I recently watched an Outside the Lines Report on ESPN about former Detroit Lions Receiver Charles Rogers. Outside the Lions is a news program that is show regularly on ESPN and it examines topics outside the realm of sports pertaining to athletes. This story was about Charles Rogers really blowing his opportunity in the NFL because of drugs and bad decisions. Additionally, Charles Rogers is trying to get back into the NFL so this was his platform to try to make the claim to the public and the NFL. I shared this story with a friend of mine who is white and we proceeded to have a discussion about it. I always find myself defending things that I assume my friends who happen to be white are saying indirectly. That does not mean that they are saying that be we have a mental button that goes off in conversations like this. I don't know. Let's just call it our duty or responsibility to know the view of your side. Maybe that can enlighten him. The link to the article and video is:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=090814/rogers
The start of the emails are below. I did not specify what friend the email exchange is with just to conserve his identity. The emails that are labeled "From:Dario Mobley" are my emails to him and the emails labeled "To:Dario Mobley" are from my friend.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!
From: Dario Mobley
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 7:29 AM
Subject:
Story on ESPN right now:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=090814/rogers
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 8:59 AM
To: Dario Mobley
Subject: RE:
The Lions should let him play on their team… and not pay him for the 8.5 million he owes them.
Calvin Johnson (current Detroit Lions football player) and Charles Rogers.
With Dante Culpepper/Stafford. (current Detroit Lions football players)
From: Dario Mobley
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 8:05 AM
Subject: RE:
You are probably faster than him at this point. If you are garbage, you can’t play in the league for long. Simple
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:07 AM
To: Dario Mobley
Subject: RE:
Said he’s running 4.5 (speed he runs the 40 yard dash) consistently back to back to back… I doubt I can do that. He deserves a second chance. He’s shown in his past to have the work ethic and he’s showing it again now. If he can get back into football shape let him fly.
From: Dario Mobley
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 8:10 AM
Subject: RE:
Charles Rogers is 28 years old. Every receiver in the league is running 4.5.
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:10 AM
To: Dario Mobley
Subject: RE:
Every receiver in the league has been in shape for the past 8 years. He has not been and is already at a 4.5.
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:10 AM
To: Dario Mobley
Subject: RE:
That is a good Point. Did you hear him say “I Blew”? Also, do you notice how he always looks down?
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:09 AM
To: Dario Mobley
Subject: RE:
I haven’t seen the YouTube thing… I just read the article you sent.
From: Dario Mobley
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 8:15 AM
Subject: RE:
The video is on ESPN accompanying the article
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:17 AM
To: Dario Mobley
Subject: RE:
I think the majority of athletes are kind of hood thuggish type dudes who really shouldn’t be worshiped. That is just my feeling on all of them. So Rogers still fits the bill.
From: Dario Mobley
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:30 AM
Subject: RE:
I have to disagree with that. I don’t think the majority of star athletes (professional, collegiate, high school) are from “the hood”. Also, in my opinion, I would say that half of them who may have grew up in a bad neighborhood are not “REAL hood dudes”. I simply mean that they are not doing things that we associate as thuggish acts like selling drugs or in gangs and stuff of that nature. How can you be a star athlete, going to school everyday, practicing all the time and on the road a lot and then claim to be some real street dude that is doing real street things? It just does not make sense. Ray (a friend of mine) always asks that question about athletes and I do too.
One factor I will lean on to support my claim that all star athletes are not thugs is Ray. Ray works in New Orleans, which is arguably the toughest streets in America, as a police officer. The proof that New Orleans is tough is that New Orleans had the highest murder rate in 2008:
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4AN7LF20081124
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/new_orleans_has_highest_crime.html
http://www.newsmax.com/us/Orleans_high_crime_rate/2008/11/25/154949.html
I have never heard him say that a person he has encountered in a criminal situation was a star athlete in high school or an athlete at all on any level. I would think that he would encounter someone if “the majority of athletes are hood thuggish dudes” because of the size of New Orleans. He would be running into a high school star athlete frequently. It would be inevitable. The star athletes in high school are usually the ones that play professionally and on the collegiate level so if they are thuggish dudes now, they would have been thuggish dudes then. That fact should tell you a couple of things. The first thing is that star athletes with professional skills are far and few between. Secondly, it should tell that there are a few athletes that give the majority a bad name and that is magnified by the media because of the interest in celebrities. Additionally, the most common crimes from my standpoint are usually “weed”, “domestic abuse” and things like that. Misdemeanor crimes like “weed” and domestic abuse occur on a daily basis but you rarely see normal people getting their name dragged through the mud for that. Plaxico shooting himself and the “Dog Fighting King” are rare cases and should be attributed to that individual making bad decisions. That should not be lumped into stereotyping all or the majority of professional athletes. So if you could, don’t let your opinion and perception become fact to you because of a fake wannabe on TV looking stupid.
I would think that more kids have problem comes when they have nothing else to do. For example, let’s say a kid played ball in high school and was fairly good but when he finishes high school, he is not good enough to go to college. That is when the issue comes in because of lack of drive, environment, stupidity, or just a need to make “ends meat.”
However, I think the problem with athletes comes when they get a lot of money at once. Firstly, when someone gets a large sum of money, it is a shock and many people make the wrong decisions with family members pulling them from all ways for businesses and borrowing money. Secondly, they feel that it is not imperative to change or conform because it is not necessary in their field. I feel that I conform at work sometimes when I don’t want to but that is what we have to do in a professional environment. They are in a position where they do not have to conform. Additionally, that non-conforming attitude is really common with a young kid in any field or anywhere just because of the simple lack of maturity. That is why you see a lot of the athletes learn when they get older and they start to realize they messed up the opportunity. They had all this money and they did not do the right thing and they still have all these responsibilities. The easiest example of that would be Charles Rogers coming on TV declaring he made mistakes.
I would say that most people who live in the hood and are athletes are praised by the neighborhood for getting out or being really good athletes. A good example would be Allen Iverson or Lebron James and that is considering they are really from the hood. Moreover, most star athletes in any area of the US whether it is Michigan, Montana, New Orleans or the suburbs of California are praised because that is just how it is. It isn’t right but being a good athlete is a popular thing in our society just because the business of professional sports is so big. It is associated with money and that is why you see professional athletes date such a diverse group of women. The color of money is green and some women are attracted to money which further explains the fascination in society with athletes.
Lastly, even if you grow up in the hood, that does not mean you don’t treat people with respect. It is an individual decision and it has to be taken in a case by case basis. A lot of the things can be attributed to lack of maturity and a lot of it can be attributed to getting large sums of money similar to what I said earlier. Have you ever read those stories about all those lottery winners being unhappy or blowing their money? Can we say that all the lottery winners are stupid? I don’t think so. Some people handle things better than others and that is why you only see a small percentage of professional athletes making the wrong decisions.
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 10:00 AM
To: Dario Mobley
Subject: RE:
They’re not hood but some sure act it… loud mouth center of attention… I particulary don’t care for athletes and think it’s ridiculous that they get that much money and that people envy them so much. Society is stupid.
Athletes that I like would be:
Tom Brady
Barry Sanders
David Robinson
Steve Yzerman
Those type dudes keep themselves low profile (except dating super models on tom’s part).
It is mostly the media and societies fault and I agree with that.
But to the select dumb ones… like you said yesterday no one making that money should be talking/acting like that.
INTERESTING CONVERSATION!!!
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