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Fame is not easy to handle, nor is the burden that accompanies success easy to balance. Everyone is watching everything with no reprieve, during good days, as well as the bad. Still, how can “the best of the best” freely fork over their money to lawyers who are enjoying the benefits of their frequent mess-ups? Players suffer from pushing their bodies, paying the price through surgeries, sports injuries, and potential ailments later in life, but they soon forget about these sacrifices they make. Few will remind these kings to raise the bar for themselves—slaps on the wrist will do, in most cases. Everyone forgives after a mild scolding. “We” need them doing what they do best, so acting up a little bit is tolerable if it is the kind of thing that can be swept under the rug. Improved consciousness would mean that players would retain control and become more productive and empowered beyond sporting a number on their backs, so long as the league says they are worthy. Why can’t many athletes access their power to inspire others to find the higher parts of themselves that will also invite more long-term endorsements, and increase their likelihood of staying power after their days in sports are destined to end? Within a complex ball of accusations of racism and legal inequities, personal responsibility is often lacking and bordering on becoming a moot issue that has no comfortable place in an exploration of morality. While no one should be treated differently based upon their race or ethnic origin, Nubian people must use wisdom to avoid unnecessary entanglements. The trend seems to be: act poorly now, regret it and explain later. Many young athletes are not interested in trying to carry themselves in a way that will decrease the likelihood of a black man going to jail. They must understand that responsibility is intertwined with success…if you want to keep it. It is a gift, a blessing, a true reward borne of persistence and what is deserved. Kobe put himself in a bad position that he saw coming before Ms. Mystery Farber stepped into his hotel room and now dark clouds are looming above his head because he allowed the temptress to share his personal space. Jayson Williams was on the right track with his humanitarian efforts, then fell off the pedestal he rightfully deserved to sit upon because he allegedly chose to play with a gun and lied about what occurred afterward. Why would these intelligent young men willingly walk into a trap that has been laid for them? When will these kings remember that they must act and behave as Nubian people should? The implication of a surge of acting out is that money, status, power, and fame corrupts many of our kings to the point where they forget that laws apply to them. When pushing the limit runs into a reality check, what is done in secret becomes public, and the hungry media greedily eats up the opportunity to digest the infraction and speculate. At this point, athletes and stars are sternly reminded that personal responsibility is essential to enjoying a life on the other side of those bars. When A.C. Green was in the NBA, he carried himself like a king. As a result, he earned his queen and is currently realizing the benefit of behaving as a responsible Nubian. A.C. is a prime example that overgeneralizations are dangerous, careless, and inappropriate. Although he faced ridicule for his choice not to womanize and behave as an egocentric person would, he remained grounded and fulfilled his obligation to himself and his loved ones. His behavior should be commended, while we should be careful not to encourage behavior that promotes a chain of negative events. We dress our sons, daughters, nieces and nephews like sports and music stars, and these little Nubians are watching how we respond to celebrities that exhibit behavior unbecoming grown Nubians. This is yet another reason to explain that glitz and glamour can only carry one so far. If we don’t take the time to explain the difference between reality from fantasy, children will easily be misinformed and aspire to behave like bad boys and bad girls. We all are responsible for aspiring to use wisdom at all times, although foolish mistakes are equal opportunity troublemakers. What will happen to Kobe? God only knows. What will happen to Jayson? God only knows. Come to think of it, we would never have to guess if warnings had been heeded and the legacy of great kings were not tossed aside like trash. As we question the fate of these talented men who have been forced into legal wars, we must remember that we will continue to feel this pang of uneasiness again if sleeping Nubians refuse to wake from their slumber. Although I believe Kobe is innocent, what I nor anyone else thinks is irrelevant. Money doesn’t make the man…a man must be a man long before he puts on his uniform. Now Mr. Bryant will be forced to grow up and prove that he was guilty of exercising poor judgment and adultery, not raping a nineteen-year-old white woman.  Andrea Blackstone is the author of Schemin': Confessions of a Gold Digger. You may visit her at www.dreamweaverpress.net. Copyright 2006 by BlackAthlete.net, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
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