Posted on 07/23/2007 10:46:58 AM PDT by newgeezer
All the breathless debates about Michael Vick are missing the point. The bigger issue has nothing to do with whether or not he deserves the right of due process, or whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should suspend him, or whether Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank should enable him or give him tough love. It's not even about whether ... Nike should be launching another designer shoe with his name on it.
All of those are minor distractions from ...:
How did someone like Michael Vick ever come to exist?
Are we really ready to have that conversation? Do we dare explore how a young man of such unique athletic gifts and such obvious on-field marketing appeal was allowed to turn into just another unfortunate mug shot and potential ruined life? How did that remarkable athlete get a $100 million contract with the Falcons, become Nike's poster boy, rake in endorsements ..., then find himself on the verge of blowing it all because of an incredible tale that seems to come straight out of some hardcore gangsta rap video?
... The ultimate symbols of black athletes in our society used to be men of substance and positive image. Men with social conscience and resolve such as Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood, Jim Brown, ... They carried a burden and deep-rooted responsibility to portray themselves with a sense of dignity, pride and purpose. Even ... rebels such as Muhammad Ali ... stood for something more meaningful than a multimillion-dollar shoe deal.
But somewhere between Jackie Robinson and Michael Vick, ... "Street cred" became the anthem of the modern black athlete, this misguided notion that the only way to appeal to the young demographic of the sneaker-buying public was to adopt the negative attitudes of the thug life popularized by black hip-hop/gangster rappers. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
And Hollywood used to be full of heroes instead of spoiled brats.
Bump!!!
And our elected officials used to be men of principles.
Times have changed.
The only thing in this column that I really disagree with is that he praised Curt Flood. *sigh* The man that ruined baseball.
Telling it like he sees it.
This is more likely than Barney Frank not knowing a prostitution ring was operating out of his house while he was living there.
Jim Brown????
This guy gets it. Although I think that problems were there prior to the advent of the hip-hop generation. The culture needs to fix itself. White people aren't hurting blacks and white folks can't help blacks very much either. They have to choose to help themselves.
I predict it will take at least two more generations. Probably more.
Another person making excuses for Michael Vick?
Thankfully, thats decreasing with each passing hour.
Well said Bryan! I really like this guy, says it like he sees it.
Yes, it's kind of hard to deny that Vick had a hand in the killing of these dogs, but did you ever stop to think "What did these dogs do to Mike Vick?"
What if those dogs were barking all night keeping him up before a big game or practice?
What if those dogs peed on the rug?
What if they just wouldn't stay off the furniture?
There's a million things that could have gone on that would totally justify (or at bare minimum seriously mitigate) his actions.
I say we give this unbelievable athlete his day in court before crucifying him without knowing the facts.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
Wasn’t Jackie Robinson a Republican? No, seriously.
I wasn’t aware there was a “black perspective” on the taunting and murdering of dumb animals. Huh. Now I know.
I appreciate what this man has said. But there are sellouts that he did not mention, not just the gangstas on the corner, but the race pimps and hustlers such as Jackson and Sharpton found not on the street corner but anywhere there might be a television camera. If and when the common sense stated here by these journalists, starts being repeated in the MSM by African Americans both self-proclaimed and MSM selected to speak for Black America, then the tipping point will have been met and things will be going in a productive direction.
I don’t think Rodman, for all of his antics, was much of a hip-hop guy.
It’s not enough to try to win, you have to do it while “stylin’ and profilin’” so you can get your face time on the sports highlight shows. They’re turning EVERY sporting event into a WWE-style spectacle.
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