Examiner Article: Are Black People Using Slavery As An Excuse Instead Of Advancing The Black Race?
Racist tweet against Lebron suggests blacks should move on
- October 21st, 2010 1:36 pm CT
Photo: Courtesy of MassAppealNews.com
MIAMI – Miami Heat forward Lebron James just can’t seem to stay out the news. In a shocking development, the perennial All-Star logged into his Twitter account before revealing a nasty, racist tweet for the entire world to see. Oh Lawd, what are we gone do? Remember, a couple weeks ago, Lebron told CNN reporters race played a big role in how he was treated by both the fans and media following his unpopular decision to dump the Cleveland Cavaliers on national television.
“With his self-aggrandizing, narcissistic one-hour TV exit – ‘The Decision’ – LeBron James ruined his public image, not racism,” FoxSports’ Jason Whitlock wrote in early October.
Here’s the tweet: “U r a big nosed big lipped bug eyed n*****. ur greedy, u try to hide ur ghettoness.”
ESPN.com’s J.A. Adande defended James by stating “as long as the NBA features predominantly black athletes playing for predominantly white owners who are selling their sport to predominantly white ticket buyers, there will be a race factor. It’s an ongoing quandary, usually left unsaid,” Ok Adande, I understand. But if you truly feel that way, why not write an article challenging black millionaires/billionaires to start a professional basketball league? Folks, I’ve campaigned for this the past couple years.
Hell, Jesse Jackson summarized Lebron’s exodus from Cleveland as “a runaway slave” seeking to elude his Master. Are you kidding me? What’s up with that? “Everybody thinks it is a bed of roses and it’s not,” James said. Accompanying the re-tweets was a tweet from King James himself, which read: “U see world how people feel! Just use it as extra motivation in whatever u do best! No one can stop your dreams from becoming reality!” When asked by CNN’s Soledad O’Brien if race played a role in public backlash following “The Decision,” James responded, ““I think so, at times. “[There’s] always a race factor.”
Hmm… I have a suggestion. Since black athletes, and apparently black reporters, are so fed up working for and/or with wealthy, gray-haired, elderly white businessmen, I say “why not start a business?” White entrepreneurs and Asian businessmen do it all the time. Hispanics too. Why not us? See, this is a fundamental black problem. By using slavery as a crutch, we’ve grown dependent upon the “white man” to take care of us. And it’s gotten old and tired. Personally, I find it embarrassing 80% of athletes in big revenue sports (NBA & NFL) are African-American, yet we only have one majority owner, Michael “Sell Out” Jordan. What a joke?
It’s also no secret blacks are routinely shut out from coaching jobs and upper managerial positions at both the professional and collegiate level. A damn shame indeed. Whether true or untrue, this sends the disturbing message African-Americans are suitable for providing manual labor, but incompetent when it comes to organizational management, leadership and strategic planning. Now you can understand why I’m embarrassed. Folks, there are no excuses. The money is there. The blueprint is there. And the support is there. It just comes down to blacks learning to get along, curtailing hate and pooling capital to launch a strong investment.
Lebron understands this. Rather than hire a spiffy Italian as his agent, King James employed a group of childhood friends to help manage his finances. Once again, there are no excuses. As for captivating fan interest? I don’t care what anybody says, White patrons will continue to support the league. After all, they don’t fill the arenas to see the owner and general manager count his her her revenue. White season-ticket owners come out to watch Lebron, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade, and dozens of others throw down on the basketball court. Period.
Also, I would imagine black owners would set up an affordable ticket pricing scale so more middle class (and perhaps lower class) people can come out and attend the games. What about venues? Team officials should look to sign a lease or rental agreement with underused entertainment facilities until something permanent develops. For example, the Sprint Center in Kansas City would serve as a perfect substitute. And there are countless others nationwide. Trust me, there is no shortage when it comes to arenas.
In the event that doesn’t work, management could approach top administrators with Historic Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) to make a proposal for conducting team operations out of their facilities. Once again, there are no excuses (other than the fact blacks have grown somewhat lazy and complacent when it comes to formulating an effective business plan). I honestly believe a black-owned professional basketball league would work. The same would also be true in football. Please post your thoughts below.
I’m so sick of blacks complaining about racism/corporate injustice. Either get off your asses and make something positive happen. Or shut the hell up and roll with the status quo.
Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of MassAppealNews.com. He is also a candidate for Kansas Senate District #7, an adjunct professor, and MPA at the University of Kansas.
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