Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

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 .

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio June 12, 2026
    12 Jun 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss the Delaney Hall immigration jail in New Jersey. Detainees have been on hunger strike in protest of inhumane conditions, and protests and arrests have taken place…
  • Delaney Hall
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Delaney Hall Immigration Jail, U.S. Human Rights Abuses, and the World Cup
    12 Jun 2026
    Delaney Hall is an immigration jail located in Newark, New Jersey. It has been the focal point of protests ever since it reopened last year, with detainee escapes, a hunger strike, and further…
  • World Cup
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Black Alliance for Peace Calls for a Boycott of the World Cup
    12 Jun 2026
    The Black Alliance for Peace and other organizations have called for a boycott of the 2026 World Cup being held in the United States. Before any matches were played, the U.S. banned players, fans,…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    The Obama Center is a Monument to the More Effective Evil
    10 Jun 2026
    Barack Obama bailed out the banks, deported millions, and devastated nations and millions of people through wars of aggression. The $850 million Obama Center is a monument to his role as the "more…
  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: All the World’s a Ball, Eduardo Galeano, 1998
    10 Jun 2026
    “Professional soccer does everything to [destroy] that energy of happiness, but it survives in spite of all the spites.”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us