While the battle of words between Bernard Hopkins and Donovan McNabb would seem to be a sports dispute, it actually has political overtones that make it a serious issue for anybody caring about what our society should be about.
Former Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb has been criticized by Rush Limbaugh, Terrell Owens, and the Philadelphia NAACP. Despite leding Philly to 5 NFC Title Games and one Super Bowl, the armchair quarterbacks attacked his football abilities.
Yet the attacks by Bernard Hopkins are worse. Mr. Hopkins seems to think that his days of taking shots to the head as a boxer qualifies him to be a social scientist. Mr. Hopkins may be able to speak better than Leon Spinks or Muhammad Ali, but he certainly does not have their humanity.
What makes this odd is that Hopkins and McNabb play two completely different sports. There is no rivalry. Tiger Woods does not compete against bowlers, and NASCAR drivers do not feud with baseball players. It would make no sense.
Yet Mr. Hopkins, who grew up in a rough Philly neighborhood, has skewered McNabb for growing up in a suburban Chicago area. Because he was not from the South Side or some other bad neighborhood, McNabb apparently lacks “street cred,” and is therefore “soft.”
Hopkins also praises Michael Vick because the two both shared a rough upbringing and troubled time behind bars.
When is the celebration of low achievement in the black community going to stop? When is doing things properly going to cease be considered “acting white?” When is somebody besides Bill Cosby going to say that enough is enough?
While I am aware that Hopkins does not speak for an entire race, his argument does permeate a large part of black culture.
Kobe Bryant was booed before an all star game in Philadelphia. He was considered to not have the level of street cred that Allen Iverson had. Then Kobe got arrested for rape and all of a sudden he was “one of them.”
This is nuts.
Donovan McNabb is more than just a very good football player who may (close call either way) make the Hall of Fame.
He is a good citizen. He had good parents who raised him right. He is polite, well-mannered, and dignified. He is not only a good ambassador for the league, but the exact kind of guy a father would want to date his daughter.
He is every bit as good a person as Peyton Manning, but because Manning is white, there is no issue.
Just because 70% of black children are born to unwed mothers does not mean we skewer McNabb from coming from a stable, loving household. We should celebrate this guy. He learned good values, and carries them out today.
The idea that being a good citizen and a nice guy makes one soft was also applied to Tony Dungy. It has to stop.
Americans of all stripes should condemn Mr. Hopkins for his racially charged remarks.
Americans of all stripes should hold up Mr. McNabb of what is good about our society.
It is not about black or white. It is about right and wrong.
Mr. McNabb lives life the right way, and that is not a black or white value.
It is a decency value.
This cancerous racial belief espoused by Mr. Hopkins is pure poison.
The antidote is to stand up for what is right.
Mr. McNabb, keep being who you are. The world is a better place for it. Whether or not you ever win a Super Bowl ring or make the Hall of Fame, you are a winner in the game of life.
May your jersey be sold to millions of children…and their parents.
eric
“While I am aware that Hopkins does not speak for an entire race, his argument does permeate a large part of black culture.
Kobe Bryant was booed before an all star game in Philadelphia. He was considered to not have the level of street cred that Allen Iverson had. Then Kobe got arrested for rape and all of a sudden he was “one of them.””
The Bryant/Iverson thing, I certainly never saw. It had more to do with where they were playing, not “cred.”
The knocks that McNabb is “soft” comes from years of watching him play too hard and get hurt every year. If anything, McNabb is yet another example of a great player giving too much to the game. He should have been benched in that Super Bowl. We all know it. He was sick. He supposedly vomited on the field. He had the flu. That loss is on Andy Reid’s shoulders, not McNabb’s. Of course he wanted to play! Of course he would have protested! But he was obviously sick. Reid should’ve pulled him. McNabb brought them to the game, he deserved the ring if they won it, but he shouldn’t have played in it.
By the way, the man deserves to be in the Hall of Fame asap. He’s one of the finest QB’s I’ve ever seen. A unique, clever, always surprising QB. He made defenses think hard and play harder. That’s what we pay to see. That’s what makes football a great game. Donovan McNabb made football a better game.
JMJ