Sports Talk with Spider: Ownership is the only way

By Donald “Spider” Willis

While watching professional sport I realize that African-American athletes are still dominating their perspective sports. They are jumping over cars, making game-winning shots and running faster than ever before.

They are told by parents, coaches, girlfriends, advisers and others who want in on the American dream that they are the man. No, they are not the man just young men entertaining fans and corporations each week with their fetes. Their careers are now shortening from six years to four years and the contracts are not guaranteed while the injuries will continue to linger in their body before the first Social Security check.

The owners of the NFL, NBA, and MLB, are reaping financial monies that will be in their families for generations from the player’s heroics on the football field. The TV contracts, sponsorships packages, corporate suites, licensing agreements, and other business ventures makes these guys billionaires. They are the” man” as they build wealth and groom their sons and daughters to take over the family business in the future.

As the NFL lockout ended July 25, the owners got what they wanted and the players got hoodwinked again. Did the players get what they wanted? I say no, because the players never considered being owners someday. Their mindset is I got my cars, house, jewelry, tattoos and they are invincible.

The NFL Players Association and owners agreed on a 10-year collective bargaining agreement, but didn’t implement some type of policy during the 10 years where an African-American majority owner will be in place by 2022. Both parties should have agreed on creating a NFL committee of retired players, investors, financial institutions and others to have a minority investment team in position when a team comes up for sale or expansion.

The good “ole boy” system of the NFL have not embraced African-American owners as serious players because that would disrupt their country club setting. Neither the NFL players association nor their financial advisers seems interested in life after football and the mainstream media doesn’t write articles or blogs on the subject.
　
African-Americans players has made the NFL billions of dollars since Marion Motley played his first game in 1946 when he was called some of the racist names you could imagine. A league where 71 percent of the players are African-American and no minority owner is an embarrassment for a league that implemented the Rooney Rule. The rule requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation opportunities.
　
The NBA made history by endorsing BET mogul Bob Johnson has the first African-American owner when he purchased the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004, and sold the majority stake to Michael Jordan in February 2010.

Hip-Hop artists such as Usher and Jay-Z have minority ownership with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Jersey Nets and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson recently sold his minority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to pursue the opportunity to own his own team.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the players have now settled their lockout issues and should do the right thing and come into the 21st century and have an African-American owner before the next lockout.

You can listen to Dallas-area resident Donald “Spider” Willis on Sport Talk with Spider each Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. CST on fishbowlradionetwork.com For suggestion and topics call 469-335-6668 or email dwillisdw@yahoo.com