Apparently I'm not in the loop. I came across two sports writers today, LZ Granderson and Jamele Hill of ESPN, who both frequently write about provocative social issues from a sports perspective. Not to mention, they're both from "The D" (Detroit). Uh, where was I at when the memo circulated about these two unique African-American sports writers making waves over at ESPN? Actually, I'm a bit embarrassed that I had no prior knowledge about these two controversial gems before today. Hey, I'm a busy gal.
One of the most interesting quotes from LZ Granderson, an openly Black gay sports writer for ESPN, comes from The Flint Journal's blog. In an interview profiling Granderson's accomplishments over the years as a sports writer he comments about athletes and community involvement, particularly citing Michael Jordan:
"I've said my piece about Jordan and I've moved on. Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, once told me to remember to focus on those who answer the call and not those who do not. So that's what I try do, shine a light on athletes, politicians, community organizers, and the like who I believe are answering the call to the best of their abilities. Everyone else, I just sorta ignore at this point."
I've written about high-profile athletes and community involvement, or lack thereof, in the past and I've noted Michael Jordan's stance on occassions. But Granderson makes a compelling point that while there are some athletes who will never be our social justice heros, there are those who continue to do good in the community and don't expect praise. In the end, we're better off focusing on those athletes and highlighting their accomplishments. But don't get me wrong, I love a good debate and I probably won't be relinquishing my watch-dog commentary about professional athletes who refuse to take a stand any time soon.
Which brings me to Jemele Hill, a former beat writer for the Orlando Sentinel and now a sports columnist for ESPN. Hill, a young African-American woman sports writer functioning in a traditionally old-white-man's environment, has been fotter for lots of cyberspace critique, namely via YouTube and sports discussion forums. Hill doesn't bite her lip when discussing racism in sports - in fact, her current employer has reprimanded her for past commentary.
Jemele has also written about the media's coverage of black athletes, and particularly, athletes lack of involvement within their communities. When asked about her thoughts regarding Michigan's economic and social problems in relation to athletes speaking out for community interests, Hill says this;
"[A]thletes share a special connection with the public and are in the unique position to be heard. I'd like to see more of them use their positions to address the greater needs of a whole. Athletes have successfully changed history on many occasions, from Joe Louis to Jackie Robinson. It pains me sometimes to see so many of today's athletes -- who would not have been able to receive such lavishness if previous athletes had not spoken up -- so loyal to corporate and individual, financial interests."
Hill certainly speaks to the choir, a.k.a me, when talking about athlete-activism and community involvement. While I take note to Granderson's point that it's probably more effective for sports enthusiasts and writers to ignore the apathetic athletes who choose to ignore substantive social issues, I also think a little critique from the folks doesn't hurt.
It's worth noting that Granderson and Hill are not only co-workers for ESPN but friends as well.
Recently I participated in a exercise meant to show the great divide amongst our social classes in America. Those classes were lower, middle, and upper--with each class tasked with purchasing buildings for their new community, such as houses, hospitals, and schools. However, the twist was that each group did not know immediately which class they belonged to. The wealthier the social class the more money they received, the poorer the less money obviously. I was a "permit employee", so I was tasked with selling building permits to each class or community. I was told to make it extremely hard for the lower class to purchase building permits, somewhat hard for the middle class, and extremely easy for the upper class. Although it was just a fun experiment that myself and fellow co-workers participated in, it really showed the divide in our social classes, which our nation has been based on since our existence and the powerful effect of institutions on providing or in this case halting social change and class mobility.
We always hear our leaders preach how government is suppose to work for the people, not against them, and even in our Constitution where "all men are created equal." But, sometimes I'm not too sure that is exactly what has happened or is happening today. Our nation has clearly lived by a different set of standards when it comes to reality. Those who live in poor, debilitated neighborhoods, have a much higher chance of engaging in illegal activity and being caught, then those who live in upper-class communities. The chance for economic opportunity and success are greater for those who live in communities that are safe, clean, educated, and modern. However, we should not see that as a means to become angry at those individuals, as most people do not ask or determine their social class. That is why we must do all in our power to create a society in which the lack of social justice and equal opportunity is not just a rallying cry for a couple of election days out of the year, but a long-term fight for the rebuilding of a nation and its people.
I have always believed that the failure of one of us, is a failure for all of us. An uneducated child in the streets of DC or a rural family in the hills of Tennessee deserve the same opportunities that we all have been so greatly blessed with. Creating this vital social change is not just about volunteering or donating to a homeless shelter or building a school here and there, its about changing the fundamental purpose and structure of our institutions here in America. Institutions ranging from our prison systems--which need to focus on rehabilitation, rather than in and out incarceration and our education system, that is too focused on standardized testing, rather than treating each and every child as a human and individual that has his or her own dreams and hopes for life and our health care system, which is sorely unable to provide basic education and health care for all Americans, regardless of race or income--the inequities in our health care system are staggering, considering we spend more than any other industrialized nation, but provide health care that ranks in the middle or close to the bottom compared to other wealthy, developed countries.
I believe that our institutions can be better--does that we mean we need a socialist, government controlled society--NO! However, government's task is to work for the people--to ensure fair and equal treatment in all realms of policy, to protect and defend us, and to seek solutions to national epidemics and problems. We can truly do better than the statistics and realities have shown us--I believe we are a better and stronger people. In order to bring about the social change our people so greatly desire and require for long-term survival, we must first look long and hard at our institutions and get rid of what is not working and strengthen those programs and policies that are working. Change can be very hard for many people, but change is vital for the survival of our nation and all of our futures. The moral compass of America and its leaders has been quite lost over the last decade as far as I'm concerned and I believe has contributed to many issues and problems plaguing us today. How we treat our fellow neighbors is essential to the lives we live today and the lives we hope our children will have down the road.
How do we bring about true institutional change, resulting in real social change?
We now understand that institutions are vital in social change, as they provide the mechanisms in which all people are able to move up in social class and mobility. The bigger question is how can we cut the red tape and simplify/reform the bureaucracy in which we live in today? First and foremost educate yourself. Learn about issues and institutions that are important to you. If you care about reforming our education system and philosophy of teaching, become not just a teacher, but a principal--learn policy in and out, create your ideal school. Later on, become a superintendent so you can then create a bigger model for change. Or if you want to reform health care, don't just become a doctor and treat the symptoms, become a health care policy adviser for a senator--so you can directly effect the laws and policies in which determine the future of health care. I believe that educating ourselves empowers our own thinking and helps to create a foundation of solutions and ideals that will last a lifetime and give us a true means to create true social change, we all know we dearly need. The battle won't be easy, nor will it always be fun--but just remember, your fight, your struggle today for social justice and institutional change will create a new beacon of hope and idealism for a new generation tomorrow.
I didn't catch the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics on Friday,
but I've sure been reading about a whole lot today. A beautiful little
girl, Lin Miaoke, performed "Ode to the Motherland" in a gorgeous,
crystal-clear voice as China's flag was proudly displayed in the
National Stadium. I could almost put aside the politics and conflicts
around the Beijing Olympics for a second and enjoy this little girl
singing for her country with such a sweet voice. Too bad that little
girl wasn't singing at all!
The girl with the beautiful voice is actually Yang Peiyi, who Chinese
officials decided at the last minute was not cute enough to represent
China on the world stage. Seriously, China? You don't have enough drama
going on right now, what with people protesting internationally against
your human rights violations and media censorship? You have to add a
little fuel to the fire by telling a 7-year-old girl she's ugly and
fat? Maybe you should just steal an old lady's purse or kick a puppy or
something. Then maybe your popularity will go up.
This little charade is just representative of the way China operates,
trying to disguise reality with a glossy, pretty, dishonest facade. The
world is already watching China to see if the Beijing Olympics will
motivate any kind of social change-- even the slightest bit of sketchiness makes activists more unwilling to trust the Chinese
government.
What do you guys think about this? (And for the record, Yang Peiyi, I think you're beautiful and you sing like an angel.)
Something strange happened this past Monday night. The wonderful woman that has been by my side for nine years finally gave in to the world of professional wrestling. Granted, she's not going to sit back and watch two-hours of WWE, but she finally understands there is more to it than a bunch of muscle-bound men in tights and scantily clad women. This breakthrough was attributed to her discovery that WWE is teaming up with Jenny McCarthy and "Generation Rescue" to fight autism.
I know what you’re thinking…who cares about the ins-and-outs of my personal life?
Thankfully for you, this little nugget is only an introduction to a topic everyone can relate to, which is this: at what point in time will the positive outweigh the negative?
Why is society so in love with gossipy garbage?
Edgerrin James and Chad Johnson played in a small charity basketball game a few months back, but I’m pretty sure you didn’t see the story on ESPN. My nephew, pictured below with James, had no clue that these guys were so down-to-earth because everything he’d heard on SportsCenter was negative.
That’s why a site like this is so meaningful to me. In addition to advocating various causes and talking about different sports, we’re all about sports as a vehicle for social change.
A light turned on in my nephews head that night, and ever since then, he’s had a totally different perspective on athletes and their purpose off the field of play. The same goes for my wife, who finally realized WWE does far more good than bad.
Think back to the Chris Benoit tragedy, when CNN and Fox were telling the world wrestlers are nothing more than steroid-abusing freaks who are terrible role models. Bias coverage like that is what’s wrong with today’s popular media.
How come they didn’t talk about WWE’s charity work, or their numerous visits to Iraq?
For anyone that doesn’t know, WWE’s constantly fighting for a different worthwhile cause, and the same can be said for many of the athletes that are constantly bashed for contract disputes or dancing after a touchdown.
I love ESPN as much as the next sports fan, but at the same time, I understand there’s so much more to these athletes. Try not to scoff the next time you hear about an athlete holding out for more money, because they’re not doing anything wrong. We’d all do anything in our power to get a fair salary increase, so pay-scale aside, there’s really no difference other than televised coverage of their negotiations.
Sympathy isn’t going to be wasted on a wealthy athlete, but I hope you’ll see a different side of things like my wife and nephew did. Athletes are more involved in social change than you can imagine, and if nothing else, hopefully we’ll succeed in turning a few minds on to that fact!
So have at it. Do you agree with the current coverage of sports? Do you think an inkling of positive news is enough to change someone’s mind about today’s athletes?
