An awakening...

"Stop Snitchin'"

This was a DVD that appeared in the national conscience in 2004, relating to drug dealers in Baltimore threatening violence against those who reported about their activities to authorities in exchange for a lighter sentence. It led to the phrase "Snitches get stitches," and it featured New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony in a brief cameo. The video's creator, Rodney Thomas was sentenced to 15 years in prison for pleading guilty to first-degree assault. Despite claiming that it was a joke, Anthony's squeaky-clean reputation took a hit among fans across the league. (credit: Wikipedia)

"Republicans buy shoes too."

These words were uttered by Michael Jordan in 1990 when asked why he would not endorse Harvey Gantt in the North Carolina Senate race against his Republican opponent, well-known segregationist named Jesse Helms. Jordan, who was the face of Nike, Gatorade, and the NBA at the time, was criticized for not being a voice in the community as fellow athletes of his ilk such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Which is why it was so refreshing to see these two in particular become the headline players as we've seen violence between law enforcement and citizens like never before. We have seen in the news countless stories of brutality and retaliation, creating a cultural divide, with it seemingly being played out over our airwaves and on social media. We've seen LeBron James and others take a stand after the Trayvon Martin shooting, and countless others during the Black Lives Matter movement. It was a throwback to an era when being outspoken could leave an athlete ostracized from endorsements and receive the ire of fans who want their players to focus on their athletic prowess as opposed to being a voice. The late Muhammad Ali was not as beloved by folks (both black and white) in the 1960s when he loudly spoke out against the Vietnam War. When we watched how O.J. Simpson avoided getting involved in the same issues, it was disturbing to see how disconnected he really was.

However, it was great to see Anthony come out himself and mention that "it's not about endorsements," and that athletes should speak up about the devastation that's going on around them. Even more, to see Jordan speak not only with his voice but with his dollars, shows that today's athlete has separated himself from focusing on simply the "brand." The focus should not be on the results, but the decision of these athletes to realize that there comes a time to go beyond the clichés and media-friendly quotes. A revolution has begun among athletes, and the ones who fall behind it are the ones who sit back and do nothing.

What do you stand for?

"You don't steal the base you just left. You steal the base ahead of you."

-Jackie Roosevelt Robinson

As discussed in detail yesterday, the life of Jackie Robinson was defined by not so much what he did to integrate baseball, but what we was as a man. Dedicated, committed, and a fierce competitor on the diamond and off of it. His later years were more revealing of who he was more so than when he was stealing bases at Ebbets Field. Although his body was breaking down by age 33, his spirit never did. Once he had finished his epic career, he transitioned into business management at Chock Full O' Nuts, while being the first black writer at the New York Post. It was then when he decided to use his platform for social change, with the rising civil rights movement beginning to take America by storm. 

The 1960s were an era of an awakening; when the echoes of America's forefathers gave way to the rising voices of youth who were disenfranchised with the establishment dividing the races and decided to take their fights to the streets. Robinson felt he had an obligation to be a voice, and met with dignitaries such as then-Vice President Richard Nixon as well as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to encourage America to put away its legalized racism and embrace other cultures. Baseball had already crossed the color line, he thought, why not our businesses and government?

He wasn't alone, as later star athletes such as Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali would lend their voices outside the field of play and draw attention to very serious issues plaguing the black community. Before he retired, he would often speak about not being able to see black third basemen coaches in baseball. A few days before he died in 1972, he got to see Frank Robinson as one of the coaches during the World Series.

We live in an era in which the pursuit of social justice is either misguided or secondary to the pursuits of worldly gain. We still as fans look for voices who are not afraid to stand up and say, "No!" to the rafters when they see injustice happening to their communities and families affected by poor leadership in Washington. Remember the "Justice for Trayvon" movement? A movement's greatest impact should be not just about changing laws, but bettering lives. That is a lesson many athletes are now realizing, especially in the social media era where any voice can be heard over 140 characters.

The next time you hear someone quote Charles Barkley's "I'm Not a Role Model" speech, ask the children who marveled at the very sight of a man who didn't set out to be one at first, but later realized how he had no other choice, and in that changed the course of history. 

Where were you when...

Sports are all about creating memories. How many of you remember where you were, or what you were doing when Jordan hit "The Shot" in 1998? Or when President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium after 9/11? Or even today, when American Pharaoh made history and was the first horse in 37 years to win horse racing's Triple Crown? Do you remember the excitement that took place? The euphoria than rang throughout the room or arena when you saw that moment? It's something you never forget.

For me it was a special moment on Jan. 20, 1999, when my beloved Atlanta Falcons defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship to advance to their only Super Bowl. Watching Morten Andersen make that kick sent a wave of joy throughout the Reid household like never before. Not only was it surreal to see the Falcons of all teams get to football's penultimate game, the timing of it all was a reminder of why we love sports; sometimes it can serve as a healing moment.

If I may share a personal story for just a moment, it will explain everything. Just a few months earlier, my oldest brother Troy went home to be with the Lord, and we were still dealing with the pain of our tragic loss, especially with his only son just a few weeks away from being born. There wasn't much to be excited about during the latter months of 1998, but each Sunday the Falcons gave us, if for only a day, a welcome distraction, especially since we weren't used to them being so successful. When they won the game, everyone, including my mother, screamed in such exhilaration that it was something we always believed brought us together in a special way.

The reason I brought this up is that if you watched the interview after today's Belmont Stakes, there was the owner of American Pharaoh Bob Baffert, in tears, saying how he wished his parents were there to see that special victory. There was no talk of how much money he was going to make, or what it felt like to finally break the drought, but only of his family. It was a beautiful moment that was so touching.

When it comes to special victories and moments, how often do we go back to remember what took place? Joshua 4:21-24 does just that "²¹ He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea^[a] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. ²⁴ He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

They remembered the great victory that the Lord provided the Israelites when they crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. How often do we take time out of our busyness to remember the victories that God has provided us in our lives? When was the last time we created a memorial to thank Him for that time we prayed for healing? Or a job that we thought was impossible to get at first?

If we can take time to remember the Miracle on Ice, when do we take time to remember the victories that the creator of miracles has given us?

The Real Lessons In Life...

Today there was an article that came out on the Bleacher Report that was entitled 'Life Lessons we can learn from Sports.' While I won't dispense the entire list here (lest I get a nasty email from the fine folks in Atlanta), there was one particular lesson that made me stand up and applaud:

3. Get Up, Dress Up and Show Up



The photo you see above is the GOAT (no, not Scottie Pippen, the other guy) after his famous 'Flu Game' in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against Utah. Michael Jordan was running a high fever the entire day (now whether or not he was poisoned with food in a Salt Lake City hotel will go down in history as one of sports' greatest conspiracies) and there was doubt if he would even show up. However, he did show up and it resulted in an all-time great performance.

Now, I know a lot of people will go back to last year's infamous 'Cramp Game' in which LeBron James left Game 1 of the Finals against San Antonio with leg cramps and say he should've stayed in there. None of us know the conditions of the human body better than the person themselves, and every athlete knows when they can go and they can't. I don't fault LeBron for what he did, so let's move on.

Back to MJ, and he believed that it was best to leave it all on the court that night and deal with the consequences later. Much like with Willis Reed back in 1973 for the New York Knicks, just showing up did more for the Chicago Bulls' psyche (and probably damaged Utah's) than anything else. They needed every last one of his 38 points too, but it was the lesson from above that is prevalent here.

Like it or not, we have a responsibility to someone, whether it's our boss, our spouse, our children, our co-workers, and even to those who we may not realize look up to us. Total transparency, I've had to realize this lesson a few times in my life as well. As we've discussed in the previous blogs, what we do impacts the lives of others. If we are able to get up (major injury notwithstanding) then we shouldn't be afraid to dress up and show up. I recently heard of a radio show host who took off sick after more than 50 consecutive years of doing his show on the air. Imagine the discipline it takes to do such a thing!

I'm reminded of a young man Timothy who was just starting out in the ministry, and was battling a lot of inner strife in the church where he was a pastor. His mentor Paul had to step in and give him a Scripture-based version of 'Win One for the Gipper' (Notre Dame fans will get that one) basically encouraging him to 'Get Up, Dress Up and Show Up." Basically, Paul gave it to him as such in 1 Timothy 6:20...

"Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge."

I don't know about you, but that alone would've been enough for me to get up and do what must be done. Whatever you do in life, remember that even in the tough times, someone is looking up to you to make the right decision.