Showing posts with label black athletes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black athletes. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Reggie Bush Gives Back the Heisman: Good for Him

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

I am not sure if Reggie Bush has ever read a word I've written. But after I mentioned last week that I felt Bush should give the Heisman trophy back, I was proud to see that he gave it away. Again, I am not one to say that he gives a you-know-what about anything I might say in public, but I can certainly say that I am proud.
Bush gave the Heisman trophy back this week after rampant speculation regarding whether or not he received inappropriate benefits during his time at USC. The speculation was bothersome to me, primarily because Reggie Bush was a human highlight film who earned millions for the NCAA and the university. The idea that they would even consider taking his Heisman Trophy after he'd given the NCAA so much was nothing short of offensive. If a man earns millions of dollars for you and you get angry because he took a few thousand to give his mother a place to live, then you've clearly got a problem with your value system.
Bush's statement about giving the Heisman back is below:

 

Click to read.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Where are the Black Athletes in Tennis and Golf?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

Most of us can appreciate, on one level or another, the tremendous achievements of Tiger Woods, Venus Williams and her little sister, Serena. They have all been, in one way or another, a tremendous source of pride for the African American community. Much of the reason we are so proud of them is because they've dominated like no other in sports that are not typically played by "us." I am personally more impressed with the Williams sisters than with Tiger, in large part because they've made it into a family affair, and seem to more directly embrace the idea of making their success into a "black thing." Tiger, on the other hand, seems to want to make his success into a "Caublinasian thing." I admittedly can't get with that.

 

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Dwight Howard’s Battle with His Ex-Wife is a Lesson for Us All

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 

One of my favorite films of all-time was "War of the Roses," starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. In the film, a divorced couple starts down a dangerous and hilarious path of mutual destruction, where the goal of each is to make the other person's life miserable. At the end of the movie, both parties find that while it was their goal to destroy the other person, they actually ended up destroying themselves. Just for the record, each character dies at the end.


I think about "War of the Roses" when I see the custody battle between NBA star Dwight Howard and his ex-wife, Royce Reed. Of course I don't expect anyone to end up dead, but it's already clear that Royce and Dwight have made each other's lives as miserable as possible. Royce recently called the cops after Dwight picked up her son from daycare at a time when he was not scheduled to do so. Before that, Dwight had filed a lawsuit against Royce for referring to him as a "douchebag" on the TV show, "Basketball Wives.

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Black Athletes Should Boycott the Heisman Trophy

reggiebush1

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

 

When I read about the possibility that Reggie Bush may have his Heisman Trophy taken, I became irritated beyond imagination.  ”Here we go again,” I thought.  “Another self-righteous group of hoity-toity NCAA administrators making value judgments about the character of black male athletes.”
If they can’t defeat them on the field, the game is then to create artificially contrived mechanisms for evaluating the worth of the athlete from a morality standpoint.  The problem for the NCAA, however, is that when it comes to ethics, they have no room to claim the moral high ground.  In fact, you might say they are crooks.

Click to read.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

NFL Analyst Dan Hampton Makes Insensitive Remarks About Hurricane Katrina

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

NFL Hall of Famer Dan Hampton has a great deal to apologize for this week. During a broadcast of an NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, Hampton thought it would be funny to bring up that little thing called Hurricane Katrina. Making reference to the fact that the Vikings needed to show up with their A-game, Hampton said, "The Vikings need to go down there and hit that town like Katrina."
Bad move buddy, bad move.
There isn't much to say about Dan Hampton other than the obvious. It didn't take him long to realize that it might be inappropriate to make jokes about an event that led to the death and displacement of tens of thousands of people. Hurricane Katrina affected real lives in a very real way, and Hampton needs to understand that. Additionally, invoking Katrina into the fantasy world of professional football is only productive to the extent that the success of the Saints has helped to heal the hearts of New Orleans residents who've lost everything. So, if you can't bring Hurricane Katrina up in a positive and uplifting way, please don't bring it up as a joke.

 

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Friday, September 3, 2010

Black Athletes and Handguns: What Up with That?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

Shaun Rogers, a Defensive Tackle for the Cleveland Browns, was fined $400,000 by the league for violating its personal conduct policy. Rogers was caught carrying a loaded gun inside an airport. The fine represents approximately 1/17th of his $6.9 million salary.
Some would say that Rogers got off easy, since it would have been no surprise to see him either suspended or sent to jail. The player was caught carrying a loaded semi-automatic handgun in his carry-on bag at Hopkins International Airport. There's no indication regarding whether or not he realized that TSA agents actually have the ability to see inside of someone's luggage with their x-ray machine. It's hard to imagine what he might have been thinking.

Click to read.

Danny Granger of Team USA Says Europeans Smell Like D

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

If I were an old man responsible for managing Team USA's public image, I would be cursing Twitter every day of the week. Apparently, giving young, bold athletes instant access to media was a cruel joke orchestrated by both fate and Mother Nature. At any rate, the latest athlete to embarrass himself with his Twitter account was Danny Granger. Making reference to the fact that deodorant is not as popular in Europe as it is in the United States, Granger said that Europeans smell like "dead donkeys." Here are his exact words:
"i'm dying over here ..how come nobody in europe wears deodorant? guess they didn't get the memo – smellin like dead donkey..no joke"

Click to read.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Black Athletes and All Their Children

baby-mama

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

I recently read a very interesting story about how so many black athletes are being hammered by the financial devastation of child support.  Their paychecks are getting zapped to nothing, only to buy Coach purses and hair weaves for the women who’ve had their children.  Perhaps the sex was good enough to justify the misery, but I’ve never had sex that good.

New York Jets running back Antonio Cromartie is one famous case of “I’m Bound to be Broke-itis.”  Cromartie, who is 26-years old, has eight children with six women in five different states.  In fact, the Jets had to front Cromartie $500,000 to settle his paternity situation before he even started playing for the team.  There are quite a few other cases worth mentioning, but I won’t waste time laying out the issues.

What I will lay out is an added perspective that might help brothers realize  the utter stupidity of putting themselves in situations that will keep their pockets empty, kill their ability to support a family down the road and possibly lead to incarceration.  Getting caught under the neck of the merciless child support system is an absolutely horrible feeling.  Children are a beautiful gift from God, and we can all appreciate a pretty woman, but if you let this stuff get the best of you, you’re begging for a life of misery.

Click to read.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Scholarship in Action: Why This Athlete Faces Felonies

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 


Nigel Carr was expected to start for the Florida State Seminoles at linebacker this season. Those plans are probably going to be altered, now that Carr faces a slew of felonies related to burglaries he allegedly committed this week.
According to Tallahassee police, Carr burglarized a parked SUV, stealing the victim's book bag that contained her purse and other valuables. Carr allegedly dumped the items into a nearby trash can and police say they found the victim's credit card on the floor board of a vehicle being driven by Carr.
Surprisingly, Carr is also a suspect in another car burglary on campus and faces charges from alleged marijuana possession. His career is in serious jeopardy and may likely be coming to an end.
I am not sure what the reasoning might be behind this alleged incident, assuming that the police version of the facts are accurate. Nearly any crime involving a college athlete on the weekend or at night makes me wonder if alcohol or drugs were involved. Carr's charges for marijuana possession lead me to suspect that this is a strong possibility. For some reason, we've fed our young people a set of beliefs that create a culture of substance abuse as a fundamental part of college life. As my daughter prepares for college, I make it clear to her that she should be strong enough to not follow the crowd. I am not one to tell her to refrain from alcohol consumption, but I let her know that college can be a blast without risking rape, illness, incarceration or death, which occurs each year in alcohol-related incidents across the country. While we can't say that substance abuse played a role in the Carr case, this point should be made nonetheless.

Click to read.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Nick Saban Says Sports Agents are Pimps: No, My Friend, You’re the Real Pimp

by Dr. Boyce Watkins 

University of Alabama coach Nick Saban has made a serious mistake in terminology. During a recent press conference, Saban was asked to respond to NCAA investigations involving one of his players, Marcell Dareus. Dareus allegedly attended a party that was sponsored by a sports agent, which would be an NCAA violation.
Saban then referred to sports agents as "pimps," complaining about how they are determined to undermine the sanctity of college sports by giving the athletes money or expensive gifts. In light of the fact that Saban felt the need to use such harsh language, I thought I might help him to assess what it truly means to be a pimp.
A pimp is someone who does the following:

 

Click to read.

Monday, June 21, 2010

The Latest from Dr. Boyce on AOL - 6/21/10

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Son of Dallas Police Chief Suspected in Killing a Cop

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Is Obama's Mortgage Modification Program Failing?

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Michael Jackson's Estate Earned $783 Million Since His Death

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Will Tiger Woods' Video Game Sell Like it Did in the Past?

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Hallmark Greeting Card Gets Accused of Corporate Racism

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How to Save Your Money: 5 Steps to Getting it Right

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Financial Lovemaking: AOL BV Poll Results on Black Women, Dating

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Black Businesswoman Danielle Douglas and Dr. Boyce Talk Business

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Tiger Woods Sex Scandals Cost Him $25 Million in Endorsements

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Black Scholar: Black Athletes Exploited Physically, Intellectually by NCAA

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Dr. Boyce and Lady Drama Discuss Wendy Williams, Hip-Hop and More

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Foreclosure Epidemic Hits Minority Communities Hardest

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Black Republican: King's Statement About Obama Favoring Blacks Was Right

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The Black Church Keeps Black Women Single and Lonely?

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Parliament-Funkadelic Guitarist Garry Shider Dies




Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Latest from Dr. Boyce - 6/15/10


Brought to you by The Great Black Black Speakers Bureau, the #1 Black Speakers Bureau in the world.  To join the Your Black World coalition, please visit YourBlackWorld.com.

Hey peeps,

Rev. Al Sharpton and I are going to be on MSNBC Thursday morning at 10 am - don't forget that you can also hear us on his radio show every Monday at 1:15 pm EST (SharptonTalk.net).  Also, to all the high school graduates out there, I want to encourage you to do the following:  1) Value education more than anything - it's probably the most important thing you'll ever have (so get as much of it as you can), 2) Pursue your goals relentless - working consistently toward something for 5 - 10 hours a day will always yield results, 3) Think like bosses, not laborers - get a great job, but eventually work to put yourself in a position to create jobs by owning your own business and financial assets,  4) Remember that life is a journey of love - money and career mean very little compared to how you treated the people you care about.  Life is too short to be mediocre - always do your best.

Dr. Boyce

 

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Dr. Boyce Video -- What the Hayell? What Is Wrong With T-Pain?

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Former NBA Star Antoine Walker Faces 12 Years in Prison

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Dr. Boyce Video: Images of the Black Woman in Media and Business

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Black Male Sets Trends in Finance: Houston Has More than Rappers

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Why the Hip-Hop Industry Doesn't Support Female Artists

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Financial Lovemaking: Diddy's Son Gets $360K Car -- Too Much?

South African Horns Criticized During World Cup

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What do the Vuvuzelas sound like - are they really that bad?

Posted by Staffat 9:32 PM0 comments

Anita Baker Accused of Butchering the National Anthem

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What do you think? ;

Posted by Staffat 9:23 PM0 comments

Rapper Vigalantee Raps about Black Women

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Check out the new joint by Vigalantee, celebrating the black woman.

Posted by Staffat 9:15 PM0 comments

Did This Officer Just Punch this Black Woman in the Face?  Was this Police Brutality or Resisting Arrest?

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Slim Thug Attempts to Defend His Comments about Black Women

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NFL Player Reggie Wayne Sues Mistress for Charging Up Credit Card

Dr. Boyce: How the Lakers-Celtics Rivalry Saved the NBA Both 30 Years Ago and Today

"Boyce Watkins"The NBA finals are not what you think.  You see, you’re watching the finals hoping that either the Lakers or the Celtics win, and wondering whether Kobe Bryant can outscore Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and the army of tall brothers that Boston is flying across the country to conquer Los Angeles.  That is not, my friends, the first thing on the mind NBA Commissioner David Stern.

First of all, Stern is wondering why LeBron James isn’t here.  Most of us expected, to the disdain of every other talented player in the league, that this would be the year that LeBron would take his rightful place on the Post-Jordan throne.  The natural and inevitable coronation of King James was part of the NBA marketing strategy, thus allowing Stern and company to make even bigger money in the Chinese market, where the fans want to see their All Stars become champions.  As we all know, it didn’t happen.

The second thought on Stern’s very sharp mind is that the finals he got this year, a renewal of the historic rivalry between the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics, is just as good, or better than what he would have gotten had King James shown up to play.  You see, there’s history here, and most of the relevant history isn’t about wins and losses on the court.

Click to read.

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NJ Officer Taped Spraying Pepper Spray in Detained Black Man's Face

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Brian McKnight Ruled to Have Fathered 14-Yr Old: Owes $341,640: All About Black Daddies

What does Barack Obama Have in Common with 50 Cent?

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Check out Barack & Curtis, a new documentary by Byron Hurt

Posted by Staffat 12:38 PM0 comments

SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2010

Paterson NJ Cop Videotaped While Macing a Black Man

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This video is storming the web - a cop in Paterson, NJ is caught on tape macing a black man on the ground. ;


The Age of the Hoochie Mama is Over:  It's Time for Hip Hop to Grow Up

Lil Wayne disrespects women because he's allowed to.

In 2004, the women at Spelman College told the rapper Nelly to take a hike for sliding a credit card through a woman’s backside. The women told Nelly to take his music elsewhere, and his concert was cancelled. I thought that after this incident, women across America would slide their own credit card in the other direction, away from the record stores and websites used to purchase music from artists who make it their mission in life to disrespect black women. I have to admit that I was wrong.

What has always amazed me is the fact that we have trained young people to endure and embrace consistent disrespect from rappers like Slim Thug, who recently stated that white women are a far better choice for relationships, and Lil Wayne, who has done everything in his power to show just how little regard he has for African American females. Wayne even has a song called Alphabet B*tches, which isn’t exactly like the ABCs you learned in preschool. For some reason, we all keep dancing to the beat and showing up for concerts, reminding the artist that freedom of speech is in full effect, no matter how harmful that speech may be. 

Click to read.

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Monday, May 3, 2010

NCAA Signs Record Deal: Still Doesn't Pay Athletes Anything

The NCAA men's basketball tournament is expanding, starting next season, but not on the large scale once expected.

The sport's signature event will grow to 68 teams from 65 in conjunction with a new 14-year, nearly $11 billion television agreement with CBS and Turner Sports announced Thursday. That gives the NCAA a 41% hike in annual media and marketing rights connected to the tournament — and "financial stability through the first quarter of this century," interim President Jim Isch said — without the controversy of a more dramatic move to a 96-team bracket.

Negotiations with CBS/Turner, ESPN and Fox Sports initially had targeted a 96-team field, drawing concern and criticism from traditionalists and others over the impact on the tournament's aesthetics, effect on college basketball's regular season and conference tournaments and potential for further intrusion on players' time and studies.

 

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Friday, March 12, 2010

The Money of March Madness

'March Madness' isn't amateur, it's big league exploitation

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

In 2006, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Bill Thomas, sent a letter to NCAA President, Myles Brand. In this letter, Thomas had this to say:

"The annual return also states that one of the NCAA's purposes is to 'retain a clear line of demarcation between intercollegiate athletics and professional sports.' Corporate sponsorships, multimillion dollar television deals, highly paid coaches with no academic duties, and the dedication of inordinate amounts of time by athletes to training lead many to believe that major college football and men's basketball more closely resemble professional sports than amateur sports."
In this letter, Thomas makes a very clear point that is also being mentioned by academics, coaches, former athletes, students, attorneys and fair-minded Americans throughout the country: the NCAA is a professional sports league. To call collegiate athletes in revenue-generating sports "amateur" is like calling Barack Obama a part-time politician in training.

Companies pay CBS Sports $100,000 dollars for a 30-second ad during the early rounds of March Madness. This cost jumps to $1 million dollars for a 30-second spot during the Final Four. The NCAA's contract with CBS is an 11-year, $6.1 billion dollar TV rights deal, with the NCAA hauling in over half a billion per year in revenue. The amount of money made during March Madness exceeds that which is earned in the playoffs for the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball. The average coach in March Madness earns roughly $1 million dollars per year and schools typically hire their basketball coaches without giving a "you-know-what" about the academic standards of the coach they've chosen to hire (you hear that Kentucky)?

Now, who said that any of this could be defined as "amateur"?

 

Click to read