Jackie Robinson and Muhammed Ali probably rolled in their graves after hearing Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott speak about the national anthem debate…
“We’re the Dallas Football Cowboys, America’s Team. We stand for the national anthem.” – Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys starting running back
You work you’re entire life to fulfill a childhood dream – a dream that less than 1% get to live. You get there, you realize the average shelf life for said career is 3 years, so you focus on staying healthy and doing the best you can in arguably the most competitive sport in the world. Most people get that.
But read a book, watch a documentary, realize your pro football opportunity is possible because of your athletic ability. That athletic ability, which allows you to run fast, jump high, and throw a ball 70 yards was gifted to you by God or whomever you believe in, not Jerry Jones. Jerry does sign your checks, correct… but let’s hope those checks last long beyond your NFL career. Let’s hope if or when one of you gets hurt (because the injury rate in the NFL is 100%), that Jerry returns the loyalty during your contract year when you’re trying to get paid. Let’s also hope he’s just as loyal when you have a bad statistical season… and there’s a talented rookie who’s making rookie minimum in comparison to your millions, and fans are calling for him to replace you, which would make room in the cap for younger/cheaper players, or better free agents.
The business of professional sports is brutal, and history tells us Jerry won’t be as loyal. Just look at recent history… the Celtic’s had no problem shipping Isaiah Thomas out of town, and you could make the argument that his career has went downhill ever since. How about DeMar DeRozan? Despite being in his prime, being the all-time leader in several statistical categories for the Toronto Raptors, and literally putting that team on his back, they had no problem sending him to San Antonio. (At least NBA players can rely on guaranteed contracts.)
But why such one-sided loyalty? Are these athletes that young, naive, or that beholden to the lifestyle and income that they’re willing to say and do whatever it takes to stay there, or not upset ownership? Maybe it’s all of the above, or maybe it’s something else.
Either way, Jackie Robinson, Muhammed Ali, and countless others who risked their lives and paved the way for guys like Dak and Ezekiel to play in these pro leagues and sign such lucrative contracts, deserve better.
Possibly the most impactful disparity in this nation exists in the judicial system. It’s an unfortunate reality black people know well and have to cope with every day.
After failing to advance to the second round the previous two seasons, prior to the start of the 2007 NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets star player Tracy McGrady was asked by ESPN commentator Stephen A Smith would they get out of the first round of the playoffs. McGrady responded with a now infamous sentence, “If we don’t get out of the first round, it’s on me!” He repeatedly said the phrase “it’s on me.” Houston would go on to lose another first round playoff series in seven games to end their season. And at his postgame press conference following the Game 7 defeat, McGrady, still visibly emotional from the loss, said, “I tried, man, I tried.” McGrady was never able to lead the Rockets out of the first round in the playoffs. Ironically, after suffering a season-ending injury followed by surgery in 2009, Mc Grady watched the Rockets finally advance to the second round. Damn.
Speaking of NBA playoffs, Meek Mill, the Philadelphia native rapper, attended game five of the Philadelphia 76ers playoff matchup against the Miami Heat (4/24/18). The same Meek Mill Jay-Z and Beyoncé rapped “Free Meek” in their top-down Maybach in their collaboration single Top Off… that Meek Mill? Yes, that Meek Mill, and to quote Pac he’s “free like OJ all day.”
Granted no draconian post bail arrangement was made for Meek Mill like Tupac made with Suge Knight and Death Row records; however, it did take 76ers Co-owner Michael Rubin, Jay-Z, and other notable figures becoming vocal for Meek Mill to obtain an immediate release after serving five months in prison. Meek Mill had been in prison due to a pair of arrests that took place in 2017. He was involved in a fight in St. Louis and got caught recklessly driving his motorbike in New York City. Although both charges were dropped, Judge Genece E. Brinkley, a black female judge, reached her breaking point and sentenced him to two to four years in prison for violating his probation. A probation that spans 10 years, which included arrests from officials reportedly smelling marijuana coming from his vehicle to booking performances outside of Philly without Judge Genece Brinkley’s approval.
Most would point to Meek Mill and put it all on him like Tracy McGrady was made to be the scapegoat for years of first round playoff exits. (McGrady really did try – he averaged over 27 points per a game with Houston during those first round exits.) And yes, Meek Mill has been arrested several times; however, the crimes were never on the same level as say… Ethan Couch. You remember him, right? In 2013, Ethan Couch, at 16 years old, with a group of friends stole beer from a store and had a party at his parents’ house before going for a drive. He then struck and killed four people on the side of a road near Fort Worth, Texas, and paralyzed a passenger in his car who now suffers from brain damage. Despite defying prosecutors who sought a 20-year prison sentence, Couch would only serve a 720-day sentence. Did I mention he’s rich and white? I know, spoiler alert. He gained fame by being dubbed the “affluenza teen.” This label was given after a psychologist suggested during his trial that growing up with money might have left him with psychological afflictions, too rich to tell right from wrong. You read that correctly… too rich to know right and wrong.
Back to Meek – I know there are historical cases in which rich black people got off due to their fame and fortune. The operative word is historical, for we can only name a few of them, whereas daily black people are disproportionally punished for the same offenses as white people. The disproportions for black people regarding punishment is felt at every level… from being given more suspensions in grade school, to receiving harsher and longer punishments for the same offenses, from traffic court to even receiving worst punishments than their white soldier counterparts in military court proceedings.
What this means for the likes of Meek Mill is understanding the fine line him and other men of color must walk regarding law and order. This is not a call for respectability politics – the theory if one looked and acted right they would never get into trouble. There isn’t anything to combat the mindset of a biased police officer, a vengeful judge, or a merciless prosecutor. Meek Mill and others must understand like Tracy McGrady said, it’s on them, whether they place the target on themselves or not. Tracy McGrady stated he would carry his team to victory and the opposition exposed that statement. Meek Mill knows he’s a target, and they’re literally waiting to see if and when he acts up again. A slip up where he can only blame himself.
Meek Mill was all smiles during the playoff game as the cameras caught him sitting beside comedian Kevin Hart. It’s on him, and only him to never again have those same cameras catch him walking up the steps of a courthouse.
