“I’m a man with pride, you don’t do shit like that…” Jay-Z
There are certain things you just don’t say to another man. These “things” will forever be known as fighting words.
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“So and so talked about my mama” will always be a valid reason to fight. And disrespecting one’s manhood has caused as many wars as religious beliefs, oil, world domination or land.
So I don’t blame Carmelo Anthony for going ‘Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs’ on KG! If Kevin Garnett said La La was magically delicious and tasted like Honey Nut Cheerios, then I don’t have an issue with any of Melo’s actions.
But what I do have an issue with is the NBA.
This incident lifted up its skirt to reveal the ugly truth, that despite all of the NBA’s efforts to clean up its act since the early 2000s, all they really did was put lipstick on a pig. Fining a multi-millionaire $20 thousand bucks is less than a slap on the wrist. So it’s no wonder they still have an image problem.
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In the early 2000s, Jason Williams shot and killed someone. Allen Iverson routinely showed up to press conferences dressed like a rapper. Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest ran in the crowd and opened up a can of whoop ass on a few NBA fans. This is just a fraction of what took place in the NBA in those days, but what did they do? They implemented a dress code policy. This fixed all of their issues.
Star players who came from the roughest neighborhoods in America cashed million dollar checks and were forced to put on a suit. Genius! I wonder how many skipped the post-game shower only to spray on some cologne and hit the clubs.
Fast forward to today, I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched a game and heard curse words shouted every time someone goes hard in the paint. In today’s age of Twitter and Instagram, we have 24-hour access to players so we can see who these guys really are.
So if little Jimmy loves JR Smith, he can follow him on Twitter and get to know all the big booty hos in his life. Turn on the television for the preshow, and see LeBron James sing about doing illegal drugs until he starts to sweat.
Hell, LeBron is the NBA’s version of Hulk Hogan. He’s the one constantly promoting little kids to say their prayers, take their vitamins and all that other jazz. But I still feel like I’m being duped.
I’m not more moral than anyone else. In fact I curse all the time, I drink a lot of Ciroc, my girl has a girlfriend, and I am not above talking about an ugly baby behind its mother’s back.
Still despite all of that, I am real. If my favorite NBA players are thugs, hoodlums, and misguided adults who just happen to be able to play the game of basketball better than most people, then package them up and serve them up as such. Don’t give me hamburger meat and tell me it’s filet mignon.
I urge the NBA to really try to clean up its act. Invest in the well being of these players, invest in the education of these kids who skip college early to play in the league. There is no reason why some players can’t spell the word “single.”
~ Blog Xilla Follow Me On Twitter
Xilla is the Sr. Entertainment Editor for GlobalGrind.com as well as CEO of the number 1 relationship blog BlogXilla.com/M2TB.com. He has been featured in XXL, The Source, Essence, LA Times and is considered one of the premiere bloggers in the industry. Follow him on twitter @BlogXilla
