Jason Collins, a 12-year NBA veteran, announces in a Sports Illustrated that he is gay

Before yesterday, the reality was that there had never been a person in major American professional sports to discuss their being gay.  With the online release of Jason Collins’ forthcoming Sports Illustrated article, that shameful reality met its overdue demise.  At 34, Collins is at the sunset of a largely unremarkable 12-year NBA career during which he’s never averaged more than 7 points per game, never been to an NBA final, and never been an all-star.  He’s considered (and generously so) a defensive specialist who makes the most of being tall and having six times to hack an opponent before he fouls out of a game.

By contrast, at 34 years of age, Michael Jordan was winning his 6^th NBA Championship, averaged more than 30 points per game for his career, was a perennial all-star, and was widely considered the greatest basketball player to have ever played.  That’s debatable, but certainly possible.

By the time I turned 34, my athletic “career” consisted of being a three-sport athlete in high school, having lasted in college wrestling just long enough for Coach Cotton to tell me that practices began at 5:00 “am, not pm”.  I was a small but very athletic kid who was never was more than just “pretty good” at any particular sport.    And at 5’ 6”, I would have been lucky to score seven points in an NBA season, much less per game.  (I was, however, voted county Coach of the Year, placing me firmly in the Pantheon of great wrestling coaches, according to my mother.)

According to the numbers, the three of us ain’t on the same page athletically.  Not even in the same book.  In fact, you’d need three separate books, and mine doesn’t even belong in the same library.

That said, I’d rather be more like Jason than like Mike.

I have absolutely no idea what it’s like to be an athlete the likes of Jordan or even Collins.  I do, however, have an excellent idea of what “the guys’ locker room” is like; its codes of conduct, the sanctity of what’s said there, the hypermasculine posturing…  I could at least, after a particularly putrid performance on the wrestling mat, come back into the locker room and talk bullshit about what I wanted to do with some girl who of course would have been oh-so-impressed to see me flailing around out there in my singlet.  I could pretend to be better than I was at wrestling, but I didn’t have to pretend to like girls.

That’s something that Collins, a 7’ tall star throughout high school and college, who literally and figuratively towered over his competition, never had.  Never being able to “just blend in” physically, he was forced by societal pressures, outright bigotry, and unwritten locker room codes to also blend in emotionally.  Collins’ life of denial included eight years with a woman who unwittingly acted as his beard while he coped with his suppressed sexual identity.  His decision to break off their engagement and to tell his story to Sports Illustrated is a truly courageous one.  It should be inspiring to everyone who faces challenges not only due to their cultural identifiers, but to anyone who faces a daunting task that has a reward that extends beyond their own safety and comfort.  In one simple, yet important statement about who he is, Jason Collins has become a trailblazer, a lightning rod, a beacon, an example, and a shield for so many who share his challenges or similar ones.  Most importantly, his example of bravery and ownership of his identity in the face of an improving, but still dangerous social space in our society is monumental for LGBTQ people in particular.

Coincidentally, while Jason Collins was coming out and subsequently leaving his long-time fiancé, Michael Jordan was marrying his.  (I gotta say I ain’t mad at all at 50 year-old Mike for pulling a 35 year-old “model”.  Model gets the quotation marks, because even nanny “model” Elin Nordegren has at least three different “modeling photos” when you Google her name and modeling.  Yvette Prietto, on the other hand, ain’t got no pictures nowhere!  No ‘Pacs, none! [/Eminem in 8 Mile]).  To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with that, and his marriage and Jason Collins’ decision have nothing to do with each other besides their timing.

It does, however, highlight the dearth of non-basketball social relevance Michael Jordan has had during his lifetime.

For someone who is arguably one of the most popular and recognizable people in the history of civilization, Michael Jordan has stood for nothing greater than drinking sugary sports drinks and wearing cheap draws.  In the past, I’ve described Jordan as a political eunuch whose most important social “statement” came in the 1990s when he said to a friend, “Republicans wear sneakers too”, after being asked to endorse African American Harvey Gantt, the then Charlotte mayor who was running against poster-bigot Jesse Helms for one of North Carolina’s Senatorial seats.  I now begrudgingly give Jordan a modicum of credit for hosting a fundraiser last summer for Barack Obama’s reelection campaign.  Still, for a man who has so much presence, his silence becomes all the all the more deafening.  And defining.

Free agent Black athletes meet in 1967 to support Muhammad Ali’s refusal to enter the military draft. (Back row L to R: Mayor Carl Stokes, Walter Beach, Bobby Mitchell, Sid Williams, Curtis McClinton, Willie Davis, Jim Shorter and John Wooten – Front row L to R: Bill Russell, Ali, Jim Brown, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor)

Mind you, I don’t expect every athlete to be outspoken or courageous or political, but those who transcend?  I expect them to stand for something.  Hell, anything!  Jordan has donated money, but for him to state an opinion on, for example, “improving education” would be a safe and politically neutral thing to do.  Can he at least do that?  Endorse exercise programs?  Give a shout out to the American Humane Society?  Anything?  Apparently not.

And don’t try to tell me Michael Jordan symbolizes abstract concepts like “excellence”.  “Excellence” is embodied by the men in the picture above.  “Winning”?  Bill Russell would think Mike’s six championship rings are “cute”, and matter of fact, he’s in that picture above.  Scoring?  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored over 6000 more points than Mike.  He’s in that picture up there too.  Toughness?  Don’t make Jim Brown laugh.  He’s in the pic… you get the point.  What does Michael Jordan symbolize? The stench of silence while holding the power of deity-like celebrity.

The year Jason Collins was drafted, “Air” Jordan was injury-prone and ground-bound, shooting numerous turnaround jumpshots for the hapless Washington Wizards.  The Wizards had taken Kwame Brown, a 19 year-old high school phenom with the first pick in that same draft.  Brown had all of the athletic ability and potential the later-selected Collins never had, but was still raw.  At one point during practice, His Airness became fed up with his talented-but-mercurial young franchise center calling him a “flaming faggot” in an expletive-ridden tirade.  A little farther up I-95 in New Jersey, Jason Collins had a pedestrian season for the Nets, playing a backup center role.  In relative silence.  Maybe we’ll find out that he heard similar things in his locker room, but none of them would be said by Michael Jordan.  And none of them would impugn his precariously hidden sexual identity.

So here we are 12 years later.  Kwame Brown has stumbled around the NBA, never having fulfilled his potential.  It’s unfair and patently untrue to say that Michael Jordan destroyed him, and I won’t claim that.  But could he have been a better influence?  Absolutely.  On and off the court.  Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players to ever pick up a Spaulding, a billionaire, and just married his “model” girlfriend.  Jason Collins is a pretty bad basketball center who just eclipsed and completely obliterated anything Jordan ever did socially with one very important and very brave Sports Illustrated article.  He’s now poised to have a legacy in service to people, even if he’s simply an example of bravery to them.

And me?  I’m a doctoral student, college instructor, and wrestling coach who comments on, teaches, and lives the life lessons learned from athletics.  And when I teach my students and athletes, I’ll be encouraging them to be bold and important.  Like Jason.

Maurice “Mo the Educator” Dolberry has taught grades 6 through 20, and has been a wrestling coach for the past 15 years. He has worked at both public and independent schools from Minnesota to Florida to Washington and other places in between. Maurice is currently an adjunct college instructor while working on his PhD in multicultural education at the University of Washington.  *He’s also an infinitely better wrestler now than he was before, and would love to have a do-over these days with the dudes he wrestled in high school!*

I do recognize the importance of Rand Paul being the first Republican elected official in decades to speak at Howard University.  And while I think it’s silly at best to call such an effort “courageous”, it does speak to the importance Paul places on reaching out to voters his party has marginalized at about a 90% clip…

…or does it?

My African American-born and Howard University-bred skepticism of politicians who want to tell me what my best interests are causes the (admittedly sensitive) wand on my bullshit detector to redline.   That part of me readily recognizes that Senator Paul’s visit to Howard conveniently works well as a way to soften his (Tea) party’s reputation as a political safe-space for White nationalists, White supremacists, and other bigots.  Paul can safely assume those extremists will hold their nose and vote for him, despite the stench of Negro he now has on him.  For those who don’t want to be grounded in that ideological wing of the Republican Party – and those who realize, quite frankly, that now you can’t get elected to the Presidency with just that vote – Paul can play this as a See?-I tried-but-they-just-won’t-listen token appeal to the Black vote.  This plays well with White supremacists who don’t really wanna be so… White supremacist-y.

On the other hand, I have no problem accepting that my skepticism could be wrong, and that Senator Paul’s visit to The Mecca represents his genuine interest in bridge (re)-building.  He may truly want to be the President of everyone in the United States, rather than just of those who elect him.  (That’s what this is really all about, isn’t it?)

Either way, his visit was still politically clumsy.

Senator Paul’s best bet would have been to come to HU and have a town hall-style gathering with the students where he personally addressed and spoke with (not to or at) them.  Instead, he chose to lecture to students steeped in Black history, about Black history and the Republican Party.  Really, who comes to a room full of students, who attend Edward Brooke’s alma mater, who willingly showed up to hear a Tea Party Republican speak, and acts as if he’s spit a hot new verse, schooling them on Edward Brooke anyway!?  I mean, If nothing else, we remember him as the Brother from Barbara Walters’ “smashed the homie” claims on Oprah!  Paul’s fledgling attempts at ‘droppin’ Black knowledge’ aside, the biggest problem with his message was the sleight of hand he tried to pull in reframing the history and philosophy of the Republican Party.  Those of us who took history classes at Howard [history lesson]

know that the 1964 Republican National Convention was marked by Barry Goldwater’s olive branch to the John Birch Society and other bigoted forces, and the GOPs corresponding rejection of civil rights legislation.  But that was actually the second time they

abandoned Black people.  The first time the GOP abandoned the Black vote was shortly after the end of the Civil War, when despite being the party welcoming Black federal politicians, they traded us in primarily for the Rutheford B. Hayes Presidency, taking federal troops out of the South, [sports analogy] cash considerations, and a player to be named later [/sports analogy].  The removal of federal troops allowed the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the land whose ousted first VP famously claimed that God-ordained inferiority of Black people was the Cornerstone upon which “their government” was built.  Local governments and elected officials allowed or even encouraged the lynching of Blacks who dared to organize, pursue education, or vote.  Add to that the promise of the New Deal Democrats, and you have at least a basic understanding of why Black Americans hold an understandably healthy and historical mistrust for local governments, and an admittedly too-healthy trust of the federal one [/history lesson].  So when Senator Paul comes to Howard and tries to tell the same old story about how the Republican Party is and always has been the Party for Black folks, it ends up like watching a dude stand in front of a room full of doctors

doing the “I’m pulling my thumb off” trick and REALLY wondering why they didn’t think his thumb came off.  What the Republican Party should be doing is inviting Black people into the discussion about the direction of their party, asking how Black people can contribute to the party’s vision, and having Black people help create specific plans for both changing and propagating a new platform that politically and socially welcomes us back into it.  That’s why I brought up the town meeting example… before I snapped and went off on my history rant.  Howard University students would be excellent for helping to craft such a Party if Republicans like Rand Paul are serious about courting us.

Or, they can continue to lecture to us in a paternalistic manner, keep pretending that there is no real historical basis
for Black people being almost 100% Democrats, and remain the party that treats us as if we just simply ain’t bright enough to see how the other one is pulling the woolover our eyes.  Like Eddie Murphy once said in regards to the Black vote, “We’re gonna get a foot up our ass, regardless”.  Count me and the rest of my fellow Bison as those who will, until there’s a better alternative, continue to vote for the one with the smallest shoe.  And Rand Paul came to Howard lookin’ a whole lot like that little old lady from the fairy tale…

Like most digital start-ups, EatingsForAbs.com started out of necessity and a desire for change. Coach Bryndan “Be” Moore, a certified nutrition coach, didn’t always live a life of clean eating and regular exercise.

Years ago, Be visited the gym intermittently, and would grow frustrated that he wasn’t achieving the physical results he was looking for. He lived a stop and start cycle with exercise and it was a passive approach to fitness. However, it was his father’s congestive heart failure and kidney failure that rattled him to his core.

After years of dialysis, as his father headed in for what would be a successful kidney transplant, Be had a moment of introspection that led him to pursue a significantly healthier lifestyle.

“There is a sense of helplessness that comes to the loved ones of those facing major surgery. In retrospect that was the day I decided to do the most I could to minimize my chances of passing on that experience to the people who care for me,” he said.

Finally more interested in living a healthier lifestyle, Be’s decision to hire a coach came after listening to rave reviews, and finally witnessing the physical transformation of a friend. With a combination of exercise, ridding himself of counterproductive habits, and improved nutrition, the scale finally began to move for Be. Inspired by his experience, he began learning the basics of cellular biology, human energy cycles and coaching.

“It was truly a lesson in our interaction with our food from the molecular level through the organism level. That’s just the science!” he shared. “Then there is the study of the psychology of change and learning to deal with varying personality types as well as people with varying goals. It’s completely different coaching an athlete for sports-specific performance than it is to guide a person living a sedentary lifestyle, trying just to reduce excess fat.”

After several long months of studying, he passed his certification exam and entered the world of nutrition coaching—in person and online.

Starting with a small group of dedicated students, Coach Be’s focus on nutrition delivered significant results to individuals who were otherwise already fit. A personal trainer to the stars, a Legends Football League (formerly Lingerie Football League) athlete, and a meditation coach collectively agree that working with Coach Be helped optimize their results and got them the lean physique they were looking for. Word of mouth spread, and his clients grew to everyday people who were looking for a change: a bridesmaid, a new mom, ladies planning beach getaways, and men who were too busy to realize that pounds had quietly crept in.

One after another, Coach Be led his clients to success, and finally he partnered with former client Andre Fraser (Coach Dre) to create Eating for Abs: The Ultimate Body Fuel Course, a six month program delivered entirely online.

In true digital startup form, Eating for Abs’ popularity grew through social media buzz. As the course was developed and lessons were filmed, Coach Be posted on Facebook and Instagrammed dozens of photos under his @AlumniWellness handle. Food, workouts, and before and after photos of clients were all glimpses of what he and Coach Dre had up their sleeves. The photos enthralled followers and curiosity mounted as they promised to unlock the secrets of burning fat through proper nutrition. No pre-packaged food, crippling workouts, or calorie counting was required. Abs are made in the kitchen, they said, and they built Eating for Abs around eating delicious and healthy meals, as well as a few extra tips proven to drive results.

Finally, in late January 2013 the inaugural Eating for Abs online course launched at it’s maximum student capacity. Just a few months in, more success stories began to surface: one student’s physician discontinued his hypertension medication because he no longer needed it; another had her eyeglass prescription significantly reduced. And then there’s Instagram. One of the course’s most popular students is Angela Watkins (@OneFitMom) who regularly posts her meals, workouts, and progress with a number of hashtags, including #E4A to signify her commitment and support for Eating for Abs.

Coach Be still posts regularly, garnering more interest for the course with each day that passes. He and Coach Dre have mastered the art of the marketing tease. Visit www.eatingforabs.com and you’ll be greeted with student success stories, info about the course, testimonials, and just enough info to get you interested.

It took a life-changing moment for Be to change his life, and how he’s changing the lives of others in the business of wellness.

* * * *

Quia Querisma is a digital marketing professional by day, and freelance writer by night. She embarked on her own quest for fitness in January 2013 through Eating for Abs, and has documented the experience on MyJetSetStyle.com.

The “DAY-Luxe Life” Weekend of Day Events

NBA All-Star Weekend

Houston, TX

Friday, February 15 – Sunday, February 17, 2013

 Tickets Available Now!

For VIP Table information, please call: (404) 229.2881

Friday, February 15, 2013

All Star REUNION

 Hosted by

Doug E. Fresh

Music by

The Diabolical DJ Biz Markie

DJ Jon Quick (NYC)

4:00pm – 10:00pm

http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/21760.aspx

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Hollywood Hustle : A DAYtime Affair

Hosted by

Kevin Hart

Music by

The Diabolical DJ Biz Markie

DJ Trauma (Atlanta)

DJ GT (Houston)

4:00pm – 10:00pm

http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/21762.aspx

Sunday, February 17, 2013

15^th Annual Players Paradise

Hosted by

COMMON & Laz Alonso

Music by

Raj Smoove (New Orleans)

DJ J Que (Houston)

DJ E-Clazz (Atlanta)

4:00pm – 10:00pm

http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/21761.aspx

Friday, February 15 – Sunday, February 17, 2013

Late Night Live

Music by

DJ SNS (NYC)

1:00am – 6:00am

]]> http://www.AlumniRoundup.com/events/all-star-weekend-2013/feed/ 0 http://www.AlumniRoundup.com/featured/episode-5/ http://www.AlumniRoundup.com/featured/episode-5/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:27:22 +0000 RoundupRussy http://www.AlumniRoundup.com/?p=17130

-THE BIGGEST HOMECOMING CONCERT-

FAMU

|||HOMECOMING SUPERFEST|||

MUSICAL*PARTY*CONCERT

SATURDAY NOV 10, 2012 

FEATURING…….

||| RICK ROSS |||

& FRIENDS

PLUS

UNCLE LUKE & 2LIVE CREW

HOSTED BY DEF COMEDY JAM’S

BILL BELLAMY

SATURDAY NOV 10^th-AFTER THE GAME

AL LAWSON CENTER

1800 Wahnish Way

TALLAHASSEE, FL

10PM-2AM

NEW HOMECOMING BLACK CARDS

Access free events, discount at stores,

VIP at parties, etc…FREE WITH TICKETS!

FREE RICK ROSS HOMECOMING T-SHIRTS

DISCOUNTED ALUMNI TICKETS

(CLOSE TO THE STAGE)

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS - http://goo.gl/la1iH

CALL 312.224.2692 FOR MORE INFO or EMAIL: EVENTS@CLUBNET360.COM

Find the book at: www.CoffeeWithRhadi.com

The thundering live phenomenon spun out of the 2002 feature film Drumline will march into NJPAC’s Prudential Hall on Friday, October 26, 2012 at 8:00 p.m., taking audience members on a time-traveling voyage of the origins of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands from Africa to present day.

Ticket Link: http://njpac.org/show_events_list.asp?shCode=16007

Tickets are $20-$80 and are available by telephone at 1-888-466-5722, at the NJPAC Box Office at One Center Street in downtown Newark, and at www.njpac.org. To purchase tickets for groups of 10 or more, call 973-297-5804. The performance is made possible in part by The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Bloomberg, Women’s Association of NJPAC, Discover Jersey Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

 About the Artist:

Released in 2002, the Drumline feature film starred Nick Cannon as a talented but over-confident drummer who struggled to find his place within the band. The charged performances and the unique depiction of life and tradition in an HBCU marching band were at the heart of Drumline, and it was those characteristics that the film’s executive band consultant, Don Roberts, brought to the live show.

Since its inaugural run in 2009, Drumline Live has incorporated an educational experience into this showcase with free improvisational of jazz, boisterous gospel vocals and the heart-pounding sounds of the drum section. “They covered the history of the tradition marching band experience of Historical Black College and Universities (HBCU) with energy and style,” said Urban Life and Style.

The big-screen feature film Drumline dramatized the marching band tradition of historically black colleges and universities. This explosively choreographed production, created by the musical team behind the movie, moves era by era through history, with percussion and brass renditions that run the gamut from R&B and jazz to soul-powered interpretations of Top 40 hits and all-new compositions — plus those improvised drum riffs and high-energy drumline challenges that provide the heartbeat of this tradition.

Tickets: $20-$80

Available at www.njpac.org, 1-888-466-5722 or at the box office at 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) is the artistic, cultural, educational, and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. The largest cultural venue for performing arts in the state of New Jersey, NJPAC annually presents more than 350 concerts, plays, recitals, spoken word, and cultural events. The performance home of the critically acclaimed New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, NJPAC regularly welcomes the world’s foremost performers in every genre, from Itzhak Perlman, Tony Bennett, and Yo-Yo Ma, to Paul Simon, Youssou N’Dour, and ZZ Top; from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company to the National Song and Dance Company of Mozambique.

Located in the heart of an emerging downtown Newark, NJPAC has been widely cited as a catalyst in the revitalization of New Jersey’s largest city, attracting more than seven million visitors since it opened in 1997.  NJPAC’s arts education initiatives have reached more than a million Newark and New Jersey children with innovative programs including the Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens, The Star-Ledger Scholarship for the Performing Arts, The Young Artist Institute, and the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime and  Series. NJPAC also offers in-school residencies in dance, theater, music, and the literary arts. The cornerstone of Newark’s cultural community, NJPAC’s free outdoor summer music series, Sounds of the City, is an annual highly anticipated event, attracting between 2,000 and 3,000 people to the three-acre Theater Square on Thursday nights during the summer months. To learn more, visit www.njpac.org

Howard University Alum, Attorney Marwan Porter, has been working hard to bring relief to families typically under-represented in the legal system.

Marwan, since leaving the employ of Willie E. Gary, is now the managing partner of The Porter Firm, and specializes in addressing cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, breach of contract, gender and race discrimination and more.

Marwan is a great guy and a very competent source for legal representation.

Contact The Porter Firm at www.ThePorterFirm.com and 1-888-258-2448

Join AlumniRoundup, The Porter Firm and Laz Alonzo this Homecoming on Friday October 19th at The Park at Fourteenth as we celebrate our bond and make new ones.  FREE before 8pm and going all night.

Call 202-262-3939 for table service.

The problem EVERY homecoming is that there are SO many options and places to go.  Promoters jostle for position and attention, try to do something exciting and make it next next level.  1000 fliers hit the ground, your girl’s girls told you such and such was DJing over at that club the ticket cost is going up every day but “we still really have NO idea what we’re doing tonight.”

I’ve been there.  As a matter of fact I’ve PAID $50 to $100 dollars just to get in the door during homecoming just to realize that one of my boys didn’t make it there until late if he made it at all.

HERE’S THE SECRET TO HOMECOMING THAT SEEMS TO GET LOST ALL TOO OFTEN BY PROMOTERS AND CLUB OWNERS…

All the REAL Alumni REALLY want during Homecoming is to be at the same place at the same time with our friends and have a good time!

Let the chuuuuuuch say AMEN!

To that end I’ve laid down the competitive gauntlet and have asked my team to take away ALL the BS and do whatever it takes to get US in the right room TOGETHER (at least for ONE night this weekend!)

The result? Homecoming party FREE if you get there early at a great venue and hosted by over 100 real Alumni with ONE THING in mind… being TOGETHER.

Let’s reclaim homecoming for the people. For Alumni.  Let this be about US, and maybe it will be the start of bigger things to come.

This event is made possible in part by Marwan Porter, former HU Athlete and Trustee and CEO of The Porter Law Firm. Roundup Russy is flying in AD Wright AKA Tito will be signing books.  There will be a BIG surprise or two that night as well.

Join AlumniRoundup, The Porter Firm and Laz Alonzo this Homecoming on Friday October 19th at The Park at Fourteenth as we celebrate our bond and make new ones.  FREE before 8pm and going all night. Call 202-262-3939 for table service.