Do Better: Hollywood's Biopic Binge

Hollywood has been following fads like crazy lately. In addition to super hero movies, reboots of older movies, and ill-advised sequels (hello, Transformers 4), the movie makers in Hollywood are committed right now to making biopics, or biographical movies. I'll say the same thing about this that I say when ppl ask me about hairstyles: I've seen them go well, and I've seen them go terribly. I get that they're just gonna follow the money even if it means creating a dogshit movie, but somebody has to raise the WTF flag is a movie about someone's life story is getting butchered; they gotta Do Better. Here are a few sentences about some of the ones upcoming:

• Nina Simone (starring Zoe Saldana) - No offense, but if they have to put you in black face to resemble the person you're portraying, your casting was a mistake; although a beautiful and talented mistake she was. A big part of Nina's aura was based around being afro-centric, very dark skinned, and not "conventionally beautiful", how exactly did they pick someone they have to make "less pretty"? Do Better...
• Whitney Houston (starring Yaya DaCosta) - Can Yaya's beautiful ass even act? Are we supposed to believe the young dude with the horribly fake gumby wig (who even makes that bullshit?) is Bobby Brown? You need some "cocaine experiences" to play Bobby. And why the fuck hasn't someone stopped Whitney's daughter Bobbi Kristina from fucking her adopted brother? That shit's nasty. Do Better...
• James Brown (starring Chadwick Boseman) - I didn't see it coming, but Jackie Robinson did well with the eccentric personality and killed the damn moves, I tip my hat to him. And his dance instructor deserves a raise; his mashed potato was legit. If only they closed the loop on any of the storylines in the movie, it would've been epic. Do Better...
• Jimi Hendrix (starring Andre "3000" Benjamin) - is there anyone in the music scene now who matches his aura and eccentricity better than 3 stacks? Then the family messed up the perfect casting but not letting them use his popular music. A Hendrix movie without "Purple Haze", "Voodoo Child" and "Kiss the Sky". WTF? Do Better...
• Miles Davis (starring Don Cheadle) - Although they're the same complexion, something about Miles just looks so Native American rather than Black somehow. But hey, it's Don fucking Cheadle, he'll make it work; even once he has to put on that silly ass wig to represent 80's Miles. Don't Let Me Down...
• NWA (starring Ice Cube Jr. and a lot of dudes you've never seen before) - I hope Cube, Dre, and company know what they're doing, because I can't vouch for anybody's acting ability. All the inevitably black leather, jheri curl activator, and rebelliousness might still not work if they can't convey the spirits of Eazy, Dre, and Cube in their youth. Don't Let Me Down..
• Richard Pryor (starring Mike Epps) - Go sit the hell down Nick Cannon. I question his acting chops and his comedic skills (he damn sure can't rap). Since Eddie Murphy doesn't look like him, and Marlon Wayans just doesn't quite feel right, I can't be mad at Epps. He's got the funny gene, but he's gotta prove himself. Don't Let Me Down...

And last but certainly not least...

• Tupac Shakur (casting TBD) - Who the fuck are you gonna find who can match Pac's unique energy? Especially someone who looks anything like Pac or is in the right age range? And what stories do you tell in addition to the obvious Pac & Big story? Pac and Jada? Pac and his Suge struggles? Young Pac and Jada Pinkett? Pac and the Black Panthers? There's a lot of figure out. They Better Deliver...

Stop Me When I Start Lying: The Engagement Ring Scam

Oh, so I'm cheap if I don't spend 3-4 months salary on an engagement ring? Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit. You can't con a conman. Where did such a "rule" come from?...Oh, the biggest diamond company in the world. It's that fucking convenient. That's like a car company making commercial calling you cheap if you're not spending $70K or more on a car; yeah, cuz that's not a conflict of interest or anything. Once upon a time, people got engaged with no ring, and got married with only a wedding band; to signify their bond. Then in the 1930's, DeBeers (the world's dominant jeweler, who just found an abundance of diamonds in South African mines) hired a marketing agency to figure out how to move more diamonds. The agency polls Americans and finds that every day Americans think diamonds are only for the super rich. So the company response was "Hey, what if I told you that for one month's salary you can get a diamond for your fiance until she gets her wedding ring?" Americans jumped on it. 40 years later or so, they decide to get even more greedy and revamp their campaign suggesting 2-3 months' salary be spent on the engagement ring instead. I didn't come from a big money family, I have a good job now, if I save up 25% of my yearly salary, it needs to be getting spent on a house, or some other major investment, not a trinket to sit on my lady's finger. And I love my lady. But I call any woman crazy if she feels "entitled" to a ring worth 3 months salary. Hell, if she's trying to start a life with you, is she still gonna expect you to save up enough for a wedding and down payment immediately after? Sound like some selfish shit to me. When's the next time you ladies are gonna spend 25% of a good jobs' salary on one specific gift for your man mother fuckers? Not for the both of you, not for him and the kids, just for your man? Never. So fellas, get your woman something nice that she should like and direct your financial goals elsewhere (house, business, investment, etc.). If your lady don't think you good enough or don't love her enough because you didn't spend car money on the ring, fuck her, she's too materialistic anyway. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

Stop Me When I Start Lyin: AP is not Ray Rice

Despite the other involved factors in the Ray Rice situation becoming such a big debacle (the commissioners' continually hypocritical stance changes, the Ravens' possible cover up attempt, the phantom security footage sent/not sent to the NFL office, etc.), no one can deny Ray Rice was wrong in both aspects of his transgression: the action itself, and the severity. The severity of punching your woman so hard it knocks her unconscious is horrific. But even if she weren't knocked unconscious, the action of punching your wife is wrong, especially being that the video shows she wasn't imminently pressing the action. No matter what happened before to lead up to it, when you're in the position Ray's in (career with high visibility, very high salary, short career span, etc.), you have to handle it better than he did. Hell, they were the only two in the elevator, had he not dragged her out and dropped her on her face, suspicion wouldn't have been heightened. But the die has been cast for Rice, and he'd have to get lucky to have a second chance in the NFL during his prime.

Adrian Peterson is not Ray Rice. Peterson is in hot water because his 4 year old child was taken to the hospital with lots of welts from AP whipping him with a switch. Once again, I like at 1) the action, and 2) the severity. The action itself of whipping your child is not alarming at all to me; I was a bad kid once and my parents kept me in line this way. As for the whip, Adrien Peterson is from Palestine, TX. I've never been but it strikes me as an old school country place. Although I was raised in more of a city (I got punched in the face instead), I have country cousins, country friends, city friends who spent time with their country family members, etc. EVERYBODY got beaten with a switch, it virtually ALWAYS leaves welts. AP was likely no different as a kid, it's what he knows. So my issue with the switch wasn't its use alone, that's where severity comes in. The kid is 4, which I believe is too young for the switch to be used. He should still be getting open hand-to-butt whooping over clothes I believe. Plus AP is a professional athlete and workout addict, if you were using a switch (which I don't condone), it should be getting a very very dialed back swing instead of any full swings; and probably 3-4 swings instead of 15 or whatever it was. AP has several kids by several women, meaning he likely rarely spends one on one time with some of these kids. Could the kid have been disobeying out of unfamiliarity which contributed? I don't know. But AP went overboard which how he punished his child this particular time. He may need to be suspended for a short while, sent to some time of parenting counseling, learn a lesson to make himself a better parent, and move on. I don't think this should be treated like Rice's situation. I don't think he should be cut, banned from the league, or anything else. He's a parent who did the wrong thing for the right reason (presumably). I assume every parent probably had moments where they went overboard to make a point, learned from it and never did it again. Just because he's a pro athlete doesn't mean we can remove his opportunity to learn on the job as a parent. Let's keep this in context. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

#Ferguson and the lack of police accountability

By now, everyone should know about the protests in Ferguson, MO set off by the police shooting of unarmed Michael Brown. If you don't know, also Google the police killings of Eric Garner and John Crawford. For a long time, it has been common knowledge that Blacks (particularly young Black men) have significantly less leeway or benefit of the doubt when interacting with law enforcement; I was about 12 years old when my dad had the "how not to get shot in vain by the police" talk with me. If you don't, you will be accountable instantly - via arrest, beating, or shooting. However, recent events have demonstrated the extent to which they can A) use excessive physical or legal force without fear of punishment or accountability, B) get caught lying about it without fear of punishment or accountability, and C) still be defended by large factions of the population. Death is definite, there is absolutely no coming back from that. Brown was shot in the head and upper body after allegedly after surrendering, because he stole cigars from a convenient store.  The policeman said Brown attacked him and he ended up killing him in a struggle over the gun; ballistics showed Brown was shot from at least 35' away. The national media put Brown on trial for his own murder. Was Brown a knucklehead? It's very likely that he was. If he was caught stealing, he deserved to get arrested. If he resists, he may even deserve to get roughed up a little; he didn't deserve to be shot six times from 35' away. Eric Garner was selling cigarettes on the sidewalk, and then had a bit of a smart mouth when police approached him. So they choked him and dragged him to the ground while he wasn't resisting and was insisting "I Can't Breath." The police arrived with his dead body and claimed he died of a heart attack; cell phone video of the incident and the medical examiner both confirm that he was choked to death. In both cases, lethal force was not necessary as the suspect was unarmed and outgunned/outnumbered; the cops acted carelessly and excessively. What's more alarming? The police superiors don't seem very pressed to punish the officers for their overly aggressive action. What the fuck? Who's going to #PolicethePolice when they step out of line? And my last point is the support for the police. Now, I'm biased, I'm a young Black man whose had a few undeserved unpleasant interactions with the police. But how the hell are people countering the #Ferguson rallies with their own rallies hailing the policemen as a hero? Even if you think that the shooting was provoked by Brown and the cop didn't have much choice; it still wouldn't make him a "hero" it would mean it was an unfortunate necessary action on the job. Even if you still have faith in the police as an institution, how the fuck is he a hero? Are these people saying that he's a hero just because he shot a young Black knucklehead and left him in the street for hours, possibly as a message to his predominately Black neighborhood? Then the Ferguson protesters were treated like a crime mob when they were protesting the death of a kid who grew up there from the street they live on. There were snipers, tear gas being thrown, others getting shot, unlawful arrests, and everything else. The scenes from Ferguson look like the army squashing rebel protests in 3rd World Middle Eastern countries. But the NRA, KKK, and other have armed rallies on a regular basis and the police don't even get out of their cars. Long story short, I don't blame the whole police institution for "bad apples" shooting ppl. I don't think all, or even most, cops are bad. But I absolutely blame them for not bothering to reprimand them when they kill unarmed civilians and/or get caught lying about it. To defend the institution as non-corrupt, you have to treat the "bad apples" like fucking "bad apples" and get rid of them. I don't think this is a new trend, I think the new trend is people having smart phones to tape it happening. And no matter what, even if they shoot a 8 year old Black girl in her bedroom (yes, that has happened), someone will absolutely defend them as "heroes." Maybe those are the ppl they "Protect and Serve" cuz it damn sure ain't me.

The Return of Royalty in Cleveland

After four straight NBA Finals appearances, two championships, and two Finals MVPs, the best basketball player in the world returned to his hometown team, where his career begin. I didn't think he'd consider a return until later in his career. It surprised me because the Cavs have been the worse team in the league since he left. But as I read his masterfully written article "I'm Coming Home" explaining his decision, I realized it was a perfect move in almost every way. First, let's talk from a basketball point of view. Ironically, LeBron's departure - which allowed the Cavs to go from the NBA's best record to the worst record - actually facilitated the infusion of young talent (Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett...kinda) that made them more appealing; and may serve as trade chips to get a big fish like Kevin Love. That team, as currently constructed without Love, doesn't look like a contender right now. But assuming Irving and Wiggins develop, they could be a contender in 2-3 years and remain there for a decade. Can you imagine the legacy boost of winning a championship in CLEVELAND? That's like winning 2 or 3 for a winning franchise. From a business standpoint, he was saavy enough to fund his lifelong friends' educations and empowering them to become his agent and advisors; they now have businesses, all based in Cleveland. His best friend and agent, Rich Paul's, second biggest client now plays for the Cleveland Browns; some guy named Johnny Manziel. Imagine the marketing opportunities for two of the most polarizing and popular athletes both in little Cleveland represented by the same agency; and they're friends. That usually doesn't happen outside of big marketing locations like New York and Los Angeles. And hell, LeBron might want to own the Cavs one day; and he seems business saavy enough to be in position financially one day. But most importantly, it made sense from a personal perspective. For someone who had to watch his hometown fans burning his jersey, I can't imagine a better story than righting that wrong and returning your hometown team to glory. Now those ppl are rushing to buy new ones, since the popular Google search, "how to un-burn a jersey" probably isn't getting ppl too far. As much as he's done with his charitable foundation in Miami, he really wants to help and inspire the youth of his hometown above all else. Plus his wife wants to raise their kids there. Overall, as much Miami hates it and LeBron haters try to use it against him, this was a hell of a move on all counts. Congrats Cleveland, after all of your sports heartbreak, the King has returned.

My Inner Conspiracy Brother: The Meeting to Ruin Hip Hop Culture

I recently read an article called "The Secret Meeting that Changed Rap and Destroyed A Generation" (link:http://dontpaniconline.com/magazine/music/the-secret-meeting-that-changed-rap-music-and-destroyed-a-generation) that forced My Inner Conspiracy Brother to rear his head after a bit of a hiatus. This was a meeting in 1991 in L.A. featuring all this time period's big music execs and conducted by mysterious but ridiculously powerful men. The music execs would find out that the small body of "decision makers" had recently invested in building privately owned prisons and needed "the help" of the music industry to ensure the prisons stayed full, maximizing profit. They'd identified rap as a genre which could market violence and crime in order to negatively influence the young, vulnerable generation, which would like produce more criminals. If the music execs participated effectively, they would be allowed to buy shares in this venture. It offended many of the music big wigs in the room, however the few who verbally objected were forcefully removed at gunpoint. The article's author chose to maintain anonymity even all these years later because the "decision makers" have the vast power to "touch" individuals and their families they perceive as a problem. Assuming this meeting happened, think about the tremendous effect it has had. Rap was born from the hood and there was always a gangsta faction, which was previously held underground and couldn't make the radio; groups like NWA had trouble getting airplay for their singles in the late 80's. When they broke through, these acts broke through in full force...as if the execs all of a sudden favored them to get more national attention than the previously favored acts. Nowadays, the radio - once the home of the most lyrical and groundbreaking music - is virtually unpalatable to me. Make no mistake, there are plenty of good artist out there, but the message-filled music of even the hottest young intelligent lyricists (Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Big KRIT, the controversial Macklemore, etc.) are woefully outnumbered by drug/violence laden trash like "Young Nigga Move that Dope", "All I Know is Yayo"  and "My Nigga, My Nigga"; I don't even bother learning the names of these terrible mother fuckers anymore, they all sound the same. This is a trend that I noticed long ago that I blamed on the rise of gimmicky artists and focus on beats and party potential rather than message and lyrics. But reading about this meeting has added to my thought process. Even more than the business ethic "Provide what sells", there may have truly been more devious influence from label heads than I would have guessed. It would be very telling to find out how many people associated with the music industry ended up investing and making money off of shares of corporations building private prisons as well. Do I think this meeting alone could truly create that many more criminals? No. With groups of mysterious decision making bodies (i.e. Illuminati, etc if you believe in that), I believe there were probably similar meetings with the power structure of entertainment, sports, or whoever else as well; think about how wide-ranging such an influence could have possibly been responsible for. This contributes to my distrust of large corporations and anyone else who uses the "it's just good business" defense when putting a wide scale unethical practice in place. And even though it wasn't the cause, it damn sure didn't help. They didn't create bad artists, but they may be a big reason why they weren't laughed out of the industry upon arrival as they should've been. Am I reading too much into this? Maybe, but I'm not sorry, my Inner Conspiracy Brother is on the loose...

Real Talk: The Death of a "Phenomenal Woman"

There are a lot of times where the idea for a blog entry hits me but I get distracted or busy and I don't end up posting until days, weeks, or even months later unfortunately. Today is not one of those days. Even though she's been somewhat out of the national spotlight, Maya Angelou's presence was truly a gift to our world. Going through what she went through early in her life (poverty, Jim Crow racism, sexism, molestations, etc.) being successful itself was quite an accomplishment. But even moreso, Angelou become a pillar of strength and dignity inside and outside of the poetry field that she revolutionized. She was recognized at the highest levels (chosen as poet laureate by Bill Clinton, etc) for her craft. But beyond that, what she meant to women - particularly women of color - was immeasurable. In my eyes, she was the ultimate role model and symbol of class and eloquence. In an age where there aren't enough positive role models for young women of color, losing one as influential as Angelou is even more sad. I'm a man but the poem "Phenomenal Woman" has stuck with me since I first read it some 15-20 years ago; I can only imagine what it meant to young girls. They say a library is burned down every time a wise elder dies; that phrase has never before
resonated with me as much as it does today. Rest in Peace amongst the other angels Sister Maya Angelou, you will be missed.

Do Better: Donald "The Dinosaur" Sterling Fucking Up

There's enough people re-hashing everything the Clippers owner said on the tape that now has people of all races requesting his dismissal as the team's owner. Everyone has re-hashed how deplorable his bigoted, racist, sexist antics have been. So I won't bother you with that again. I'll tell you simply the different ways that he just royally fucked up. I'll pull in a dark-skinned Black man, actor Bill Dukes, to help me make my point:

The secret's out:  We know he's not alone in his mind state sadly. He's from an era when rich white men could look down on, exploit, and mistreat minorities, women, or the poor without anyone thinking twice of it. He's paid his way out of having to fess up many times before; this time he got set up and caught. At least the other old bigots and racists learn to dust their tracks.

• Worse possible timing: He's been the laughing stock of the league for years and his franchise was branded undesirable to go to. They had just started making ground shedding his reputation as an cheap, out-of-touch, racist, sexist bastard because his team is now a legit title contender and a trendy destination. And the Lakers are in a downturn, so the opportunity is there. Now he's on the verge of being abandoned by his fans, coaches, and players.
• His dick got him in trouble: Yep, even at 80. Sterling's lawyer claimed that the woman who released the tape, his half-Black, half-Mexican mistress V. Stiviano, was trying to get him back for the lawsuit his family had against her. Well, SHE GOT HIS ASS. She pressed "record" and provoked him and he fell in the trap quickly.
• Forgot where he came from: He grew up poor and working with lower to lower middle class people in law. Now he's rich and maintains such feelings thinking that his money makes him bulletproof. Rich ppl cut ties with rich ppl who are "bad for business" quickly. You may have made yourself a lepper professionally.
• Using slave master language: His language about how he gives his players food, houses, and cars sounded much like how I'd imagine a slave master would highlight that his actions are justified by the food and shelter he provided the free labor on his plantation. Like I can only associate with the Black people I'm exploiting for money, noone else. I can only guess who Chris Paul felt hearing that.
• And most importantly...
• Wrong sport, wrong place, wrong time: You decided to buy an NBA team (the least white of the major sports leagues), which he moved from San Diego to Los Angeles (one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world). In 2014, you're trying to make ur multi-cultural girlfriend stop associating with basketball royalty like Magic Johnson? WTF? If you bought a hockey team and moved it to Idaho, you might not have these problems.

It's 2014 and the world has changed a great deal since the heyday of the mindset Sterling has illustrated to the world this week. Especially if he wants to keep young girlfriends who grew up in a more progressive world. The commissioner can't just snatch his team from him, but they need to find a way to add pressure or have a vote to get him out. Sponsors are leaving, fans are leaving, players and coaches may leave when their chance comes and he's turned a city against him that he was just starting to see slant his direction over the Lakers. Now ppl are waiting for you to be removed from his position whether by force, sale, or his death (sad but true). Take a bow you dinosaur, you've made quite a bed for yourself this time. I hope you're faced to sell it to Magic Johnson of all people and he spits in ur face right after the contract is signed. Do Better...

My Complicated Progressive Christianity

DISCLAIMER: Orthodox Christians, read at your own risk, my perspectives might strike you as blasphemous and piss you off.

I recently watched the movie "God's Not Dead", in which a college freshman is forced to philosophically battle his Atheist professor about whether God exists or not with his grade on the line; it's a very good, I'd recommend it. I was proud to see that it was based on actual debates at US schools including Georgia Tech, my alma mater. It got me thinking about my faith. I'm a proud Christian and I try to thank God ever morning that I'm lucky enough to wake up. However, as I get older, I'm very aware of how complicated some of my stances are; maybe more complicated than orthodox Christians would tolerate. I'm acutely aware that, as the movie character learned, proving what you believe is not easy. It doesn't waiver my belief at all, I would try to explain rather than denying my Lord and Savior; I believe that stance would hold up even in dire circumstances. But it makes some things harder to explain to non-believers. After all, many atheists study the Bible intensely seeking to disprove it; unfortunately I don't know it as well as I should. My progressive and tolerant attitude towards the world puts me at odds with many things that orthodox Christian use the religion to condemn or alienate. The Bible is full of testimonies, events, and lessons that help followers follow a path towards living life "right". My core system of values stems from my faith. But at the same time, I can't ignore that this was also written thousands of years ago my men trying to document the words/actions of the divine; by flawed men. I have a hard time taking everything in its text word for word. For instance, my perspective on gay marriage/civil unions infuriates people. If someone was raised in a traditional and Christian home, tried to lead a heterosexual life, and realized that they just weren't attracted to the other sex on a hormonal level, I'm not gonna knock them. If they want to live a committed monogamous lifestyle, they should get the same benefits (insurance, etc.) as a traditional marriage in my opinion. Thousands of years ago, science did not understand hormones; homosexuality would get you thrown out of your family or even killed if found out. So ppl hid it and faked a regular life; some still do. I went to school in Atlanta, where there's been a large "down low" population, who are faking normal lifestyles and cheating with the same sex on the side; I don't how forcing that situation in the name of religion is better. Furthermore, I have a hard time taking relationship advice directly from the Bible. From reading history, teenagers were forced into strategical arranged marriages to unite compatible families just hundreds of years ago or less. What were marriages like in Bible times? I have a hard time believing that someone enduring that relationship dynamic would provide any useful information for my current dating situations. I don't believe that science and faith are enemies as many would argue. I can see how the two can mesh to provide a more full view of the truth; after all neither one answers every question. Just because the Big Bang Theory is popular doesn't mean it sounds entirely believable to me. Or the thought that in a relatively short amount of time geologically, all being evolved into so many species from the same single-cell organism but then slowed down enough that humans aren't splintering into different strains nowadays. And these theories are supposed "scientifically" viable. I don't have an issue with other religions, I don't see it as an adversarial relationship that many do. To me, the act of believing in a divine power is more important than the particulars that you believe. I'm a proud Christian, but I can get along with other faiths. After all, I lived in a Muslim country for years, but found a Christian church there. Now, I have work to do with my faith. I'm ashamed to say I've been very inconsistent in making it out of bed and into the Church for terrible reasons; sometimes I've blown too much money and I don't have that 10% and I don't want to enter the Lord's house empty handed. Don't judge me, I told you I'm ashamed, but it's happened. I'm a work in progress, but I want the progress. As Black Thought from The Roots once rhymed "the devil wants me as is, but God, he wants more." I'm now with somebody who is on the same page as me about the need for faith in the life we hope to share. There is some sinning that I do that to be honest, I don't see much chance of stopping cold turkey; something else that wouldn't sit well with many in my religion. But I'm being honest, 2014 life and the Christian life as laid out by the Bible interact in a very curious way. But life has the task of navigating that. Just don't LOSE God altogether when you're trying to make it through the rough parts of figuring out life. I've lived a liberal lifestyle and probably got too far away at times. I've got work to do to get where I want to me. And I admit my logical overthinking ways and liberal spirit may have overcomplicated by Christianity. But I've never stopped wanting God in my life and never stopped wanting to make God proud. Judge me by that, not the details. It's complicated...

Real Talk: Using Athletes to Break Down the Barriers of Racial Understanding

Thank you Richard Sherman, DeSean Jackson, LeBron James, and so many others, you've helped me to start some conversations that our great nation needs so many more of. Racism still exists, but I argue that it's not the biggest problem between anymore, the biggest problem is unconscious discomfort and dismissiveness due to misunderstanding. I'm a young Black man who went to middle and high school in the hood (although my parents were able to move us out of that) and has friends from all walks of life; by being around different people you understand different people and learn how you fit into things. I now work in somewhat of a corporate setting and some of my co-workers are from the most affluent and least diverse upbringings imaginable. I get along with everyone and they see me as a peer, but from time to time I'm reminded that they just fundamentally do not understand much of what I've been through, much less what those truly from less fortunate backgrounds deal with in life. When such a subject comes up, I feel an obligation to speak for speak for a population they shun and will never willing be within 1000 feet of that they're acting bigoted towards because they don't understand them and have dismissed them as lost causes; even when they're completely wrong. For instance, it was laughable that Richard Sherman was being called a thug (and other worse racial epithets) after his emotional interview in the immediate aftermath of making essentially a game-winning play to send his team to the Super Bowl. With the exception of those who immediately went racial, I'd assume those who haven't been around young Black males or around football players were largely uncomfortable with this level of aggressiveness and decided he had to be a thug. No, he's a football player, who plays a position that all but requires over-confident, in the heat of the moment. He's was a young man strong to beat the odds and make it from a very bad neighborhood (between Watts and Compton, in South L.A.) to Stanford (where he had a 3.9 GPA) and then the NFL. He's hired by Sports Illustrated as a writer on the side. This isn't a bad apple; those who dismissed him were unequivocally wrong. But they wouldn't call the hockey players who started off a game by throwing down their sticks as fighting such a strong word when they fit the definition. Upon cutting DeSean Jackson, someone in the Eagles organization apparently told the media that part of the reason was his ties to gangs or gang members. My co-worker tried to convince me that if he was from such a bad neighborhood, he'd move his family away from there and never go back. He went as far as to say he'd take off running the other way if he ever saw anyone from his old neighborhood. Really? No giving back to your community? No trying to help more kids make it out? No going home...ever? Taking off running from a high school teammate? Furthermore, isn't instantly moving and paying for dozens of people one of the major ways athletes cited as going broke on the "30 for 30" special "Broke"? That's not a sound financial decision. When life hands you a raw deal as a kid, those who help you navigate and make it through that form a bond with you that should last a lifetime. Like I said, I lived in a decent area but went to school with "undesirables" and I tell people that they were part of the reason I didn't get involved in anything bad; despite teenage curiosities, they shielded me from that because I had the potential for much more. I'm sure DeSean Jackson has similar more dramatic stories. I have former teammates who went the wrong direction and friends behind bars or dead. Like me, he has to be careful about exactly how he interacts with them now and it might not be appropriate for you to be rolling with them how you once did. But if I was a celebrity and I ran into them, I'd dap them up, if they wanted a picture, I'd take a picture with them, I might let them sit at my table at a restaurant and chat it up. But that would be it. You show love. But those raised among the rich don't get that because A) the rich are quick to shun or forget someone else if they fall of the pace of their rich peers, and B) they may never have to deal with someone from DeSean Jackson's background. I have these conversations because even if they don't agree, even if having their perspective makes them mad, I want them to physically hear the other perspective from someone they respect as a peer. Then I use the LeBron example. LeBron is a kid from the projects of Akron who became the best ball player in the world, did he turn his back on his childhood friends? No, he kept them close and put them to work. One of his teenage friends, Rich Paul, is now his agent and quickly becoming one of the most powerful agents in the NBA. They don't get more famous and successful than where LeBron is now, but rather than shunning Akron; he brought them to the top with him. And they're not ghetto, they're not freeloading leaches, or just a useless social entourage, they're legit, they're earning the place they were given at the table. So he's allowing others from a less fortunate situation to make it because he has made it; he's opening up new avenues, which is powerful. That doesn't happen if you're quick to turn your back to them. So even if my coworkers don't agree, I want them to hear it said by a peer and it bouncing around in their minds, because that's at least a step towards understanding. And that also is powerful and we need more of that everywhere. Real Talk...

Stop Me When I Start Lying: Golf losing its faces

In the wake of Bubba Watson's 2nd Majors win (and awesome celebration dinner at Waffle House), it's becoming apparent: golf may be in trouble. Not from a talent standpoint, but from a national appeal and attention standpoint. Watson, Rory McIlroy (being flicked by current face of golf in picture above), Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, and others have the talent to be good for a long time. But if noone becomes dominant or (darker option) divisive, who's gonna watch them instead of binge watching shows on their DVR on Sunday? Tiger Woods has been the polarizing but undoubted face of the sport for 15 years or so now. He was so good he changed all the expectations of golfers; he's still #1 in the world and won more than any other golfer last year despite the public acting like me may be done. He created intrigue from being a young Black phenom in an elitist sport to a mysterious car crash and about 700 women bragging that they took a swing on his 9 iron. For a million different reasons - including his dominance, physique, his temper, his race, his tabloid personal life, etc. - Tiger has brought a million different eyes to the sport that weren't watching before. As an African-American male, I'll admit I am more interested in golf (for watching and as a hobby) now than I was before Tiger started dominating; after all, it's a sports that's never seemed very inviting to people of color. But beyond race, plenty of people of all demographics became more interested in golf either to marvel at him or root against him. In a sport that's run by filthy rich middle-aged elitist country club white guys, Tiger didn't look, act, or sound like them. He was kicking their asses though; some liked that, some couldn't stand it. It seemed to invite "outsiders" in, at least as fans or weekend players if not pros. But even past Tiger, the #2 draw was also unquestioned, Phil Mickelson has been the left-handed good guy chasing Tiger's top spot. Even if you rooted against him for Tiger, it's hard not to like Phil. He just seems like a great guy. But he's 43 and Tiger is a physically beaten down 38, meaning both of their primes are in the rear view mirror. So who's taking the torch? Rory looked set to do it: young, talented, famous athlete girlfriend, commercials with Tiger, etc. But then he follows up winning majors with virtual "no shows" missing cuts and such. Until he becomes consistently good, "Rory McIlroy Golf" isn't gonna sell EA Sports video games like "Tiger Woods Golf" has. I like that Bubba Watson gives off the image of a non-elitist; after all he goes by Bubba, makes silly music videos, and follows up majors wins with celebration meals at Waffle House. But is his name and face gonna get kids to buy golf video games over Call of Duty? And he's quietly almost as old Tiger. They released the ratings for the Masters today and they're down a solid 35% from just last year. And I don't see it turning back the other way unless something big happens soon. Although I think Tiger and Phil have a bit left in the tank, at this moment golf seems (alongside boxing) as sports that are in a countdown to losing the stars that have fueled the sports' relevance in recent history. You might not like that I said it, but Stop Me When I Start Lying...

My Inner Conspiracy Brother: The Disappearing Plane

It's been a while but it's a good time for my Inner Conspiracy Brother to rear his skeptical head and speak on this enigmatic situation. To most people I know, I'm the only person they've ever meet who's actually been to Malaysia; I used to live in Kuala Lumpur, the origin city of the "disappeared" plane. On the surface - in a non-conspiratorial though process - I could get past the simple question, "How the hell did you lose a 777 plane holding 200+ people?" That's one hell of a fucking magic trick.  How is that possible with all the tracking technology surrounding us? We have satellites could find hollow caves housing terrorist cells in the caves of the Middle East, but we're not keeping up with commercial jets mid-flight? What if a plane is flying from London to NYC at the same time there's a plane flying from NYC to London during a storm? Are they gonna crash because traffic controllers can't track them? Obviously the government of Malaysia is offering far-fetched answers because the spotlight is too bright for "I don't know" answers; but it's pretty fucking clear they don't really know. I was drawing a blank... but then I put on my conspiracy cap and ideas came to me quickly. The plane's black box (which holds the valuable data about the plane's travel and performance) was turned off? I doubt your average airline passenger knows where that is or how to disable that. According to reports, the plane had drastic changes in elevation and direction. But yet, the pilots did not explain the situation to any nearby traffic controller before supposedly crash landing the plane into the Indian Ocean? One of the pilots had been handling his personal life in an inexplicably erratic fashion the week before the flight? Smells like an inside job. The pilots, crew, possibly the nearest air traffic controller (ATC) seem the only people with the expertise to execute such a plan. What if there were someone important onboard that some powerful institution wanted silenced? There are many theories that this is what happened for former Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and the mysterious plane crash that killed him and 34 others in Croatia. Or what if the plane did not crash at all? That's possibly the scariest possibility of this all, it could be a lot of places. It could be sitting in a shed in Indonesia under the control of someone who plans to use it in a devious manner in the future. If the 239 people didn't die in the plane but hadn't contacted their families, that would indicate to me that they're captives or have been executed. Is this why other non-nearby countries such as America and Japan are assisting in the search? Are they concerned about possible consequences of not finding it? This is so cold blooded to say but at this point, the best (best feasible anyway) scenario for our safety is that the reports are correct and through no malicious action, the plane crashed into the ocean signalling an immediate demise to the plane passengers and crew. As I shake my head at myself for the last sentence, lemme take a moment to explain: at least then, the plane is not being tampered with for use to kill thousands (a la 9/11). I wish there were a feasible scenario where these people are like and chilling somewhere, but I don't see it.  Am I being cruel or overly calculating? Maybe, I don't know, think what you want. I've Been Called Worse...

Do Better: NFL players f***king up with women

I'm lost on this. More people wanna talk about the Dolphins bullying and Michael Sam the gay prospect instead of some serous character flaws in successful current and former players. Maybe it's just me, if I feel like I need to put hands on my lady, I'm probably gonna "cancel her" (Nino Brown quote) before going Kimbo Slice on her. Plus because of my mom's crafty personality, I grew up believing my mom would get my dad back in his sleep if he ever put hands on her; I took that to heart. So when I saw the video of Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his fiance out of the elevator of a casino after (allegedly) knocking her out cold. I've heard of couples having a fight cutting each other up a little bit, but she looked sleep like Manny Pacquiao after the Marquez fight. She looked like a World Star Hip Hop fight comp victim or something while he looked very non-chalant while dragging her (not carrying her, not throwing her over his shoulder, but dragging) and setting her on the hallway floor face down. I'll be the first to admit: I don't know what she did, she might have been just as culpable in things getting physical but yet and still, it's on you as a young Black man (much less a rich, recognizable young Black man) to keep the situation contained. If she's hitting you (which I don't condone either, women gotta stop using the "I'm a woman" excuse to beat the shit out of a dude) grab her to restrain her or something. Shit looks bad for Ray Rice right now. And following a subpar season anyway, you may have really fucked up. And now (drum roll please)...Darren motherfucking Sharper. ***closes eyes, shakes head*** I don't know where to start. The 'fine ass' (as reported by several women over the years) retired football player is accused of drugging and raping up to about 10 women in a few different states. They're calling this man a serial rapist. I'll repeat: he's "fine", in shape, famous, former athlete, well off (if not still str8 up rich) with a TV commentator position and you're drugging women and stealing the pussy? Are you fucking kidding me?? If you have any semblance of charm or personality (he got hired to be commentator after all), women should be throwing the box at you. Look above, this dude pulled Gabrielle Union back in the day for God's sake. How the fuck you go from that to stealing the box from everyday women? Are you drugging the few who say no? Are you drugging them to save time talking them up? I don't fucking understand. I realize these situations are still in the investigation stage and I may be jumping to early conclusion. But (excuse my N-word), these violating ass niggas need a preemptive Do Better...

Long Live Richard Sherman

Cocky bastard or Community activist? Accused thug or Stanford educated Masters scholar? Classless shit talker or confident shut down corner? Don't let perception convince you that Richard Sherman is something that he is not. I started this blog entry right after he set social media on fire by going off in an off-field interview right after he made a great play that sealed a trip to the Super Bowl for his team. Since you can't badmouth his game after such a play, his detractors resorted to calling him a thug or racially derogatory terms. For those who don't know, cornerback is a position that attracts cocky characters. As diva-like as receivers can become, corners have to feel that they can react and neutralize anything the receiver can do. In Sherman's case, not only does he shut them down, he's also proficient at winning the mental battle with the opponent by getting in their head and ultimately under their skin. This reminds me of the greatest cover corner - and one of my favorite players - of all time: Deion "Primetime" Sanders. Sherman is the Deion Sanders remix but with a brash "thug-like" appearance but a prestigious academic background. Deion was hated early in his career for being too cocky, talking too much, and being too many theatrics to a sport that didn't value them. Does Sherman talk too much? Anyone could easily say 'yes' to that question. But better question: do you want him on your team, or on the opposing team working his way into your star receiver's head? I'll take him on my squad any day. I get how middle America feels about outwardly cocky young Black men; so much of the reaction doesn't surprise me. But as a young black man, I can look past him having dredlocks and being an animated shit talker. He's a beloved teammate, he's very intelligent (3.7 GPA and a Master's degree from Stanford), and he's already at the top of his position in the NFL at just 25 years old. Not to mention, he goes back to Compton to work with kids to help them make it out and beat the odds the way he did. So to call him a thug is to dismiss all he had to overcome to make it, and for that reason it's disrespectful; especially coming from cashiers in middle America who didn't face or overcome odds the way a kid in Compton did. But love him or hate him, you're talking about him. Love him or hate him, in the end, all thug accusations fall by the wayside as there's no logical proof. Love him or hate him, his meager $500K salary (pennies by NFL standards, especially when the 2nd best corner is making $14 million this year) is now being tremendously boosted by endorsements borne of his newfound attention. And now he's got a Super Bowl ring too. Long live Richard Sherman...