Baggage Claim
“Wrong, This aint politically correct/This might offend some of my political connects”. Death of Autotune (D.O.A.) by Jay-Z
So everyone knows that I am a big fan of ESPN’s First Take, which is a sports show that has a debate segment of the show that features Skip Bayless against whoever else decides to join opposite of him. I often watch just to hear what black athlete he is going to dog out on any given morning; ie Lebron James, T.O. or Ocho Cinco. Yesterday, I heard a debate that shocked and appalled me; not easy tasks when it comes to me. The topic was on NBA rookie of the year front-runner Blake Griffin. The debate was not on whether or not he was a future star or about his impact on the lowly L.A. Clippers, but was about his race. Blake Griffin, if you didn’t know is mixed with a white mother and black father. That in itself does not mean a thing to me because all I see is a great ball player with loads and loads of potential, but we know that I wouldn’t be writing this if there wasn’t a twist.
First of all, let me say that growing up and travelling around the world I have learned and have seen a lot of things. I have learned that certain things are what they are and for the most part they will always be that way. On the subject of race, it has always been accepted, noted and even reiterated that when you are bi-racial (mostly talking about black and white), you are deemed and seen as black. It is the culture of the world we live in and personally I really don’t mind it. We as a race have for the most part claimed that with pride. It is what it is. There was a saying back in the days that simply stated “One drop”. This may be up for debate by some, but if you really sit and think about it, it has always been that way. President Obama is known as the first AFRICAN-AMERICAN President. Society knows that and it is widely accepted as such. Now, back to the rant at hand; Skip Bayless yesterday stated that he proudly claims Blake Griffin as a white basketball player because of the fact that one, he knows his mother and two, there are no white NBA superstars to lay claim to. What the fried bologna and cheese is going on??? Are you serious? I really wish that I was sitting across from him when he made this statement. You mean to tell me that now YOU are laying claim to a bi-racial man because he is successful? Wow!!! My thing is this; what if Blake was a bust? Would he still be “claiming” him as a white man? What if he had the scandal that Big Ben had for sexually assaulting a woman; would that same swell of pride kick in? I have watched sports and sports shows for most of my adult life and I have yet to hear him or any other white man or woman claim Derek Jeter or A-Rod. As beautiful and as successful as Alicia Keys is, I have yet to hear anyone at the Grammy’s or Entertainment Tonight state that she is the most talented white R&B artist out today. Let’s make it even more real. I have never heard one statement from him or anyone else disputing that President Obama is NOT black and laying claim to that one. You can’t arbitrarily claim someone because they fit into the little box that you have carved out for YOUR reality.
Truthfully Speaking, Blake is a person to me. I see him as a successful and promising man that happens to be black. My problem with what was said is not the fact that Skip feels that way; my issue is that you can’t pick and choose who you want to claim. If I go on a trip and go to baggage claim, I am not going to pick up the bag that looks the best; I am going to pick up the bag that I have been carrying for the entire trip. That’s MY Truth and I am sticking to it whether it is successful or not. Remember, Love God, Love You and Love People.
