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Richard Sherman—The DB, Muhammad Ali, and the NFL
Rev. Reynard N. Blake Jr
29 Jan 2014
🖨️ Print Article

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!

 

Reverend Reynard N. Blake, Jr., M. S. is an ordained Baptist minister living in East Lansing, Michigan with his wife Karen Kelly-Blake, Ph.D., Research Associate, Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU). He earned his Master of Science degree in Community Development-Urban Studies from MSU and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the College of Charleston (SC). He has co-authored several articles on faith-based community development and is also a poet and hip-hop cultural analyst whose work have appeared on Black Commentator, Michigan Family Review, Op-ED.com, the Online Journal of Urban Youth Culture and Black Agenda Report. He is putting on the final touches on a book of political parody and poetry; no publisher yet.  He would appreciate any input on where and how he can get it published. He can be reached at reynardblakejr@yahoo.com .

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