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Dec. 17, 2005 In the athletic arena, black expression is being stifled. This has gone on since the day of Curt Flood (who took one not only for the team, but the league) and Craig Hodges to Aaron Brooks, Terrell Owens and more recently, Ron Artest. Outspoken black athletes are being told to keep their opinions to themselves. After all, they’re being paid to play ball and do little else outside of community service. Speaking out—particularly against management—is forbidden. Recently Aaron Brooks criticized NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and questioned whether or not the league was serious about keeping the Saints in New Orleans. He added that if it had been a franchise located in New York or Los Angeles, the commitment by the league would have come quick and clear. For speaking a truth that in my view was harmless, Brooks has been benched. Sure, the team says it is because iof his league-leading 17 interceptions and his meager 70.0 passer rating. In foiur seasons his record is a mediocre 38-40. They want to convince fans that Brooks’ demotion after his comments is purely coincidental. This reminds me of the gunning down of Albert Diallo, the unarmed black man shot 41 times by New York City police officers. After Rudy “hit him baby one more time” Giuliani called a press conference and rather than deal with the question of how an unarmed man could be fired on so many times, he denounced Diallo for having an extensive criminal record. There was a twisted rationale behind Giuliani’s comments, and there is behind the lies being spewed by Saints’ owner Tom Benson. The consensus among most NFL General Managers is that Brooks has Pro Bowl potential, but he is in the wrong system. Earlier this year we saw the Eagles punish Terrell Owens for his “unauthorized” comments. While I agree that the majority of his comments were idiotic, his telling the truth about teammate Donovan McNabbs shortcomings were simply a statement of fact: McNabb’s ass did get tight in the Super Bowl. When did professional athletes lose their right to speak their mind? Ron Artest demanded he be traded. Subsequently, he was fined by the NBA for violating the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Why the NBA player’s Union agreed to insert such an idiotic clause in the CBA (one which allows teams to fine and suspend players who are critical of league and team policies) is a classic example of a union being in bed with management. Moreover, Artest’s team, the Indiana Pacers, has placed Artest on the Ineligible List, meaning they can sit him out the rest of the season—albeit, with pay. Worse, thay have made it clear that if he is traded it will be to one of the two worse teams in the league: The Toronto Raptors or the Atlanta Hawks. All Mr. Artest did was say he wanted out of Indiana. And regardless of whether the tam stood by him during his times of turmoil, he should have the right to express himself. His comments in no way damaged his team nor the league. The NBA is becoming notorious for stifling free expression. It began in the pre-season with the dress code. The league expressed the desire that its “employees” present a more professional image. David Stern—who has never scored a basket in a NBA game, yet earns more than 75% of the league’s players--wants to do away with the hip-hop/gangsta glam image of the league’s players. Most of these players are in their 20s and dress in the style of other people their age, with the exception that the clothes of the NBA player are a lot more expensive and are custom designed. For years this same image was played up by the league, so in reality, this is simply corporate puppeteering. The style of attire worn by NBA players is not representative of that franchise, no more than that of a mail room clerk’s on the image of Mutual of Omaha. The NBA tells team owners (including Usher and Jay-Z) that they will embrace their financial commitments, but won’t accept their style of dress. Funny that the league didn’t begin worrying about bling and fashion until after they were assured that younger players could maintained the popularity of the sport in the absence of Michael, Magic and Larry. David Stern, Paul Tagliabue and Bud Selig are no different than Don King and Bob Arum. They are pimps in control of an industry financed by the efforts of misguided, undereducated ( in terms of their rights) whores. Exacerbating matters is that these young men are represented by weak unions. This is what I call the “Wal-Martizatuion” of professional sports. Where are John Carlos and Tommie Smith when you need them? ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is a 46-year old California native with a wide variety of interests-from fishing to politics, which have a lot in common: Both require you to deal with worms and most of your time is spent idling. He is a former Democrat, believing that Party represents outdated ideas. He is officially registered as an Independent, choosing to keep his options open. Timothy is also the author of more than 80 screenplays and novels, two of which have been "published": "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice Of Cain", both available through PublishAmerica. He defines his writing style as "Hip-hop fiction; a cross between Richard Pryor and Richard Wright." His UK columns is written in a hard-edged style, but he is not yet a curmudgeon or a conservative. (Is that redundant?) After all, one of his favorite movies is "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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