessional, Kim K.

And let us not forget the shell of a man that was formerly Bruce Jenner.  By the looks of their E! reality show, Bruce has been totally emasculated (he's not doing himself any favors with that horrible face lift either).  Bruce was an Olympic athlete...he was on a Wheaties box for crying out loud.  Now, he just looks like Billie Jean King.  I like Bruce, I really do...I think he's the only voice of reason in that cacophony of stupidity.  If he know like I know, he should just count his losses and get out now.   

Look, I respect everybody's hustle.  If you a ho-fessional, then be a ho-fessional.  Go sell some more perfume, make another sex tape, or whatever you do....just please, stay away from sports.

Play for Pay?

Do you know how much universities make off of collegiate sports? A gazillion dollars.

Recently, college athletes & their programs have gotten in trouble for getting free stuff: cars, tattoos, houses, pre-marital sex. While this is against NCAA policies, can you blame these guys? They work just as hard as professional athletes but with 0% of the pay. Now I understand they get scholarships & stipends, but is it enough? Especially when you consider that collegiate sports has become such a big business and largely on free labor; these schools are profiting on the backs of their athletes.

The most pressing issue for me is that many of these athletes are Black...40 million dollar slaves, indeed. They're promised a world class education, prospects to go to the league, but how many of them actually make it? What happens to the athlete who has spent 4 years taking classes that fit around a practice schedule rather than fit into a major? How many athletes have tutors (and/or ho-fessionals) doing their homework so they can focus on studying plays?

While I'm sure this happens to students of all colors, Black males disproportionately get the short end of the stick (I know, tell you something you don't know.) As if K-12 educational options for Black males weren't challenging enough, now they're getting screwed post-secondary too?

I'm not advocating for these athletes to break the rules but we have to look at why they're are doing it. Would YOU work for a million-dollar corporation that paid you in homework, hoodies & harlots.

You Can't Take Everybody with You

So, I'm an avid sports fan, Go Steelers!  (Well, maybe not all sports, but definitely basketball & football.)  One thing that urks me to no end is athletes making dumb decisions, especially Black male athletes.  This brings me to the title of this post: "You Can't Take Everybody with You."  

No one understands the truth in this saying more than Mike Vick.  Mike Vick was on top of the world, starting QB for the Falcons & cuz his homies/boys/posse was still 'living that life' HIS ass ended up in jail.  He's not the only one, there are countless others.  Professional athletes get paid zillions of dollars to play sports all day, ery day & they still wanna hang out in the clubs with their boys all night (DeSean Jackson).  Nah, you got too much to lose.  They wanna meet up with random HO-fessionals on Twitter & can't remember all their kids names (Antonio Cromartie).  Nah, you got too much to lose.  Their dads try to sell them to the highest bidder despite the fact that slavery ended 200 years ago AND it's an NCAA violation (Cam Newton).  Nah, you got too much to lose.  They wanna bring guns up in the club then shoot themselves in their own thigh then go to jail for 2 years (Plax).  Nah, you got to much to lose.   

The moral of the story: yes, always remember where you come from & the people who knew you when.  But, you can't take EVERYbody with you, some people might have to stay home; after all, you got too much to lose.