One of my guilty pleasures is watching the TV One documentary cable series Unsung and Unsung Hollywood. If you have never watched either series, they tell the stories of African-American singers and actors who experienced substantial success for a short period of time before their shining star abruptly faded away. If I could create a… Continue reading Forgotten Heroes: The Legacy of Hawks Football
Category: Sports
The Michael Vick Experience: From Prison to Redemption, 2007-2017 (pt. 3)
This three part series walks through the rise, fall, and redemption of Michael Vick, NFL’s outcast turned prodigal son. If you missed it, catch parts one and two here. As Vick was made his comeback professionally he maintained his commitment to speak out against dog fighting. He traveled around the country speaking to youth and… Continue reading The Michael Vick Experience: From Prison to Redemption, 2007-2017 (pt. 3)
The Michael Vick Experience: From Prison to Redemption, 2007-2017 (pt. 2)
This three part series walks through the rise, fall, and redemption of Michael Vick, NFL’s outcast turned prodigal son. Catch parts one and three here. Michael Vick’s first television interview after being released from prison in 2009 came on CBS’s 60 Minutes. African-American sportscaster James Brown conducted the interview in Virginia because Vick was not… Continue reading The Michael Vick Experience: From Prison to Redemption, 2007-2017 (pt. 2)
The Michael Vick Experience: From Prison to Redemption, 2007-2017 (pt.1)
This three part series walks through the rise, fall, and redemption of Michael Vick, NFL’s outcast turned prodigal son. Read parts two and three here. “Still touched down cause I was off Artell. Had dreams of breaking Mike Vick out of jail. Took the underground rail to the end that failed.” – Common featuring Pharrell… Continue reading The Michael Vick Experience: From Prison to Redemption, 2007-2017 (pt.1)
Get Woke or Die Tryin’: The Revolt of the Black Athlete
“This win hopefully brings hope and change to some of the issues that are going on.” —Simone Manuel Prelude From Black Lives Matter protests in the streets to Donald Trump becoming a hero for working class whites, 2016 has been one of the most racially charged years in recent memory. For most Americans sports provides… Continue reading Get Woke or Die Tryin’: The Revolt of the Black Athlete
Only a Game
How can anybody hope to tell the story of Allen Iverson, a man whose life was all style, a man whose performances were indelible and whose failures are forgettable? There have been some strong efforts, some “college tries” (Iverson’s own college try ended with him as the leading scorer in Georgetown Hoyas history, at 22.9… Continue reading Only a Game
Take the Shot, LeBron
This past summer, when NBA superstar LeBron James announced that he was returning “home” to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he wrote an essay to express why he decided to return “home.” LeBron wrote, “I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where… Continue reading Take the Shot, LeBron