Before I drive people nuts by defending a man arrested for domestic violence, I want everyone to know that I deplore woman beaters. I shouldn't even have to say that. This blog isn't about that, though. This is about what happened when Chad Ochocinco Johnson got out of jail for it.
The Miami Dolphins are in the same division as the Patriots and are looking to stay our of last in the division this year. That being said, they could only hope to have a team worthy of putting people in the seats. That is why they signed the home town hero, Chad Ochocinco, in the first place. Then he headbutted his wife or something. I tend not to read the details that the media offers, they usually don't tell the whole story anyway.
But, I digress. The day after his release from jail, Ochocinco was out of a job. Not for something he did at work but for something that happened between him and his wife. How on earth is that remotely fair or justifiable?
The Dolphins didn't hire the man to be a pillar in the community. He is there to catch the damned ball and help younger receivers so they too can catch the damned ball one day. To my knowledge, that wasn't a problem for him or the organization. If we are going to start firing NFL players for not having clean personal lives we are going to have shorten the league to about 4 teams. Maybe that's the real reason they cancelled the Pro Bowl. Too many hot women were testing marriages.
The reason I think Ochocinco got fired is the same one that made David Stern decide to make the call on NBA fashion: White men love to put niggas in their place.
I'm sure its hard to find new ways to enjoy your life when you're old white and rich so I do sympathize but just because you pay someone to do a job doesn't mean you get to them how to live their life. You can only tell them how how to do their job. The Catholic church had the same issue when they found out they had to pay for birth control. The legacy of old white man paternalism has serious effects on all of us, especially old white men.
The more we tell each other that it's okay to run or ruin someone's life because they work for you, the harder it is to move from the plantation mentality. It is even worse in the realm of sports.
People actually think the athletes make more money than the owners. Mind you these same people will pay 200 bucks for tickets to boo LeBron James for 2 and half hours, knowing that money didn't go to LeBron but to some old white guy that is sitting in a luxury box drinking Champagne while LeBron is out there playing his heart out.
Why is Ol' Massa never the bad guy? Because it is the American way that we believe rich is right. That is the only reason Mitt Romney is a credible candidate. That is the reason Augusta National can be as racist and sexist as it wants to be. It is the reason the 1% will continue to soak up all of the country's money and the reason Ochocinco will probably be watching this season on the TV built into his shark tank.
The saying goes, that behind every great fortune there is a great crime. In a country that was built on genocide of the native peoples and enslavement of Africans, you can't be surprised when the richest of the rich do some gangster shit like suggest they don't pay taxes or fire a nigga because they don't like his personal life.
If any other professional would have got fired for the same reason as Chad, the ACLU would have gotten involved but Ocho works for Ol' Massa and Massa don't care about civil liberties.
Massa might own the team but he does not own the players. I suppose I am the only one that thinks that because when Chad got fired everyone was outraged... at him. Such is life in America. Land of the free, home of the slaves.
The Miami Dolphins are in the same division as the Patriots and are looking to stay our of last in the division this year. That being said, they could only hope to have a team worthy of putting people in the seats. That is why they signed the home town hero, Chad Ochocinco, in the first place. Then he headbutted his wife or something. I tend not to read the details that the media offers, they usually don't tell the whole story anyway.
But, I digress. The day after his release from jail, Ochocinco was out of a job. Not for something he did at work but for something that happened between him and his wife. How on earth is that remotely fair or justifiable?
The Dolphins didn't hire the man to be a pillar in the community. He is there to catch the damned ball and help younger receivers so they too can catch the damned ball one day. To my knowledge, that wasn't a problem for him or the organization. If we are going to start firing NFL players for not having clean personal lives we are going to have shorten the league to about 4 teams. Maybe that's the real reason they cancelled the Pro Bowl. Too many hot women were testing marriages.
The reason I think Ochocinco got fired is the same one that made David Stern decide to make the call on NBA fashion: White men love to put niggas in their place.
I'm sure its hard to find new ways to enjoy your life when you're old white and rich so I do sympathize but just because you pay someone to do a job doesn't mean you get to them how to live their life. You can only tell them how how to do their job. The Catholic church had the same issue when they found out they had to pay for birth control. The legacy of old white man paternalism has serious effects on all of us, especially old white men.
The more we tell each other that it's okay to run or ruin someone's life because they work for you, the harder it is to move from the plantation mentality. It is even worse in the realm of sports.
People actually think the athletes make more money than the owners. Mind you these same people will pay 200 bucks for tickets to boo LeBron James for 2 and half hours, knowing that money didn't go to LeBron but to some old white guy that is sitting in a luxury box drinking Champagne while LeBron is out there playing his heart out.
Why is Ol' Massa never the bad guy? Because it is the American way that we believe rich is right. That is the only reason Mitt Romney is a credible candidate. That is the reason Augusta National can be as racist and sexist as it wants to be. It is the reason the 1% will continue to soak up all of the country's money and the reason Ochocinco will probably be watching this season on the TV built into his shark tank.
The saying goes, that behind every great fortune there is a great crime. In a country that was built on genocide of the native peoples and enslavement of Africans, you can't be surprised when the richest of the rich do some gangster shit like suggest they don't pay taxes or fire a nigga because they don't like his personal life.
If any other professional would have got fired for the same reason as Chad, the ACLU would have gotten involved but Ocho works for Ol' Massa and Massa don't care about civil liberties.
Massa might own the team but he does not own the players. I suppose I am the only one that thinks that because when Chad got fired everyone was outraged... at him. Such is life in America. Land of the free, home of the slaves.
Comments
Post a Comment
Got comments? Let it out. I always do.