Do Better: Alex Collins' Mother

As big of a sports addict as I am, National Signing Day is one of the few sports-related things I just can't get into; along with hockey, regular season baseball, and pseudo-sports/skilled hobbies like NASCAR (I've had plenty of arguments about that one). However, I do recognize that for a 17-18 year old kid to have a nationally televised press conference revealing where he's decided to play his sport in college could turn out to be the highlight of his life. I was an all-ACC college athlete and I've seen so many athletes let laziness, attitude or drugs still their potential, have devastating injuries, get killed or end up in the legal system, have children and consequently have to kiss their dreams goodbye, or even just not fit into the system they entered. I say all that to say, there are a lot of #1 ranked high school prospects who never made the pros, never won college awards, etc. It's had to keep succeeding as you increase competition level. Combine that with the fact that choosing your college is one of the more important decisions in your life and National Signing Day is huge for a kid at that age. That's why I was so disappointed when I heard that Alex Collins' (#13 RB from Plantation, FL, a Miami suburb) National Letter of Intent never made it the fax machine (this is the only time its likely still used) at the University of Arkansas, because his mother came to his school and took and hid it because she disapproved of his decision. She and the family had been pressuring him for years to attend the University of Miami, less than 30 mins from home. He committed early there at one point, and later de-committed to explore more options. She likely assumed he was still going there, as she drove to his school to sign the letter (he's not yet 18 and needs a parental signature too). When she saw what school was on the letter, she snapped and left with the letter; he had to cancel his press conference and everything. Lady,  this isn't about you. I get that you don't wanna let your son go, it happens to a lot of parents. But it's not your choice to make. I mean damn, he picked as SEC school. He didn't opt to turn down Miami to sell dope, or to try to become a rapper; it was a legitimate alternative. My parents taught me that the difference between being a child and being an adult is the ability to make your own decisions and live with the consequences. For a kid in his shoes, this may be the first meaningful decision that was every truly his to make. He went on visits, he talked to coaches, he made his mind up. And now his mother has not only snatched his nationally televised TV moment, but also his confidence that he could make this decision for himself. How is he going to grow into a man if you won't let him pick the school HE will have to live at, study at, eat at, and play ball at for the next 3-4-5 years? As a man, much of what has given me the confidence to make and stand by my decisions is trial and error; I've made decisions that work, that don't work, and had to deal with the consequences even when they're ugly. It's part of life. My parents, regardless of their personal preferences, have sat me down, made sure that I've thought through my big decisions (which I always do before discussing it with them) and supported my decisions, even when it's something drastic they wouldn't do like going to live in Southeast Asia for 18 months. It's been essential to my liberation as a man. I'm 25 and out on my own, when I'm making a decision , the thought "Are my parents going to LET me do this?" doesn't cross my mind. She's crippling her son to this kind of thought process. Ma'am, let this moment, which was created by your son's talent and hard work, be about your son and not you. He has to start being a man at some point. Do Better baby...

Conspiracy Brother: Black History Month

DISCLAIMER: I almost made this into a "Real Talk" segment and spoke in a serious tone. But instead, I chose to approach this subject from the perspective of my inner Conspiracy Brother and we have a lot on our collective minds about Black History Month. I'm gonna tell you what Ali is yelling about in the picture above. lol.

Black History is part of American history. We shouldn't need to celebrate a separate Negro History month by itself because of how its ingrained in the very fabric of our country. BUT, it makes me mad every time I hear a non-Black person try to make that argument? Why? Because our history still doesn't get taught like American history. You can eliminate a month long celebration ("the Man" gave us the shortest month of the year conveniently) when you start incorporating all of the history taught then in traditional textbooks. But we all know that's not gonna happen. White ppl are more comfortable given credit to so much ancient knowledge (philosophy, mathematics, early medicine, etc) to the Greeks and Romans than to the Civilizations of Kemit (the white man renamed it Egypt) and Timbuktu; these were the African knowledge centers that foreigners often visited to learn but they won't tell you that. It's convenient to say Christopher Columbus discovered America because he sailed for the right people who spread the world, made the maps, etc. Evidence shows that Asians and Africans made it to North America some 75-80 years before Columbus; but of course that's swept under the rug. But let me bring it back to an American level. When Lewis Latimer takes his rightful place in textbooks as the man whose filament was key to making Thomas Edison's light bulb work, we won't need Black History Month. When ppl realize that the people they credit for inventing Rock & Roll (the Beatles, the Stones, Elvis, etc) gained their influence (and in the case of the Rolling Stones, their group name) from Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and little known Ike Turner, we may not need Black History month. When textbooks reflect that the Civil Rights Movement was much more than choice MLK soundbites and acknowledge the contributions of many more involved individuals (including the very misunderstood Malcolm X, pictured above with Muhammad Ali), we may not need Black History Month. Speaking unheralded Civil Rights activism, Ali - as well as Bill Russell, Jim Brown, and others of the time period - brought a social consciousness and  activism in society and politics that athletes are now entirely unwilling to engage in for financial reasons; this should be documented. The first Black millionaire, Madam CJ Walker, should be listed as a great entrepreneur for her success in a time of racial oppression. George Washington Carver should be recognized as one of the brighter scientific minds of the 20th century, he has hundreds of valuable patents, mention more than just Peanut Butter. Benjamin Banneker should be listed as a great Architect and city planner as well. I could go on for days. Our textbooks must shed their current bias and educate our youth more comprehensively about the contributions from people of all colors, creeds, and religions. Mother fuckers need to stop disrespecting my history. Until then, use February to learn yourself and educate others for Black History. Here are the names of 28 ppl I've been posting on Facebook (one for each day) to educate others. If you don't know them, Google them...

• Lewis Latimer
• Muddy Waters & Chuck Berry
• Doug Williams (Super Bowl Special)
• Walter Massey
• Thurgood Marshall
• Stepin Fetchit
• Romare Bearden
• Ruth Simmons
• Pearl Bailey
• Madam CJ Walker
• John H. Johnson
• Jill Elaine Brown
• Ida B. Wells
• Hiram Revels
• Hazel W. Johnson
• Gwendolyn Brooks
• Gordon Parks
• Garrett A. Morgan
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Berry Gordy
• Booker T Washington/W.E.B. DuBois
• Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. and Jr.
• Ben Carson
• Alvin Ailey
• Alexandre Dumas
• Charles Drew
• Ralph Bunche
• Benjamin Banneker

A Last Dance for the Ages

That's the storybook ending to a legendary career. Despite the storm of controversy (PEDs, 2000 charges, etc), a mid-game power outage, and a difficult opponent hellbent on coming back, Ray Lewis goes out holding the Lombardy trophy with the confetti falling on him. Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Ray Rice and the rest of the gang win their first championship on a team that's been elite for 5-6 years but could never get over the hump. Joe Flacco comes up big (possibly making himself a lot of money) in the biggest game and earns a Super Bowl MVP trophy. Although I feel bad for Randy Moss and I generally do like the 49ers, this was the Ravens' moment, this was the last moment of Ray's last ride. It was perfect for him...