Football, Hypocrisy and Cam Newton

One of the best books on sports I ever read was William Rhoden’s “Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete.” In the book, he provides a lucidly terse commentary, backed by historical occurrence, that the African American athlete and today’s sports industry are equally comparable to the slave and plantation respectively. More specifically, that the industry of sports today, whether professional or amateur, is no different than that of the slave era plantation, which was exclusively distinguished by white ownership and African American labor.

Some would argue against such but I would say his premise is on point, in particular with respect to the hypocrisy being evinced regarding precarious allegations directed toward Cam Newton. I have wondered, since the New York Times and ESPN ran with the story of him taking money “supposedly from a no name former quarterback,” what was the reason for doing so? It was strange because it happened after Auburn beat LSU and became the number one team in the land, albeit for a week. Now all of a sudden records from the University of Florida have been released regarding allegations that Newton once cheated while in college. Again, I can’t understand this, unless the University of Florida and Florida football head coach Urban Meyer have something to do with this. It would not surprise me since Newton was first enrolled at the University of Florida.

Now it seems that the mainstream writers and the coaches alike are doing what they normally do to African American athletes who are successful, or considered recalcitrant. But what can I expect; the proclaimed legendary Pop Warner, Coach of Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School threw Thorpe under the bus when he didn’t want to play football for him, causing him to have his Olympic gold medals to be taken away. Pop Warner lied and said he had no knowledge, when he did and knew that Thorpe would gross him $10,000 each game he played.

Folk the likes of Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, and Willie Mays knew of this environment. Mays even told his God son Barry Bonds to look after himself because baseball didn’t care. As was evident when they looted the negro leagues for more talented players for less than half the price, the same way they do Latin American players now. Barry Bonds as a result of his attitude and his purported cheating via steroids use may not make it to the Hall of fame, when he deserves and more obvious cheaters like Gaylord Perry and Whitey Ford have.

A say all this just to question the dynamics of sports, what is it that would make some suggest that Mike Vick less than a quarterback than Matt Ryan, or that Cam Newton, although a greater physical specimen, is not as smart a quarterback as Tim Tebow or Kellen Moore? I cannot answer these but It does strike me as strange that all of this attention, albeit it unsubstianted, directed toward Cam Newton, ironically happens prior to his race for the Heisman Trophy and National Championship chase. Maybe it is just me or maybe there is truly a level of unprecedented hypocrisy in college and professional sports – God forbid you use the R-word, for the reality is this is what Black kids who show exceptional athletic talent should expect.

in the oral tradition

To often, we take our pleasures for granted. See me, I’m a fan of sports. Since it is football season, I am more concerned about it as well as the fledgling NCAA basketball season more than other miscellaneous pleasurable pursuits. I learned of my direct love via my male family members. I learned not only of the love for the sport, but also history. They told me about the Satchel Page's, the Rube Foster's and the Curt Floods. I was unaware of these folks, and they had seen them before the era of television and were aided by radio. Jus as I tell my son about the Jack Tatum’s, the Lew Alcindor’s and the Jefferson Street Joe Gilliam’s. And Like I was, he too ca only visualize what I am trying to explain since he had not grown up seeing them Albeit he may have archival film footage courtesy of ESPN to help him, he still will never understand their greatness as I did unless I take the time to tell him.

One such figure that I was told of but never saw was Bill Willis. Willis was the first African American to ever start in the National Football League. A player with the Cleveland Browns, he was the one to open up the NFL and break down the color barrier. He played with the Browns from 1946 to 1953 and his record was enough for him to be elected into the pro football Hall of Fame in 1977. Willis also played/started both offense and defense for the Legendary Paul Brown.

While at Ohio State, he had his No. 99 jersey retired at halftime of the Wisconsin-Ohio State game. He was also Ohio States first Black football all American where he opened a many holes and blocked for the Buckeye’s 1944 Heisman Trophy winner Les Horvath. He also participated in track and field some five years after Jesse Owens attended the institution.

Yep I’m glad for listening to my folks and his break throughs, or else we would still be looking a football with a lot of slow ass men who likely would not hit as hard and/or talk shit on the field. And moreover, ‘m glad I listened to my elders and the stories the told. I guess it will be up to us to keep telling the stories in the oral tradition and then some, so these can be captured in His-story books and history. He was 86 years old so no telling what his eyes say or his spirit experienced.

a pick up of eleven yards

It’s near the end of the year, and again I find myself looking at football. Sure I am in the midst of family, but football is also my family, especially this time of the year. The time where teams are trying to clinch play-off births and others just desire to be spoilers. Players who are sucking up the pain threshold a little bit more, to endure the wear and tear of 15 games. Throwing it all on the line, with targeted abandon and ambitions to knock the snot out of their opponent. And I sit back, with remote control in hand while screaming out loud, next to my baby girl.

The only regret is that this will be the last time I will ever see Monday Night football on ABC. After thirty five years, the show will end. I am a child of Monday night football. I was raised with Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell and O. J. Simpson. I even remember dandy Don and Frank Gifford. I had to be around 8 years old when it started on ABC. I couldn’t wait for the Monday night games, back then that was the only sporting even one could see on television during the week.

I still see those yellow suit coats in my mind and recant when I was pissed off when they changed the original theme music. Just hearing the old music got you excited and that was the era when during half time, they would show all the highlights from the previous Sunday.

For some of yall, its just a sporting event, just a football game, or it’s just a running play, but in these eyes, it’s a pick up of eleven yards and a first down, and for the record I despise the other team. Like I said, my daughter is going on seven months, and she likes football too. I guess we will cherish this last Monday Night Football game together.