She Is Seeing Red

**Trigger warning: domestic violence, intimate partner violence, violence against women** “Professional Athlete Assaults His Spouse.” No one is *really* shocked we we read that sort of headline about a professional athlete. That’s how commonplace domestic and intimate partner violence are amongst professional athletes.  This past Wednesday, Hornets forward Miles Bridges found his name in this familiar headline. He had been arrested for felony domestic violence against his wife. Although the initial details of the incident were scant, there was enough information to condemn Miles Bridges for his actions. But instead of outright condemning him & sending thoughts of healing to his victim, many described his actions as merely “stupid”. Not because he harmed his spouse, but because he did so hours before free agency, compromising his potential “bag” he was/is projected to receive. The influx of reactions solely zeroing in on the money he stands to miss due to his actions is just ano...

this blog is dedicated to the Celebration Constables & the Smack Talk Sargents.   i am not sure who deputized you to police the behavior of athletes but you are relieved of your duties effective immediately. please turn in your badge. the Grizzlies are a young & fun team in the midst of a crucial playoff run. the star of the team and the league’s Most Improved Player, Ja Morant, has quickly become must-see tv. whether it’s plane celebrations, rapid tweeting, or griddying after wins, Morant & his teammates are having the time of their lives & deservedly so. the incessant need to “humble” the team & police what they can & cannot do in the midst of a successful season & playoff run is SILLY. who are you to set an arbitrary bar by which players must clear in order to be cocky or have fun? what exactly do players need to “accomplish” in order to outwardly express joy in what they do? if you see players enjoying their jobs & your immediate reaction is to j...

*groans very loudly* Yes, it’s that time of the year. The time where we all gripe and complain about All Star voting. If you’ve been sleeping peacefully under a rock since yesterday evening, you may have missed that Andrew Wiggins was selected as an All Star starter yesterday. Yes, *that* Andrew Wiggins. The one we just had to bully into getting vaccinated. For the first time in his career, he is an All Star starter. And for the billionth time in Wardell Curry’s career, he has an All Star teammate. (I’m sorry, my agenda is gonna agend, y’all.) The reaction to Wiggins’ selection was…what you’d reasonably expect from NBA Twitter. “Over CP3? Booker? KAT?” apparently so. Not to take away from Wiggins’ accomplishments this season, but every year there seems to be that one head-scratching selection that makes fans, media, and players alike say one thing: “we need to change the All Star Voting process.” It’s an exhibition game so it shouldn’t matter much right? Ehhhhh. Not really. Often times...

  y’all. *deep, exasperated sigh* before i dive into my rant, i’d first like to highlight the REAL progressive league in professional sports- the WNBA. shout out to the W for nearing a 100% vaccination rate for players & staff. because of course the women are leading the way. we always do. in my January 18, 2021 blog, i asked Mr. Silver if he was even somewhat embarrassed for how poorly the NBA has handled the coronavirus pandemic. that was 8 months ago. EIGHT. and as we prepare for the start of the new season it’s apparent that if Silver doesn’t feel embarrassed, he should be.  to ME, it’s quite embarrassing that the loudest voices in the room are the misinformed ones. those voices are spewing misinformation found in the underbellies of YouTube and fuzzy Facebook posts. star players are outright refusing to get vaccinated, dubbing any type of mandate a “non-starter”. further, players are prepared to skip games in cities where vaccinations are mandated, thus affecting the ...

it’s pretty incredible how much we allow talent to mask. as long as you can dribble, throw a ball, or kick one, there isn’t a personal mistake too big that will render you irredeemable. professional sports have perpetuated & aided in the violence against women for far too long. there are too many instances to name where an athlete’s cruel & violent actions towards women were merely a speed bump on his road to stardom. why do violent men continue to receive the grace the victims don’t? by allowing these men second, third, & fourth chances, we show victims that their suffering is not only expendable, but completely obsolete when their abusers are talented & have monetizable gifts. we remind them that their harm isn’t even a footnote on their abuser’s resume. it’s an addendum on a completely separate page that no one takes the time to read. what good does it make to hire a female coach if you show her that the veracity of her victimhood is contingent upon the relative skil...

“ain’t nobody coming to see you, Otis.” -David Ruffin -Casual NBA fans in 2021. the scoffs of derision were heard worldwide. after the early playoff exits of the league heavyweights, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, disgruntled fans everywhere expressed their lack of interest in this year’s journey to the championship. “no one wants to see playoffs without Bron & Steph.” darling, you could not be more wrong. but- but- but- RATINGS! okay let’s be real, no one cares about ratings except for tv station owners and billionaires. the normal NBA fan rarely tracks the progression and regression of tv ratings. but in case you’d like numbers, playoff viewership is up 39% from last season. THIRTY-NINE PERCENT. & this time last season, LeBron was playing & we were all in the house. *slow whistles* that agenda can’t agend any more, friends.  we have complained & opined about the lack of parity in the league for years now. months ago, fans shook their fists to the sky as veteran p...

what. a. season. since this was truly the most unprecedented NBA season yet, i’ve chosen my 5 favorite events from this season that made it memorable for me. 5. The Dunk Heard ‘Round The World. Anthony Edwards may be the coolest rookie the league has ever seen. his post-game interviews are an incredible mixture of candidness, honesty, and absolute hilarity. however, his terrorizing baptism of Yuta Watanabe shook the foundation of the court floor- and NBA Twitter alike. the clip went viral in minutes, inciting another ground shaking dunk- the one on old-man-yells-at-cloud NBA writers. instead of praising the athletic feat, a few writers opted to instead comment on his poor shooting night, in hopes to dull the shine on an otherwise spectacular play. then the Montagues and Capulets of basketball discourse drew their swords. analytics versus eye test, part 94291. i won’t get into the finite details of that feud, but it’s unfortunate that such a fun play resorted to that tired debate. baske...

val·u·a·ble /ˈvaly(o͞o)əb(ə)l/ MVP. no other award across all professional sports is more coveted than the one of Most Valuable Player. what does it mean to be the most valuable player in the league? what does it mean to be valuable? does it mean being the best player? does it mean being the most consistent? does it mean being the face of the best team? or does it mean being the overachieving underdog that no one saw coming? to be honest, i don’t think we know what it means. the criteria for MVP changes every season. most fans consider it merely a narrative-based award given to the player whose season storyline eclipses the others. other folks think it’s a purely quantifiable award that can *only* be supported by statistics and win shares. they wholly reject the narrative aspect and focus solely one what can be seen - and calculated. then there are those who feel that the award should go to the player who has etched his name in the history books. these folks overlook seeding & cali...

super team this. KD that. 73-9 & they lieddddd. this is the nucleus of NBA Twitter discourse. instead of making winning the goal, we make it the focal point of a career. we invalidate stacked resumes if “champion” is not etched somewhere between All Star appearances & retirement. this line of thinking creates the culture we see now: stacking the deck or forming “super teams”. & honestly, who can blame players for trying to strong arm themselves into a team positioned to win it all? the same people who consider Kevin Durant a “snake” for joining Golden State are the same people who scoff at players like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal who want to remain in their markets. we can’t have it both ways. we can’t simultaneously spit on the careers of the ringless & also moan & complain when talented players decide to join forces. it’s also asinine to assert that rings or championships can be cheapened in any capacity. the trophy doesn’t have an asterisk, the history book do...

first, i want to start this off with an apology.   in “Legacies”, i wrote that we should do away with the broad strokes of Kobe’s legacy, & have an honest conversation about the stains.  however, i didn’t provide a solution on how we can achieve this goal or at least offer my opinion on what i think would work. i contribute to the problem when i offer dialogue that isn’t solution based. & to be honest, i don’t know what to do. nearly a year after his death, we are all too afraid to talk about that thing no one wants to talk about. & those who are willing to speak out are deemed insensitive & inconsiderate.  we don’t want to upset his widow. we don’t want to anger his fans. but we are perfectly fine with muzzling victims & reminding them that there is never a good time to address their pain. when will be the appropriate to discuss this? it wasn’t appropriate when he was still playing. it wasn’t appropriate when he retired. it wasn’t appropriate after hi...

when we discuss legacies, we usually brush broad strokes over the tapestry. we tend to emphasize the good, & minimize the bad. i mean, i get it. it’s fair to want someone’s legacy to encompass the good that they did or left behind. but legacies can be complicated. in our haste to brush a man’s legacy with broad black & white strokes, we hide the gray. the bad. the finite details that make a larger than life figure seem...fallible. when we set our intentions solely on magnifying the good, we simultaneously silence survivors by minimizing their experiences.  we can honor his legacy in basketball & also allow space to reconcile with the mistakes he made that have lasting effects on those he hurt directly & indirectly. to most, he is a sports icon, legend, & hero. to a select few, he is a painful reminder of their worst life experience, & how minute the consequences are for men, especially those of influence. his legacy is complicated. no more broad strokes.

the song stinks. Francis Scott Key was NOT in his bag when he composed this. yet, it’s the most important song in American history. it along with the American flag are prominent symbols of patriotism & love of country. for some, the song is just a little diddle they learned in school. for Black people, it’s a painful, frustrating reminder that the country’s infrastructure was built on the backs of slaves who have yet to be repaid or appreciated for the land they built. when Colin Kaepernick opted to kneel during the anthem in 2016, he was ostracized & blacklisted by the NFL. as racial tensions came to a painful head in 2020, the collective lightbulbs turned on inside of the heads of those who objected his stance (no pun intended). companies, brands, & leagues supported & funded by the black dollar were now in the hot seat. the NFL, NBA, & MLB are now on the Summer Jam screen.  “This is why Kaep kneeled for!” “Now we get it!” “We see you. We hear you. Black Lives...

YEAH I SAID IT.  🗣🗣🗣 this team is fun to watch. my first blog post was somber in tone because i had no clue what kind of team i would be rooting for post-Harden. there didn’t seem to be a clear direction of a team comprised of undrafted rookies & injury-laden rotation players. three weeks later, the Rockets are riding a 6 game win streak & have the second best defense in the NBA. they have also soared from the 13th seed to the 8th in a few week’s worth of time. please don’t ask me how. i honestly have no idea. i often watch the games in awe of the basketball being played by this group. Wood is gunning for Most Improved Player; Jae’Sean Tate is one of the funnest rookies in the league to watch; David Nwaba carries handcuffs in his back pocket; & Eric Gordon remembered that the ball goes inside the hoop. W.O.W- Wood, Oladipo, & Wall are finally able to establish chemistry on the court & orchestrate offense that involves everyone on the team. & we have yet t...

 n ow i’m not gone call no names, but- actually, that’s not true. Mr. Shaquille O’Neal, please step up to the podium. Shaq is a NBA Hall of Famer, with a resume as long as his feet. despite possessing illustrious credentials, Shaq insists on leaning into an oafish, get-off-my-lawn type shtick that makes his wafer-thin basketball analysis unbearable. just last night, after Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points to secure the win for the soaring Utah Jazz, Shaq stated, “you are one of my favorite players, but you don’t have what it takes to get to that next level.” To which, a sheepishly-grinned Mitchell said “aight” in response. hmm. this encounter comes weeks after Shaq told Christian Wood, ON THE “INSIDE THE NBA” STAGE, that he “wasn’t familiar with his game”, moments after incorrectly declared he wasn’t talented but he plays hard. i just- HUH????? Christian Wood correctly called him a casual, because that’s what he is. Shaquille O’Neal is a casual. i’m just curious as to how we are ex...

we are in a panny. a ponderosa. a pizzeria. a panini. lol seriously. we are in a pandemic & sports are still being played. we can argue the brass tacks of continuing sports whist the deaths caused by COVID-19 continue to accumulate, but that’s not *really* why we are here. we are here because nearly TWENTY games have been postponed due to health & safety protocols associated with COVID-19. it’s apparent that we are dealing with some type of outbreak (potentially traced back to the Wizards, who have not played their last 4 games), so why hasn’t the NBA (read ADAM SILVER) considered a hiatus? instead of temporarily suspending the season, the NBA has placed a ban on hugging. because coronavirus runs rampant when players embrace one another but opts to remain in situ during 48 minutes of game play. are you not embarrassed, Adam? this is a business. i know. you know. we know. but then you think about Karl-Anthony Towns & what you think you know starts to muddle. a few days ago i...

it wasn’t until i saw the team’s official post that it dawned on me: the Harden era was really over. what can be said to sum up the 8 years as a Rockets fan? a lot, i KNOW. but how can you adequately cover such a franchise defining era without missing anything? i don’t think you can & i won’t try. however, i will say this: on October 27, 2012, Rockets fans had no idea what trading Jeremy Lamb & Kevin Martin to OKC would do for our franchise.  James Harden came to us with a small mohawk, full beard, & his Sixth Man of The Year trophy in tow. he would then slowly tick off statistical milestones only reached by the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, & Kobe Bryant. he managed to will the Rockets into playoff seeding his entire tenure with the team, often forced to drag thin, aging, & injured rosters to the finish line.  during the 2017-2018 season, Harden fine tuned his already elite game, launching him into the MVP conversation & firmly placing the...