Author: Callas Lane

Many African-Americans from earlier generations share the common belief that African-Americans support each other like they did in earlier years. It’s very understandable that they feel this way considering the way blacks were able to fight for their rights, end slavery, establish the right to vote, put a stop to many forms of discriminations and we even help free O.J. Simpson at one point. However, the problem to me is not that blacks don’t support each other but they don’t know when and when not to support each other.

A large number of African-Americans were outraged about the execution of Tookie Williams, but very few spoke up. If there were a little more protests about that situation it could have changed the outcome. On the other hand, black athletes are always in the media for doing something negative and it seems like everybody defends them.

Anytime a black athlete does something every African-American sports commentator defends the athlete and all you here is, “If he was a white athlete nothing would have been done. Is there more attention on black athletes than white athletes as far as getting in trouble? Yes. Do I believe that there is racism that still exists in the NFL? Yes. Do I believe in some cases of black athletes getting in trouble can be compared a similar situation involving a white athlete who did something equivalent of worse and nothing happened? Yes.

My problem with this is as African-Americans we know all of these things may or may not happen. So, doesn’t it make black athletes even more stupid for getting in trouble if they truly believe that they get in more trouble. An example of this was seen with Michael Vick. So, maybe if he was white he would have got off..that still doesn’t justify what he did. He was still wrong for animal cruelty.. Maybe his sentence was a little harsh but he shouldn’t have put himself in that situation. More recently, many black sport commentators have tried to defend Terrell Owens because they don’t believe the Cowboys should have dismissed him. Well, this is T.O.’s third team that has dismissed him. At what point do you stop making excuses for him? He isn’t a young athlete and him as a veteran should be able to conduct his self better than what he has been doing. He is a grown man and nobody can make excuses for him as much as he gets paid. Hard working citizens lose their jobs everyday for conduct at work. It is part of his job to watch his conduct.

ESPN’s Skip Bayless is a very talented white sports commentator and I don’t believe he is bias on anything. As a matter of fact, I agree with him 95% of the time because he is fair. He doesn’t defend athletes because of their color and I believe he calls it like he sees it. With black people I just think we get confused on who to support and who not to support. If someone is doing what they need to do the by all means stand by that person. When you have people that are always in trouble show tough love. Coach Boone (played by Denzel Washington) told Coach Yoast (played by Will Patton), “ The world don’t give a damn about how sensitive these kids are especially the young black kids. You ain’t doing these kids a favor by patronizing them, you’re crippling them..you’re crippling them for life.”

Next Week from Callas Lane,

Was President Bush shoe attacker’s recent sentence unfair?