The Darker Shade of Sports

With the recent completion of the NBA All Star game held in Dallas, TX in which the East edged the West squad 141-139 and Dwyane Wade being named the MVP and the upcoming Frenzy aka March Madness, I thought it was fitting to remember the first African American that broke the color barrier in the sport of Basketball.                                                        

Harry Haskell “Bucky” Lew (January 4, 1884 in Lowell, Massachusetts - 1963) was the first African American to play in a professional basketball game. Lew played in a New England League game for Lowell against Marlborough on November 2, 1902, the first documented instance of an African-American playing in a professional basketball game. Harry Lew was born in Lowell in 1884 to an African-American family with a long and illustrious history in Massachusetts. His great-great-grandfather, Barzillai Lew, was a free black man who purchased the freedom of his future wife for $400. A gifted musician, he served in the Revolutionary War. He played the fife at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and years later at General Burgoyne’s surrender after the Battle of Saratoga. Henry Lew’s grandparents’ home in Lowell was a stop on the Underground Railroad. His father, William, was a delegate to the 1891 Equal Rights Convention in Boston.

He came of age in the Jim Crow era when “separate but equal” kept blacks and whites in different worlds, in the North as well as the South. Breaking the color barrier on a Lowell basketball court was not easy. Bucky Lew was a talented musician—he played a violin solo at his graduation from Lowell High School — an excellent student, and an extraordinary basketball player. According to one of his teammates, he was “the best double dribbler he had ever seen” (double dribbling was legal at the time). A brilliant defensive player, he was always chosen to guard the best player on any opposing team. But when Lew first took the court against white men, his skillful play was met with jeers and racial slurs.

After leading the local YMCA team to a Merrimack Valley championship, he played defense for the Pawtucketville Athletic Club in the New England Basketball League. When the League folded, Lew stayed in the game, working as a player and general manager for his own Lowell-based teams. In 1928, he moved to Springfield. One of the pioneers of basketball, he has never been inducted into the Hall of Fame, located just a few miles from where he spent the last 35 years of his life. Years later “Bucky” Lew reminisced about that first game. On November 2, 1902, his team, Lowell’s Pawtucketville Athletic Club, faced a team from Marlborough. He remembered that his manager was reluctant to let him play against white boys. But Lew was a hometown boy, and “some of the local papers put the pressure on by demanding that they give this little Negro from around the corner a chance to play. Well, at first the team just ignored the publicity. But a series of injuries forced the manager to take me on for the Marlborough game.”

Lew was supposed to be the extra man, and to spend the game sitting on the bench, but then one of the starting players was injured. At first the manager refused to put him in. “He let them play us five on four,” Lew remembered, “but the fans got real mad and almost started a riot, screaming to let me play. That did it. I went in there and you know… all those things you read about Jackie Robinson, the abuse, the name-calling, extra effort to put him down … they’re all true. I got the same treatment and even worse … I took the bumps, the elbows in the gut, knees here and everything else that went with it. But I gave it right back. It was rough but worth it. Once they knew I could take it, I had it made.” This was only the first of Lew’s encounters with racist opponents and fans. “Nobody ever voiced an objection to playing against him as a black player until they played him and he would shut down their best player… Then all of a sudden, they would say, we don’t want to play against a Negro player. They just used that tactic to get him off the court for the next game.”

After Lew played one year with the Lowell team and two years for a Haverhill team, the New England League disbanded. Lew formed and traveled with his own team, playing and coaching, for another 20 years.

Photo and story courtesy of hoopedia.com

2 Corinthians 8:10-11

“and in this, I give advice it is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago, but now you also must complete the doing of it!

What is it about the start of a new year that brings about a renewed sense of hope and causes people to stop and reflect on their life or current situation, why is it that we wait until the start of a new year to set resolutions or goals. Question is it really a new goal if you keep rehashing the same ones over and over again? You know the ones I’m referring to lose weight, save money, better relationships, new job or career, etc.  Maybe it has something to do with the season as many parts of the country are experiencing a deep freeze that forces us indoors where we have time to reflect on our success and shortcomings from the previous year.  I to was among the masses who rode the new year’s resolution merry go round, until 2009 when I shifted my focus and tried a new approach, one that would help me actually achieve some of my goals including the publishing of “An Unsung Coach”

This year if you really want to see a difference in your life and actually accomplish some of the goals you set forth , instead of just  broadly writing your goals down on a piece of paper that eventually ends up in your sock drawer or the trash receptacle make your goals specific how many pounds will you lose by June 30th, how much money will you have saved at the end of 3 months, what type of training or certification do you need to get ahead in your present occupation, then  mentally condition yourself to embrace the philosophy of finishing what you start.  If you make this simple strategic change, you will be well ahead of over 90 Plus percent of the population in reaching your goals.

Transitioning to this philosophy will not be easy, in fact it will require lots of practice and discipline to become a habit, habits are those things we do so often that that they become a part of our normal routine without much thought like driving the same route to work each day, brushing your teeth, watching your favorite television show, but if the goals you desire are worth having they are worth putting in the time and effort to make them a reality. Everyone of us is guilty of starting something we never saw to completion perhaps a new business venture, piecing together your family tree, writing a  new song, going back to school,  and we had every intention of completing it, we were filled with passion and enthusiasm, we researched every detail to the point we experienced sensory overload, then after a few months, we lose steam and eventually move on to something else, often times at the expense of never seeing the benefits of bringing the current project into fruition. In this country we love to boast about how we can multi-task however most successful people, people that have built multi-million dollar corporations or head large corporations will tell you the key to their success were in focusing on one task at a time and seeing it through despite the distractions and excuses.

So as you review your New Year’s list of resolutions and prepare to embark on the journey of making 2010 the year you can’t lose, adopt the principle that has helped me and countless others establish a new definition of success, finish whatever you start and next year at this time when you reflect on the year, you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come and how talented you truly are!

Revelations 3:8

“I know your works. See, I have set before you and open door, and no one can shut it.

Well it’s been over two months since the release of “An Unsung Coach” and the quest to market promote and share the message or as I like to say the ministry of the books contents has been filled with peaks and valleys.  As a novice to the publishing game, I had no idea how difficult it would be to get the book “out there”. Of course the road would be much smoother if I had a major publishing engine paving the way, but alas my works are self published.  I cannot tell you the hundreds of emails, phone calls, and announcements I have sent to  the major networks, publications,  television and radio personalities  many whom claim to care about the community only to receive no or minimal response.  Honestly at times I wonder if it’s all worth it, I thought I was doing what God would have me do and share my testimony  and message of encouragement on how to overcome tremendous odds to create your own definition of success, but why has it been so HARD to get the message out there?

Maybe it’s because I’m not a celebrity, maybe it’s because no one wants to admit there is a problem, borderline epidemic that thousands of young people are pinning their futures on becoming pro-athletes or entertainers to no avail without a back up plan.  Maybe if I spread gossip, or slandered someone’s name, talked about all of the stuff we now call news, I’d become the next great literary sensation with a calendar filled with events and appearances.  I just don’t get it at times I feel like scrapping the whole mission and jumping on the “Give the people what they want” bandwagon.  But this is not who I am,  it’s funny whenever I encounter the detour of self defeat, God will send a friendly, but much needed GPS signal that directs me back to the right road. A couple of days ago, while shopping at the local grocery store, a young girl no older than 10 approached  me , looked up as  if I were a giant standing over 8 feet tall, I suspect from her  point of view  I was as she barely came to my waist and gleefully stated “I remember you, you spoke to my class” I was taken aback , this elementary aged child remembered me coming to her classroom to share the popular TPC principles which I share in the book with her classmates  and that was over eight months ago, coincidentally I also received a wonderful surprise in the mail this week, it was an envelope containing a couple of letters and reviews written by students from the various schools I visited throughout the year,  they had to answer the following question, of all the speakers who visited your class this year who was your favorite and why? They also had to rank the speakers; low and behold I ranked as the number one speaker and the favorite of quite a few.  

These two experiences coupled with recent invites and requests for appearances instantly refueled my spiritual engines to continue with this labor of love.   I leave you with this thought; the results you seek when trying to fulfill your purpose may be slow to come and at times will cause you to question if you are in fact walking in the right direction, but don’t give up, if God gave you the vision press on, an keep your eyes and ears open as the rewards may come in small packages!

March Madness has officially started the time of year when thousands of avid and casual fans are watching each game with the intense focus that serious investors exhibit when watching the ticker symbols scroll across.  Fans are monitoring the results of each game to see if there picks are holding up true to form or if their brackets just went Bust!  Each year I tell myself that I’m not going to watch much of this hype driven hoop frenzy which is strange since I’m a college basketball coach, maybe it’s because at this point of the year I’m experiencing the wear and tear of a long season spent coaching my own squad. Yet the allure of watching the games somehow always creeps into my living room and before you know it, hours have passed and there I sit on the edge of my couch shouting at the television set offering coaching suggestions.

There is no question March Madness represents different things to different sectors of people for many it represents Big Business, just look at the commercials in between games, same for merchandising, while some watch to familiarize themselves with the next generation of NBA stars, others watch because of school pride and lastly the games serve as a temporary diversion from the troubled economy. I on the other hand watch the games for another reason; I enjoy watching a collective group of individuals work together and demonstrate what you can achieve with preparation and Faith, not Luck despite the predictions of the experts. This is the time of the year when millions of fans become familiar with a school or players who have flown under the radar screen for most of the season; we watch them become overnight heroes.  For me the attraction of the games comes down to the unfolding story line “small school over achieves and defeats Big time University” Besides like many Americans I love cheering for the underdog and seeing the “nobody’s of the college basketball world” stick it to the Big Dogs. There’s something exhilarating about watching that happen right before your eyes.  There is also a spiritual principle we can learn through watching the triumphs of the Cinderella’s of the big dance.

I’m referencing a story found in the book of Numbers from the bible, chapter 13 it’s the story of Moses sending out a team of individuals to go and spy a land that was promised to his people, the land was beautiful filled with resources a virtual paradise, however when the team returned the majority came back with a negative story based on Fear (they saw giants) and did not think they could overcome these mighty people to possess the land.  The naysayers spread their message of doubt and unbelief, amongst the rest of the people convincing them to give up their hopes and dreams of a better life, despite seeing evidence to the contrary.  But a couple of the spies came back with a different perspective, yes they saw the same giants the others witnessed, but they still believed they could win they knew they were prepared and the desire to taste victory was a strong enough motivating factor to press on.  Today many of us face are facing scary and tumultuous times filled with uncertainty, yet the will to succeed and not live a life of fear has to be great enough to overcome the negative reports we are constantly bombarded with. I encourage you not to succumb to the reports of the doomsayers. You have to adopt the same philosophy the small programs have that win in the NCAA tournament, when no one else believes in you or gives you a chance, step onto the court of life with confidence and take your best shot!

Oh No! was my initial reaction as the referee made his way to the scorer’s table and signaled the foul on blue # 22, which was his 5^th foul disqualifying my son Michael from the game with 3:03 left on the game clock.  What made this foul tough were the limited options of replacement players to come in and take his place amongst the “Shockers” junior college roster, they were especially scarce at inside players.  Another factor that made this foul and its implication loom large was the fact the team was on the verge of winning their first game of the season.  To the teams credit the remaining players held together and withstood a furious run down the stretch by the home team as they realized the game was getting away from them, as the clock wound down 10, 9, 8, and the final buzzer sounded the players joy of lifting that monkey off their back was all too evident, it was as if they won a championship game. The exuberance was something to behold as these young men along with the coaches and fans breathed a collective sigh of relief of not going 0 for the season i.e. Detroit Lions. You are probably wondering why is winning one game a big deal?  First you have to consider the pain, agony and embarrassment this team experienced to start the season and prior to this game, they were 0-8 and lost most of the games by 20 plus points.  Coincidentally a few days earlier I had a conversation with Mike about the team’s record, which he did not want to discuss and purposely blocked out of his mind, I asked about the teams psyche after starting the season in such a dismal fashion.  He expressed what I already knew and witnessed from the stands; morale was low, the game they loved was no longer fun and despite the season just getting under way it already seemed too long, the players dreaded everything from practice, listening to the coach scream, to the long van rides to some of the most destitute places only to come back with another “L” on their record. 

I’m sure the team that lost to the Shockers on this night all but had this game neatly wrapped and packaged before it started. I can’t say I blame them given the fact that Mike’s team had not won a game and were getting blown out; surely they would not lose to them? To make things more interesting there were some internal conflicts on the Shockers that finally manifested a couple of days before the game. Half of the players on the team quit, they couldn’t take losing so they simply walked away. How is it that people can justify quitting as the best solution, unless you are referring to harmful addictions, is beyond me, I think quitting is a selfish act in most cases but it happens. Those players are alike so many when things get tough and their dreams are deferred; they gave up and quit.  The ironic twist to this story is that some of the remaining players  started the season so far down on the bench you’d need a GPS system to locate them, but they stuck it out. What does that say about their character? As a coach I know the importance of having talent, but I also understand that chemistry is the key ingredient for any team’s success whether you are talking sports or business.  The 8 players who stayed found a common cause and a bond, they competed twice as hard and showed some fight that was clearly lacking in the previous games, they played with something to prove. I was amazed at the 180 degree turn around and determination this small group of players displayed and to see their efforts rewarded with their first win of the season was very emotional. These young men had the chance to experience something the other players who gave up didn’t a victory. What a great affirmation of a life lesson. Success rarely comes to those who lack the toughness and discipline to push through the obstacles and challenges standing in the way of their Goals and Dreams. The Shockers pushed through and on this night walked away Winners!   

“Words can either Inspire or Douse the fire of the Receiver”

                                                                                                                        Tony Price    

    What an amazing feeling I just experienced, as I wiped the sweat from my brow and headed for the exit door. I just wrapped up one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in a while as the guest speaker at a local school in the City of Boston. I was there to speak to the 5^th grade class as part of a program called “If they  made it, so can I” www.theymadeitsocani.org  this program is the divinely inspired creation of a dynamic woman named Patricia Spence and should be replicated throughout the country. The premise of the program is for professional adults to come and share their life story of how they got to where they are today beginning with their own 5^th grade experience.  After a rousing introduction, Pat’s a great hype person and would be great on a hip hop tour, I walked through the classroom door to the amazement of the students who marveled at my height.  I began to address the class and share my story of growing up in Mission Hill one of Boston’s most notorious housing projects, avoiding the pitfalls that rob so many of their potential and share how the 5^th grade was the last time I was in the advance class, because growing up know one explained to me that it was possible to be both smart and cool I also shared my TPC principle’s of Talent, Purpose, Calling.

      There was a young man in the class named Isaiah (not his real name) who inspired to be a pro ball player as did a few others, no surprise as we unfortunately know our young people overwhelmingly think that success is tied to a sports or entertainment career, This brazen young man  sat straight up in his chair and stated to me that he thought he could beat me in a game of one on one, immediately his class mates erupted in laughter they riddled him with jokes and comments about how I would Kill him, even the administrator who  was present at the time mentioned that I was at least 4 feet taller than he, immediately Isaiah’s countenance change and his body language reflected the loss of confidence.  I sprang into action and came to his defense and told him that it’s great he thought he could beat me in a game of basketball, he set his bar of success high, he thought of me as the ultimate challenge. I then followed up with these words “Isaiah it doesn’t matter what others think about your goals and dreams, what matters most is what you believe and if you think you can beat me, don’t let others discourage you”.  Instantly I could see the rush of confidence return. How many of us can relate to what Isaiah experienced? Or perhaps your words discouraged someone else from pursuing their dream.  At the conclusion of my talk, the principal asked if I wouldn’t mind playing basketball with a few of the students in the gym, and though I was clearly not dressed to play, I said of course, because Isaiah would be one of the students who participated, and you know what despite the odds being stacked against me, it was 3 on 1. I had a great time.

   As for Isaiah that young man got game, as he displayed a variety of ball handling skills straight from the And 1 mix tour, along with a consistent jump shot from 15 feet, imagine if he came to the gym having the last words spoken to him be the jokes and comments made by his fellow classmates at the thought of him beating me and I didn’t pick him back up. I think the game would have turned out differently.   As a coach I often remind the athletes in my program that in order for us to achieve our goals, we have to have a strong belief in what we think about ourselves, despite what the critics say, this season we were chosen to finish 7^th in the pre-season polls, however to date we are off to a 2-0 start, here’s hoping we keep believing in the powerful words within that say we can become Champions.  

Sometimes when you are in the midst of watching an historic event unfold, you don’t know what or how to feel, such was the case for me as I watched the culmination of what was nothing short of miraculous, an African-American male became the 44th president of the United States. As the build up to the election approached I could not help but think of how men like D.W. Griffith (Birth of a Nation) must be turning in their graves at what is taking place in their beloved country, while the restless souls of the thousands of nameless people who lost their lives during the middle passage to this country in cargo ships, discarded overboard like trash, those souls of individuals who did nothing wrong except be born with the wrong skin color and were hung from trees or the internal and external wounds inflicted on the freedom riders, how they must have danced and shouted at this monumental occurrence.

In between answering the barrage of text messages I received from my athletes, friends, and family my feelings were put on ice, I wish there was something in me that could produce tears of gladness, but alas there were none, there was just this sense of surreal numbness and a discreet pessimistic eye watching the TV screen as the poll numbers kept streaming by, I was anticipating something or someone to come in and pull the plug on the entire festive moment, any moment someone was going to come on the air and say” wait a minute we have a recall or large numbers of voter fraud have been discovered”  the next president elect is not Barack but John McCain.

 As a black man in my forties, I grew up hearing and thinking there will never be a black person as president of the United States in this lifetime, and until recently that statement was true, outside of the fictitious characters in television and movies, even then I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that an African-American president was something that could actually happen, so what changed? I’ll tell you; the young people of this generation changed, they said enough is enough, they asked the question that many of us never did, if not my generation then when? And they answered the bell, this helped to propel Obama over the top, given his credentials if he were a white male, this race would not have been a race at all, but a large segment of the population could not get past his race, leave it to the youth to show us the way, this generation for all of its criticism stepped up and got to work. “Yes we can” was not just a catchy slogan on a button or t-shirt it was a blue print of how to roll up your sleeves and integrate the small parts into the larger sum. They didn’t want to listen to another sermon, speech or lecture about the pie in the sky fallacy of how one day this country will rise up and come together or how they should be change agents, they made it happen now. Also while I’m at it lets give a loud round of applause to the women of this country who refused to have the Republicans insult their intelligence, by simply placing any woman on the ticket.

As a coach I know there is always a defining moment for any team during the season, the point in the season that reveals the true character of the individuals in the room and determines if we’ll accomplish our goals by sticking together or just play the string out, looking forward to the end.  For the country that defining moment will forever be marked as November 4, 2008.  Barack’s transition to the white house will be met with great challenges, fear for his safety and skepticism that you can be sure, but this country has finally come to the realization that there is nothing inferior about black leadership, and the sports world with the success of the black athlete set the tone for this truth. The recent accomplishments of men like Tony Dungy, and Doc Rivers, showed us all that if given a fair opportunity and the resources needed we can get the job done, and the same will hold true for President Obama. 

2 Timothy 1:7 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

What a powerful sermon the young pastor preached today about that four letter word that begins with “F”.  That special word that has robbed so many of their dreams and evokes such negative emotions the minute you hear it. Of course I’m talking about the word FEAR.  The atmosphere in the church was electrified as the pastor stood on the pulpit exhorting the congregation on ways to overcome their anxiety and how our lives would be greatly enriched once we mastered the technique of tuning out those negative voices in our head. You know that voice the one that comes when you are about to embark on something new and step out of your comfort zone.  That voice that penetrates your subconscious and is begins to discourage you from taking action and moving forward to realize your potential.  It suddenly came to me how often as a coach I’m called upon to help the young athletes in my program get through this paralyzing emotion on a regular basis.  In a competitive sport like basketball there are pressure situations that manifest throughout the contest, particularly during what is known as “crunch time” the end of game moments in which one play or lack thereof could determine the outcome. I think It’s amazing the time many of today’s athletes spend going through rigorous physical training to get their bodies in peak conditioning, yet, spend very little time preparing for the mental challenges of facing and handling pressure situations. Many of these individuals would rather not face the ridicule and scrutiny that’s sure to follow should their efforts fall short, (missed shot at the buzzer) the pressure to perform when it matters most, is scary and a situation many try to avoid.

Below are a few strategies I share with my athletes to help them prepare and overcome FEAR (on and off the courts)

1.At the beginning of the season I have the team write out specific goals they want to achieve for the current season this exercise helps them to set clear, concise and attainable goals it also helps to train their minds to focus on how they will reach their objectives. Many people can envision what they desire, but have difficulty in seeing how to get their dreams to materialize there’s something powerful and unlocking when goals are written. Utilizing visual images (a picture or physical sample) are also effective. For a team you could use a replica championship trophy or banner as the visual. At the beginning of each season I to write down specific goals for the team, This blue print helps me formulate practice plans complete with special situations, specific drills and exercises needed to help the team prepare to face challenges.

2. Another exercise I put the team through is to have them share their goals out loud in a group setting for accountability. I believe if you feel so strongly about obtaining something you want and desire, you should have no problem sharing it publicly. What I often notice is a growing confidence that emerges through this activity as individuals stand up in front of the group to share their goals at first with trepidation that quickly dissipates into strong conviction, after all if they don’t truly believe in what they are saying how can they expect others to? This is important as they begin to paint a picture for the audience to follow.  It’s important to note that I also point out to them that not everyone will share their enthusiasm, or zeal. But they should not let that discourage them. 

3.  I encourage them to face Fear head on, you have to desire something so badly or develop an intense yearning to change your current situation that nothing will hold you back. If there is a particular team I know we have a difficult time matching up with, they may have better athletes or play a particular style that gives us problems (press style defense) I try to get the team to breakdown what they view as insurmountable into manageable parts and learn how to aggressively attack the GIANT. We still may not win the game, but the outcome won’t be as a result of being intimidated.

4. Lastly when all else fails in preparing them to confront their fears my goal is simply just getting them to start the process. You see many people become so paralyzed by fear that they never begin taking actions that will lead to the desired results. By taking some type of action toward a specific goal signals progress this could be as simple as starting an enhanced strength and conditioning program to the memorization of a document filled with motivational quotes or specific drills to improve their individual performance. Just by taking that first step helps quell those feelings of anxiety and doubt.  A Large percentage of individuals never reach their goals and overcome fear, because they never take the first step!

©2008 Tony Price Unlimited LLC

Matthew 10:33 “Who ever denies me before men, I will also deny before my father who is in heaven”

The day has finally arrived the day my daughter finally left home for college,this time of the year thousands of young people are going through this same experience, but what make this case unique is that she’s moving to the campus where I work. Not only will she be a student, but she will also play basketball, the sport her dad coaches, can you see the interesting dynamics that we both tried to avoid? I haven’t coached her since she was 9 years old, but here we are facing a dilemma that is sure to be a challenge for both of us. I’ve already noticed how quickly she like her siblings at various times in the past is trying to distance herself from the connection to her dad. This is a very common occurrence for my children especially my sons, they want to prove that they got to where they are on their own merit and that I had nothing to do with it. The love of a father is critical for the development of young people and I know my children love me and I them even if the words are seldom spoken, and growing up the relationship between my father and I was vastly different than the ones I’ve developed with each of them. So I try to understand their perspective, however its perplexing at times to witness them make every effort to down play their association with their father.

My children have experienced some benefits as a direct result of being my child that others can only dream of, tickets to sporting events complete with locker room access, entrance into social functions, travel and the opportunity to attend one of the best private colleges in the country. My prayer is that one day they’ll learn to appreciate the sacrifices endured to pave the way for them and the respect I’ve earned in doing so; took many years to achieve. This recent experience of helping my daughter move into her dorm room caused me to stop and reflect on the following, how many people are like my children when they experience blessings in their lives, get that opportunity they desired, the promotion at work or financial increase and yet try to distance themselves from the affiliation or connection to the “Heavenly Father”. They place more emphasis on what others may think and crafting the perception of a self made person who made it by their own accord, through hard work , perseverance and talent with little or no assistance. I imagine at times God must feel like I do, proud to see his children mature, gain a sense of independence, enjoying the fruits of his labor and the burdens he bore only to have them do their best to keep their relationship with him private. As a parent it’s my responsibility to provide for my children and I take that commitment seriously and if some perks come along with that, so be it. Hopefully as they continue to grow and develop into productive citizens and one day start families of their own they’ll fully comprehend what it means to have a good name and how important the right associations are in opening doors for the next generation.

©2008 Tony Price Unlimited LLC

“The Impact of seeing positive Black Men”those prophetic words kept ringing in my consciousness as I drove home after completing my second basketball clinic in 3 days. Over a 3 day span I had the pleasure of interacting with 200 inner city youths, teaching, speaking, laughing and having an overall great experience. A common theme ran as an undercurrent while teaching the participants the fundamentals of the game, the importance of them seeing black men in roles that counteracts the media’s constant bombardment of negative portrayal and stereotypes. The awareness of this initiative is nothing new, but it’s value can’t be underestimated. As a basketball coach I was not surprised at the turnout of young people who came to the clinics, as I wrote in an earlier article “Sports The Unspoken Drug of the Black Community” about the powerful stronghold sports has on the community. The role of Sports in the black community is sacred, and too many of our future leaders and change agents think sports or entertainment are the only keys to unlock the doors of opportunities.

Yet there is something mystical that takes place when you are in the midst of these great minds. I can’t really explain it in words, but there is a spirit coupled with a light of internal optimism and trust that shines within their eyes. This is the stage of their lives when they are the most vulnerable, receptive and influenced. I really treasure the girls and young woman who attend the clinics, there will never be a shortage of boys at sports clinic especially basketball, but the importance of having female participation can’t be overlooked, our young sisters have to overcome a lot to participate in sports, many of them want to play but don’t have the opportunities the boys have , they have to avoid the pitfalls of drugs,alcohol and pregnancy, often times they help raise younger siblings, can’t find enough girlfriends interested in sports, not encouraged to play because it will make them too masculine, etc.
Quite a few of these young woman, have no meaningful relationships with their fathers or have been hurt by men they trusted including family members, not just the playa’s, gangstas or thugs. So when I interact with them on the court I make a concerted effort to engage them with the balance of a disciplinarian to motivate them to work harder and not expect anyone to give them preferential treatment because of their gender, and blend that approach with the gentle touch and words of encouragement that comes from a father or uncle,(not ready to be a grandfather yet). This is an opportune time to show them that there are men in the community who love them unconditionally and not trying to “Get at Em”

The longer I’m in the athletics business the greater my appreciation grows and the realization of how blessed I am to be in a position to effectively change the lives of so many ,even if it’s just for a day! I tip my hat to the hundreds of black men who are making a difference in the community with no fan fare or positive media coverage, keeping taking back the community one child at a time, when black men step up and give back the effects on young people are simply Magical!

©2008 Tony Price Unlimited LLC