I generally believe that it is best to allow the Woody Page's and Skip Bayless' of the world to comment on such weighty matters of life and death. However I believe that the tragic lessons of the past 24 hours remind us of what is truly important in life. Namely, that one should always take the lessons of our Christian mega-churches and meekly bow to authority, regardless of its form. What did T.O. expect the media to do after his brazen attempts to test the Large Tuna's unquestioned (up until that point at least) authority and leadership by refusing to risk injury and participate in meaningless exhibition games and team practices? Maybe if he had displayed the love for the game of football of one Brett Farve, he too would have been allowed to skip most organized team functions and bully fellow teammates into reporting to camp, and jeopardizing their future earning potential in a demonstrably brutal and short lived sport which is generally responsible for the shortened life spans of athletes willing to quietly sacrifice for team and corporate master. No doubt the media was right to hound the man, his coach, and his teammates daily about his transparently fake injury. Its not like Steve Smith or Hines Ward nursed similar ailments throughout the exhibition season without participating in team drills. Which brings me to the ultimate, heartening lesson to be gleaned from T.O.'s cry for help. It is marvelous testament to the evolution of the American culture, that we have largely defeated racism as a destructive force in our society (I believe it was the fourth very special MLK episode of the Cosby show in 1987 that did it, though some scholars disagree). Because of this, no one should be crying about racial bias or inequities in the system. Its just that T.O. wouldn't stop talking about himself, and promoting his own self interest. If he just learned to be an entertainer who didn't talk too much (except maybe to do the chicken dance with the Direct TV installation guy on the occasional advertising spot), America could learn to love him. Just look at that those pearly whites, and chiseled physique that are just made for Madison Avenue. Who knows, one day he might come down with Parkinson's Disease like Muhammad Ali, and take his place in pantheon of beloved American sporting icons who can't piss us off anymore because they can't talk.
Stay Strong T.O. (but not too strong, if you know what I mean)
14 comments:
Great post, but you aren't really throwing T.O. in the same camp as Jim Brown in so far as struggling against white america's perception of how a black athlete should behave?
Not that its relevant either way, but how would we know that a Jim Brown analogy is not a'propos since the only view of T.O. that we have is the trenchant analysis of Trey Wingo and Sean Salisbury?
I would say we have a better view of T.O. then that. He is the author of two books on himself.
Phil, I'll give you a dollar for every word T.O. wrote himself. You might remember when the good ole boys in the media had a big chuckle at T.O.'s claim that he was misquoted in his own book about his 'heroic' SuperBowl comeback. I'm not saying he's the brightest guy in the world, and for that matter who cares, but to say that we have more than a two dimensional and shallow depiction of what he's like as a person is patently, and demonstrably, rediculous.
I might buy that if we were talking about allen Iverson. To say the media predjudices is responsible for my negative view of him, despite T.O. questioning his QB's sexuality, and indirectly his manliness and ability to play football, while demonstrating his own healthy predjudices, as well as pitting the Philidelphia chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. against a fellow black athlete/QB for not playing black enough, when that QB has been the victim of very direct predjudices in the media is equally rediculous.
I agree with you that T.O. isn't an impressive figure (from what we know). But my point is that it doesn't matter if he's a child molester or Mother Teresa. The picture we're given is a charactature, and there is never any doubt that any athlete of his... shall we say... hue, will be slapped down if he gets to uppity. Let's see what happens to Donavan McNabb or Derek Jeter if they decide to get political, take the wrong side on an issue that makes their masters a lot of money. I ain't sayin' I'm just sayin'.
I am pickin' up what you are laying down.
Great sports writing at this blog.
Wide receivers are always the biggest bitches on the team. You can read about such a player in my novel Sacking Iceland which is unfortunately not in print at this time.
They are the epitome of the modern athlete (all flash & selfishness, disproportionately rewarded) and T.O. is the epitome of the wide receiver as a type.
But I tell you this: I don't recall any Redskins-Cowboys games where anyone broke Art Monk's hand and held him to 3 catches for 19 yds with a TD reception knocked away.
It wasn't very long ago that WRs were classy. Art Monk never fucking chicken-danced. Know why? Because he had been in the end zone before and he would again.
He was also a private person and made enemies in the media in our nation's capitol. That's why he's not in the Hall of Fame.
ART MONK FOR THE HALL OF FAME
T.O. FOR RE-EDUCATION
Shamelessly promoting your own work. Sounds like you got alittle T.O. in you.
Phil, badcock has a lot of T.O. in him. Rumor has it that T.O. was so distraught when he woke up to badcock that he contemplated suicide.
just a rumor, though.
T.O. was distraught because Big Blue's mom let her colostomy bag overflow while he was performing cunnilingus upon her.
I can't wait to read about all of this in T.O. new book ghost written by Badcock.
Just Throw Me the Damn Sharpee! by Terrell Owens
as told to Badcock
You might consider it a sell-out, but my crack-addicted premature children need crack. I always say, family comes first.
L'chiam.
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