by Reverend Reynard N. Blake, Jr.
Sherman just made them see
He revealed the fire in his bones
Introduced us to the “Legion Of Boom”
The LOB
Richard Sherman—The DB, Muhammad Ali, and the NFL
by Reverend Reynard N. Blake, Jr.
“I shook up the world!”
“There’s not a man alive who can whup me !”
“If you dream of beating me, you’d better wake up and apologize!”
“I’m the greatest!”
Quotes from Cassius Clay
Even more as Muhammad Ali
Reviled then, loved now
Reviled then because he told the truth
Being the best at what he did
Nothing wrong with that
He backed it up
So why can’t Richard Sherman
A stalwart of the Seattle Seahawks
A defensive back extraordinaire
Limitless supply of confidence
Says he’s the best at what he does
Bold and fast
Puts the “swag” in “swagger”
He knows
Offenses get more love than defenses
So, when defenses make great plays
They take the spotlight when they could
As they should
Love or attention for defensive squads
Few and far between
Especially, on TV
Sherman just made them see
He revealed the fire in his bones
Introduced us to the “Legion Of Boom”
The LOB
Defensive backfield punishing opponents
Isn’t this what the NFL wants?
Fire in the bones
Viciousness in the hits
Controlled mayhem
For 3 hours, at least
Then, the NFL’s Roger GODell
Expects the field hands
“The property of (the NFL…or name a team)”
Those “Type-A Personalities”
Alpha males
Mostly black males
Turn off their fire and aggression
At a moment’s notice
Then, become humble and pleasant
Especially with the white Press
This brings us back to Mr. Sherman
The smart, Stanford-grad Mr. Sherman
Like Ali, bold and brash
So what’s wrong with self-promotion?
Peyton, Brady, and Brees
NFL quarterbacks
They self-promote
They say, “I’m the best at what I do!”
They just don’t say it out loud
THEY JUST GET PAID!!!
$20 million plus/year
And, to boot
The NFL makes them gods
The NFL particularly likes white quarterback gods
Messianic heroes
“Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady”
I thought it was the Broncos versus the Patriots
So, what does the NFL and fans do
With Richard Sherman
Or, any defensive crew
Tell them to play touch football?
Have them say, “Jolly good show, old chum!”
Have them share tea and crumpets after the game?
Or, does America want to see
A reflection of itself on the field:
Violent
Intimidating, like Chris Christie
Celebrating thugs like in “The Sopranos”
If yes, then everybody needs to shut up
Shut up, and enjoy the show!
This week’s featured author is Biko Mandela Gray. Gray is Assistant Professor of Religion at Syracuse University. His book is Black Life Matter: Blackness, Religion, and the Subject.
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