“I can’t believe those white boys are in the game?” “Are they really ranked that high nationally AND play their white boys? That’s unbelievable! Those white boys must be very good!” “Look at that crowd; I wish those white people had more rhythm.”
As someone who speaks openly about race and ethnicity, I felt uncharacteristically uncomfortable with these comments by my father-in-law while I was watching my favorite college basketball team. On one hand, I have my own frustrations with my team’s lack of consistent Black representation. The program rarely has more than 4-5 Black players on a team of 13+; on average, 2-3 of them are probably starters, while the remainder play minimal roles. In recent years, the program has struggled to compete with arguably less skilled but more athletic players. Sometimes, those “more athletic” players are, in fact, Black. With that being said, having Black players is not the guaranteed solution.
College basketball is full of talented, athletic players of all ethnicities. It has increasingly provided a more idealized picture of diversity and integration than church communities, Fortune 500 companies, or organizations mandated to uphold affirmative action or ethnic quotas. Where else can you find highly skilled White, African-American, African, German, Australian, and Latino players working together towards a common goal? If there’s any place where racial bias is the closest to being neutralized, you’ll find it on the college basketball court – where winning and teamwork usually trumps egos and polarizing life experiences. If there’s any place where you can expect to see ethnic equity in featured roles, for better or worse, college basketball is your best option.
Beyond the argument of White athlete's legitimacy, this family of questions bothers me for another reason. They seem awfully familiar. Aren’t these comments awfully close to those made towards Black people?
“Wow; he’s so articulate for a black man?” “If more Black women worked as hard as you, they would be successful, too.” “He's a handsome Black man.” “You went to Wake Forest? What sport did you play?” “You’re Black; teach me how to dance.” "You're too athletic to be a quarterback. That's more of an intellectual position."
As naïvely innocent as either set of comments may sound, they both allow praise to hide the undertone that these accomplishments are uncharacteristic. I've spent half my life as the “only” in many social situations and heard my share of commentary on Black society by way of remarks like these. Despite the speaker's intent, these words do more harm than good.
Black people have made wonderful contributions to this world and add an invaluable perspective and gift set to society. We need to be conscious of that, proud of it, and expectant of it rather than taking liberties to re-cast stones.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
WHAT A WEEK!
Mark this down as the week in time that sets the stage for the future. I don’t know what the rest of Black History Month holds, but February 3-7 has been more than just “super”; it’s been spectacular!
February 3 – (Super Bowl) Jordin Sparks, daughter of former NY Giants Defensive Back, Phillippi Duane Sparks, kicked off Super Bowl XLII with an impressive rendition of the National Anthem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9U7MzcVczs&feature=related). I grew up cheering for the 49ers and Giants, but affinity for both have faded over the last fifteen years. But on that night, I joined millions of others who cheered for New York to beat New England. It was clearly the Giants night to shine despite being two TD underdogs to the 18-0 Patriots. This begs the question, "What will happen to the Patriot Dynasty now?" The team worked hard to be perfect all year, but the loss must be tremendously deflating. Will they bounce back or are emerging teams like the Colts, Chargers, and Jaguars ready to make history?
February 5 – (Super Tuesday) If there wasn’t enough drama in the sports world, politics stepped in to grab our attention. Hillary vs. Obama and McCain vs. Romney/Huckabee made for an exciting night. This isn’t just ANY primary race; these elections affect the direction our country takes for at least the next 4 -8 years AND how we interact with those outside our borders. Throw in talks of recession to make these decision even more critical. The race isn’t over, but it’s exciting to know that so many people are rallying around a decision that matters. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#val=D
February 6 – (Spectacular Wednesday) Finally, there’s the game of all games. The first match-up between college basketball rivals. Wednesday was the much anticipated game between Temple and Richmond…no wait…Duke and Carolina. (http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3234697&n8pe6c=1) No matter who is ranked higher, this is always an intense game for both sides. This Hatfield-McCoy type feud is the best in all of sports. But, what does this mean for the rest of the season? Duke and Carolina reaffirmed everyone's suspicions that they have great programs and deserve their rankings. But, did Duke show basketball fans something more? I must admit that until the Virginia Tech game on January 24, I questioned whether this team was anything more than above average. After the Chapel Hill victory, I'm more confident that Duke will be competitive well into the NCAA tournament. Carolina will grow from this loss and be ready to play tough during the second half of the season and against Duke in Durham. Don't be surprised if one, if not two of these teams are playing in the Final Four!
February 7 – (Space Launch Thursday) University of Richmond alumnus and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, R’86, is scheduled to blast off aboard the space shuttle Atlantis at 2:45 p.m. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html. What a great time for Richmond students, alumni, parents, and friends to celebrate an amazing accomplishment.
Honorable mentions to the Super Week:
Tiger Woods wins (again) - http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=3228463
Evidence against Roger Clemens? - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3235046
Johan Santana traded to the Mets - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3233787
Shaquille O’Neil traded to the Suns - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080207
February 3 – (Super Bowl) Jordin Sparks, daughter of former NY Giants Defensive Back, Phillippi Duane Sparks, kicked off Super Bowl XLII with an impressive rendition of the National Anthem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9U7MzcVczs&feature=related). I grew up cheering for the 49ers and Giants, but affinity for both have faded over the last fifteen years. But on that night, I joined millions of others who cheered for New York to beat New England. It was clearly the Giants night to shine despite being two TD underdogs to the 18-0 Patriots. This begs the question, "What will happen to the Patriot Dynasty now?" The team worked hard to be perfect all year, but the loss must be tremendously deflating. Will they bounce back or are emerging teams like the Colts, Chargers, and Jaguars ready to make history?
February 5 – (Super Tuesday) If there wasn’t enough drama in the sports world, politics stepped in to grab our attention. Hillary vs. Obama and McCain vs. Romney/Huckabee made for an exciting night. This isn’t just ANY primary race; these elections affect the direction our country takes for at least the next 4 -8 years AND how we interact with those outside our borders. Throw in talks of recession to make these decision even more critical. The race isn’t over, but it’s exciting to know that so many people are rallying around a decision that matters. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#val=D
February 6 – (Spectacular Wednesday) Finally, there’s the game of all games. The first match-up between college basketball rivals. Wednesday was the much anticipated game between Temple and Richmond…no wait…Duke and Carolina. (http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3234697&n8pe6c=1) No matter who is ranked higher, this is always an intense game for both sides. This Hatfield-McCoy type feud is the best in all of sports. But, what does this mean for the rest of the season? Duke and Carolina reaffirmed everyone's suspicions that they have great programs and deserve their rankings. But, did Duke show basketball fans something more? I must admit that until the Virginia Tech game on January 24, I questioned whether this team was anything more than above average. After the Chapel Hill victory, I'm more confident that Duke will be competitive well into the NCAA tournament. Carolina will grow from this loss and be ready to play tough during the second half of the season and against Duke in Durham. Don't be surprised if one, if not two of these teams are playing in the Final Four!
February 7 – (Space Launch Thursday) University of Richmond alumnus and NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, R’86, is scheduled to blast off aboard the space shuttle Atlantis at 2:45 p.m. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html. What a great time for Richmond students, alumni, parents, and friends to celebrate an amazing accomplishment.
Honorable mentions to the Super Week:
Tiger Woods wins (again) - http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=3228463
Evidence against Roger Clemens? - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3235046
Johan Santana traded to the Mets - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3233787
Shaquille O’Neil traded to the Suns - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080207
Welcome
Hey everyone! Welcome to "Motown Sounds Off..." where I hope to share my perspective on all types of topics - politics, race/ethnicity, religion, sports, family. No Holds Barred Here!
You are welcome and invited to post comments or ask me to sound off on other topics, too. I have no problem with hearing differences of opinion and responding by telling you how wrong you are. Just kidding. My life is an open book...short and lacking good plot development, but open nonetheless.
I'm new to the blogging world, so I'd love to hear your suggestions on how I can make this enjoyable and unique.
You are welcome and invited to post comments or ask me to sound off on other topics, too. I have no problem with hearing differences of opinion and responding by telling you how wrong you are. Just kidding. My life is an open book...short and lacking good plot development, but open nonetheless.
I'm new to the blogging world, so I'd love to hear your suggestions on how I can make this enjoyable and unique.
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