Um unfortunely, you missed the point. He's not asking us to 'feel sorry' for this players. OUR little black kids are looking at these athletes and they want to be JUST LIKE THEM. OUR kids see the 'get rich quick' schemes and they think this is the ONLY way (outside of rapping) that we can make $$$, buy the Escalade, wear the bling and show off 10 different in one night. Bill Rhoden's point is the fact that this 40 million dollar attitude will be black folks' downfall. You ask a black kid in a black neighborhood what he wants to be when he grows up...BASKETBALL PLAYER, FOOTBALL PLAYER...RAPPER...SINGER. These are the same little kids whose parents HAVEN'T A CLUE about slavery and what our forefathers went through so they don't care. It's like Mike Vick when he first came into the league...he SERIOUSLY didn't know why it was such a big deal that he was a black QB. He didn't have a clue as to why they would interview him and then seek out Doug Williams for his comment. But I digress.
Sadly, our little black kids see playing pro sports as the 'end all- be all' and that's what they need to do to get that Escalade or buy momma that fur or his girl a diamond watch. Whereas the average person going to college to get a degree and make money so they can give back and invest and enjoy life and leave a legacy for their kids are doing it so they work on someting long-term. It's really sad when our little black kids are only trying to be pro ball players so they can flash the bling, the cars and the chicks. Most of them nowadays aren't playing because they love the sport. No such thing anymore. Their motivation is totally different.
As black folks we spend more time worried about whether or not we have enough cash to 'buy a car', 'get some rims' and 'flash some bling'. And it's that mentality that will always keep the owners rich and the players 'poor', for lack of a better term.
Don't get mad at the author cuz he called these athletes out. There are plenty more folks we need to be mad at...
