The Playoffs are finally here!

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Brian

Image courtesy of WhatIfSports.com

It took long enough, but the NBA Playoffs are finally here. As a Washington Wizards fan, it is a very exciting time, being that it is the first time since 2008 that the team has made it to the field of 16. While the Wizards will probably not make it very far, I am still very excited to see my team playing, and on national television too!

I am predicting a rematch of last year’s Finals: the Heat vs. the Spurs. Only this time, I think the Spurs will finish the job. They are the best team in the league, they have one of the best coaches in the league, and they are hungry to avenge a heartbreaking loss in last year’s Finals.

 

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Fair point but poor example

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Brian

Kobe Bryant has never been one to hold his tongue.

On Thursday, March 28th, a quote from an interview was released in which Kobe Bryant said that he wasn’t going to support a cause simply because he was Black. He was making reference to the Trayvon Martin case and the Miami Heat’s show of solidarity, as you can see from the photo below.

Image courtesy of huffingtonpost.com.

The excerpts from the interview in which Kobe spoke on Trayvon Martin can be read here.

While I understand Kobe’s point, I strongly disagree with his timing and the example that he used. The case of Trayvon Martin was the wrong example to use for what Kobe was trying to say, in my opinion. The better example to use would have been when Black people say “Free (insert name),” despite (insert name) having killed 10 people or committing other heinous crimes. THAT example is what Kobe was talking about when he said jumping to the defense of someone just because of race.

As a father of two children, Kobe should have been more sensitive to the Trayvon Martin case, and he should have been cognizant of the realities of America for minorities, especially since he is one himself. Yes, the country has progressed, but the case of Trayvon Martin showed that there is still plenty of progress to be made.

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Racist or Reality?

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Brian

In today’s day and age, almost anything can be interpreted as racist depending on the undertone of a message. But one Minnesota lawmaker walked a very fine line of being racist and being realistic with a comment he made over the weekend.

Minnesota Rep. Pat Garofalo sent out a controversial tweet on Sunday about the NBA. In the tweet he said, “Let’s be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime.” This tweet landed the lawmaker in hot water considering that the NBA is nearly 80% Black. Initially, Garofalo defended his statements, but after drawing the ire of thousands on Twitter, he released an apology statement on Monday.

At this point, nothing that anyone says shocks me anymore. We have had famous figures go as far as to saying the N-word in public settings, so the statement by Garofalo does not shock me or surprise me. It is just sad that the stereotypes of the Black male in America today is still that of a thug who if not playing sports or rhyming lyrics, has only a criminal lifestyle to fall back on.

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