The Cat is not Enough – by Lucius Gantt
I began my career long, long ago in the Production Department at WSB-TV, a prominent Atlanta television station. After college at Georgia State and grad school at The Washington Journalism Center my world class media career began as a sports writer for The Associated Press in New York City.
There I was the first Black sports writer to cover all major sports on the national and international level. My stories on major league baseball, pro basketball, tennis, boxing and other sports appeared in newspapers from Los Angeles to Miami, from Maine to mainland China.
I said all of that to say this, many of today’s African American sports writers make me sick!
To me, most are not “Black”, they are merely white sports casters dipped in chocolate!
If you know the history of Black sports media you would know that back in the day white media organizations would have little or nothing to say that was positive about Blacks in sports.
To get positive stories about Joe Louis, Satchel Paige, Jesse Owens, Althea Gibson, Charlie Sifford and other Blacks in sports we would have to get it from Black radio or Black newspapers and magazines like The Atlanta World, The Pittsburg Courier, The Chicago Defender or Marcus Garvey’s Black World magazine.
And the same is true today!
White sports editors and sports directors don’t hire Black people that love Black athletes and love Black people they hire sports writers and broadcasters that love what they love and hate what they hate.
Michael Vick, according to the white sports press, is the most hated athlete in the world. He is not hated because he went to jail for dog fighting. He is hated because he is Black. The people that hate Vick don’t hate white dog fighters who dominate the sport, created the sport and participate the most in the cruel sport. They just hate Vick.
So, what do the scary Sambo sportswriters do? They hate Vick too.
You know who I’m talking about but for the sake of this column let’s call the Blacks on ESPN, TNT, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Sports South, the Sunshine Network and other sports networks Uncle Tom and Aunt Jemima.
Tom and Jemima will tell you Blacks are not good quarterbacks because they can run well and white QBs can throw well. Well, last time I checked no matter what happens in the playoffs a Black QB that can run will be in the Super Bowl whether its Russell Wilson, Cam Newton or Colin Kaepernick. Maybe Vick would have been there if Tom and Jemima had not fallen in love with Philly’s Nick Folds, I’m sorry, Nick Foles.
Instead of talking about how good FSU’s Jameis Winston was last season, Tom and Jemima wouldn’t celebrate the Heisman winner. They chose to praise losing QBs like Johnny Football.
All we want our news and sportswriters to do is tell the truth. When athletes, like Vick, do bad, say it. When they atone for bad deeds, rehabilitate themselves and become good citizens say that too.
The majority of Black Americans have more in common with Vick than they have in common with dark skinned sportscasters.
For example, I grew up in housing projects, went to jail, made some mistakes and redeemed myself just like the guy Tom and Jemima call the dog killer.
When you hear bad things about Venus and Serena, bad things about Floyd Mayweather, bad things about Barry Bonds, bad things about Tiger Woods, bad things about Usain Bolt and other Black sports figures don’t blame it on the alcohol, blame it on the Black Sambo sports people!
Don’t be timid if you want to be a sports journalist. In the Biblical book of Mathew, Chapter 28, and I’m paraphrasing now, Jesus said, “Fear not. Don’t be afraid.”
So don’t be a sports punk or a scary Sambo sports writer and always tell the truth about Black athletes good or bad! (Buy Gantt’s bok “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” online or at any major book store. Conact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net)
