I Wish I Was A Balla

Jason Whitlock has a very interesting article up over at AOL about this past weekend's NBA All Star Weekend. Now if you haven't read this or heard about this in the last few days this may come as a surprise to you. Probably due to the fact that ESPN, the NBA and the MSM have not really reported anything about this weekend other then "it was a complete success". Sure, a HUGE success, if we're talking about arrest quotas.

One incident involves the man pictured, Nelly, and a NFL player Pacman Jones. Now this isn't the first time or even the second time Jones has gotten trouble in an incident at some type of club. From what I can gather from various places, at the strip club he was putting singles up on the floor where the ladies were dancing. The some other lady came by and started taking them, this is when he decided to start smashing her head into the dance floor. The bouncers tried to get him and his people to leave, allegedly his bouncers were the ones who shot the "employees". This is the type of behavior that Whitlock is speaking of.

A quick sidenote, if I'm the Titans I'd get rid of Jones finally. There are now Trailblazers in the NFL, but the Bengals are working their way there, ship his happy ass to Cinci.

As I drove home yesterday this was all that Riggins Radio was talking about. What they were saying may be why I don't really watch the NBA anymore, it has become this Thug mentality. I understand people are born and bred on the streets, but you have twenty million dollars in the bank, you can stop acting like a thug. Why are athletes constantly getting busted for pot, DUIs, assault and various other crimes? I remember growing up and the thing that mattered most to the players back then was winning. Now it appears that people could care less as long as they get theirs and continue to look tough. I believe Dave Chapelle referred to it as "Keeping it real".

Lamont Jordan called the show and talked about how some of this is the media's doing. That the media only shows light on the negativity that athletes do, not the positive things they do for the communities. I can agree to do that, the media would much rather run a story about how Jonathan Babineaux killed his girlfriend's dog then about how the various charities and organizations they help support and fund. The only instance I can think of when they did this is when Reggie Bush did those things for New Orleans, but that was because it was Reggie Bush.

There is another argument though for Mr. Jordan to confront, the fact that the media does not make up these stories. The players themselves allow this to transpire, the media is not forcing them to be arrested and being in the middle of shootings, murders and the like. I think Ray Lewis learned from his mistake of being around the wrong people and has since cleaned up his image/life. As long as people like Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, Chad Johnson and the like continue to act the way they do the media will report that instead of activities of say a Troy Brown. It is fine to come from a rough neighborhood, a broken home, a dysfunctional family and the like. What is not OK is to continue to act like a thug, for lack of a better word, when life has handed you a gift.

Yes, I said a gift. There is not one person reading this who at one point in their life wished in some form to become some kind of sport superstar. We all had sport role models growing who told us to say your prayers, eat your vitamins (no not those vitamins Barry), drink milk, study, read and all various other kinds of things. Growing up I saw Walter Payton, Ronnie Lott, Mike Singletary and others be positive role models. I don't care if you agree with Charles Barkley when he says, "He man, we're not role models." You may not want to be, but the situation you are makes you one whether you want it or not. Average Joe off the street does not get to become the celebrity spokesman for Old Spice deodorant they give it to the celebrity because people LOOK UP TO THEM.

Now one argument is that it's this hip-hop, rap, culture that is bringing this kind of mentality out. The only merit I give that is a story (I read it this week but don't remember where) that was about this basketball player's desire to be part of Jay-Z's posse. What? You're an NBA start, making millions of dollars and your desire is to be part of a posse? I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jay-Z as an entertainer and businessman, but is he giving out gold plated diapers for his posse? Does each member get a former member of Destiny's Child as his own personal bitch? He did not once mention a desire for a championship ring and that is why the NBA is in the downward spiral that it's been for the last decade.

Some may claim this is a race attack, but I will disagree. One, the article was written by a black man. Two, they are far from the only group of people who acting like thugs nowadays in sports. Those who would say something as such will never admit to there ever being a problem, who see it is as their culture which in the end I feel does more harm then good. If some of these stories start making the MSM, investigations are begun, then it could get really ugly for some folks. Then again though, money talks, and they certainly have plenty to spend.