Why

Though the posts of IDB have not delved much into our personal lives, I feel that this would be an appropriate first. As I embark on some major changes in the coming weeks, I hoped to share a little bit about myself. I must warn all that there will be some thoughts that go beyond the scope of sports, but they are a part of why this art, this business... this game holds so much meaning.

Back in 2000, when IDB version 1 was born, I was bringing the musical heat, even though I knew much, much more about the sports side of the show. From my earlier days in high school until the summer of 2001, I was working my way into the music industry in hopes of getting my own piece of the entertainment industry pie. A big part of this was because during the nineties, the music DID speak to me. Before suburbanites fell in love with Eminem, Jay-Z and Kanye West, I walked in 2Pac's shoes, defending his name when my fellow New Yorkers lambasted his Western locale (don't get me rolling on that). Before the Ying-Yang Twins dirtied up the airwaves, the only notable rap tandem to me was Mr. Cheeks and Freeky Ty of the Lost Boyz. And yes, the post-grunge era of rock picked up where rap left off in Las Vegas and Los Angeles when 'Pac and BIG were gunned down. It stayed real to me for many personal and family trials and tribulations. I also felt that in that time, I wouldn't have had a shot in the sports biz. I was possibly more passionate about it than the people that were picked ahead of me in Little League. Well, I was also better than most of those kids, but that's besides the point. I didn't know that the sports business would have a place for me; a young black male who actually didn't play many organized sports, but dug as deep as possible to know what the game was all about.

When marcellus sexington and myself started IDB, the change had started to take hold. While mr. sexington can elaborate on his expertise, I figured out that at least for four years, I could kick my knowledge as well as encourage others to do just that. After all, this blog exists because we have our own thoughts, opinions and realities to kick. Intelligent sports? There is such a thing, believe it or not. Because of the show, I had decided to build upon my media and business experiences during the years in college wherever I could. Scheduling and engineering live game broadcasts, interviewing prominent journalists, networking with media personalities, building 24-7 programming, etc. All of this coming from a kid who was elected to be Music Director after one semester on the air. Could I be on the air, on TV or in print? Could I be director of marketing or team operations, or even stadium operations? An agent?

I had heard the stories about how in the black community, the youth shouldn't have to limit their opportunities to just music or sports or the drug game. I was told many times that I should be a doctor, lawyer, teacher or businessman in something 'respectable', that I have too much intelligence and education to just be in the entertainment biz. And of course, we have dire statistics and realities to remind/scare us. As I recently explained to a MBA alum, there is much more to the game than the play itself, however, it seems that our global society has blended Hollywood scandal with Alex Gibbs' teachings of barely-legal offensive line blocks. And blended them too much. Just as the ACLU would argue the need for separation between church and state, I believe that there should be a separation between hype and heart. If we can keep the sensationalism away from the game itself as much as possible, maybe fans can enjoy the game as they should. Yet, in that statement, it's difficult to do so. As the late Ralph Wiley once said, sports in many ways did what boycotting, picketting and lobbying couldn't during the civil rights movement. Fair or not, no one paid attention to the plight of blacks until a significant figure showed his travails. Robinson showing the tallest example and Ali being the most vocal. In terms of rights in sports, Oscar Robertson, Reggie Jackson, even Spencer Haywood to a lesser extent. And thousands more of examples. That is my greatest motivation to be in this business. Understanding this, how could I not want to provide such a great service to my communities; racial, economical, local, national and global? And I have bounds of respect for any profession so long as the benefits are greater than the harms. Coming up, my parents raised me to do one thing: hustle hard at what you want to do. You're reading about a kid who used to design logos, uniforms and stadia for imaginary leagues and teams. The kid that read those press releases about the uniform changes and track the history of franchises to see where they were in the past (and why the frequent moves). As I became older, I found out there is much more to the game than the game itself... and how I wish it was still just a game.

So this was my explanation to my darling girlfriend when she asked me about my aspirations coming out of college. Why sports means so much to me, the adult male version. And though leaving New York for the West Coast proves to be the greatest dare in this truth-or-dare life I lead, I know this to never change, wherever I go.

Say What?!?!: Barry Bonds will represent the USA in next year's World Cup for baseball. Start counting the days until MLB itself tries to circumvent this. I must say that THIS will be sheer comedy.