Posted on October 12th, 2010
Danny Woodhead and Wes Welker
Have you noticed that NFL linemen tend to be very large, while NBA centers are invariably very tall? And marathon runners are usually slender, while jockeys stand short? The only shock about those observations would be if someone failed to notice. You can’t watch football or basketball without picking up on the participants’ physical profiles. There’s nothing subtle about 7-footers or 380-pounders, and we’re totally comfortable pointing out their size because there’s a direct correlation to their job requirements.
However, discussions become much thornier when we highlight a distinction that has nothing to do with the task at hand and yet stands out just as much or more: skin color. Some of the most glaring examples — say, the scarcity of African Americans in the NHL and Major League Baseball — can be explained as purely cultural coincidences. Black youths simply don’t play that much hockey or baseball; consequently, not many grow up to be pros in those sports.
But if we highlight the scarcity of white halfbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs in the NFL (or white players in the NBA, period), the discussion gets more complicated. Tens of thousands of white kids play football and basketball, from youth leagues to high school and through college. So our conversation takes an awkward turn, with stereotypes and preconceptions battling reason and logic for supremacy. As the late tennis great Arthur Ashe said in the 1989 NBC News special Black Athletes — Fact and Fiction, the issue of race in sports is “a sociological red button.”
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Posted on October 12th, 2010
I didn’t realize the good fortune in being assigned to Carver Hall upon my arrival at Howard University in 1982. It was one of two all-male dormitories (the other was for lowly freshmen; I was a transfer), and I soon discovered that it was the only dorm with a 24-hour visitation policy. We enjoyed the privilege of having company anytime we wanted, even overnight.
At some point in time those privileges must have been rescinded, because Howard was in the news last week for once again allowing upperclassmen in one residence hall 24-hour visitation. Residents at every other dorm must continue to escort their guests out by midnight during the week, or 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. But a 2 a.m. curfew must seem like unbridled freedom to members of the University of Kansas football team, who are saddled with archaic restrictions under first-year coach Turner Gill.
One of five black coaches at college football’s highest level — the Bowl Championship Series leagues — Gill has instituted at least two rules that will test his young players’ discipline, if not break their will. The first isn’t too bad: Players must hand over their cell phones the day before a game and go without until the game is over. But the second is downright puritanical, an edict that challenges common sense as much as common decency.
Gill has forbidden his players from being in the company of women past 10 p.m.
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Posted on October 11th, 2010
The Twin Tower attacks, assorted suicide bombers and global furor/death threats sparked by creative works have pretty sealed the perception of Islam for many Americans. Although the vast majority of Muslims denounce the terrorism and insist that Islam advocates peace and harmony between all people, a sizeable segment of our society believes that Muslims are out to kill non-believers and take over the country, if not the world.
I’ll be the first to admit that Muslims at the radical end of the spectrum are VERY EXTREME. But I have a frat brother who’s a Muslim, an award-winning journalist with a national cable network, and he’s as extreme as coffee with milk. So are millions of others. I guess that’s a common of description of many folks who eventually flip out and shoot up their office, but I think that’s more of a mental health issue than adherence to religious doctrine.
Because the truth is, you can cause mayhem and destruction in the name of any religion. It just depends on how you interpret and pervert the scriptures.
New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof illustrates the point perfectly in a pop quiz.
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Posted on October 11th, 2010
As the mother of two girls, it’s difficult to resist a book titled “Five Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter.” But I haven’t finished Vicki Courtney’s book yet, because it’s something you’re never really done with. I find myself stuck in the chapter that focuses on beauty and self-image. It encourages parents to teach their daughters to shun society’s view of beauty.
That’s easier said than done, particularly for African-American girls. Our beauty is rarely the standard gracing magazine covers. We’ve made strides, but our beauty isn’t the status quo. My dear friend Darla Davenport-Powell – a mother, author and producer – has worked hard to broaden society’s definition of beauty for nearly 20 years. She created the “Niya” doll in 1991, named after her lovely daughter. “All children deserve to see themselves reflected in a positive light,” Darla says. “All children are brilliant and beautiful. I wanted to make sure that our children had the proper images that would affirm their greatness.”
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Posted on October 1st, 2010
September was crazy this year, but in a good way. We moved into a house and then celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, leaving the boxes and clutter behind for four fantabulous nights in beautiful Cancun. If you’re looking for recommendations for a getaway of your own, I have three words for you: Excellence Playa Mujures.
I’m sure there are other all-inclusive, adults-only resorts that would’ve earned the same review. But since this was our first experience at such a place, we can’t compare it to anything else. However, it’s hard to imagine having a better time in a better setting with better accommodations and better service than we enjoyed last week.
When you’re the parent of two active children, often in their company and the presence others like them, it can take a moment to grow accustomed to seeing nothing but grown folk morning, noon and night. But once you get used to it … I wouldn’t trade my girls for anything, but I’d be lying if I said I missed them! I figured I’d see them and their friends soon enough, so I definitely enjoyed the break!
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