I generally try to steer clear of politics for obvious reasons, but I wanted to touch on a couple of items today. With today's inagural ceremony,I want to take a moment to reflect on what the inaguration of Barack Obama means; not just from the perspective of sports, but in the context of life.
With the ascension of Obama to the presidency, I've wondered whether the image of a black man in the Oval Office will do anything to change the way that we perceive athletes in the future? Will we take the time to view our Black athletes as men, or will we continue to view them as thugs who simply wear a uniform? At what point do we stop assuming the worst about athletes? At what point do we stop celebrating the baby mama drama of Black athletes and start celebrating the vast majority of those who maintain healthy and happy families? At what point does the story about an athlete with a gun no longer become a story, especially when thousands of ordinary people carry guns in this country everyday? Will the words "scrip club" become synonymous with Pacman Jones? Will the current culture that we live in allow us to change our own perceptions when it comes to athletes in this country?
I'm tired of stories about Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, and other manufactured villians created by the mainstream media (read: ESPN). I'm tired of careers being made off the negativity of a few like Barry Bonds and Pacman Jones. I'm tired of the double standards for those like Marvin Harrison, LaDainian Tomlinson, and others simply because they meet the mainstream's "standards" and are well-liked. I don't need the media to tell me who's a good person and who isn't. Few people really know these players and it's not the media's job to tell us who is acceptable and who isn't.
Maybe I'm just being naive, but I think we can do better going forward. Maybe athletes will look at the inauguration of Obama and use that as motivation to be better people in public and in private. Maybe they will look at the example that Obama has set forth and stop giving people like Skip Bayless and Joe Buck ammunition every week. At the end of the day, change begins within and all we can do is hope that everyone takes a long look in the mirror before deciding to make it rain.
I think it is just a beautiful day for everyone in the world. sports world included
Forget this, Im going to the scrip club!