“Nero fiddled as Rome burned.” – Unknown
EL BARRIO, BRONX – Wow! What a week. Seriously! If I could write every day, I would. That’s the level of news out there on the streets. Your Deacon Blaber has a locked and loaded sports bully pulpit for today. In my sights: The quiet glee we’re all getting from watching the NFL squirm as their fearless leader and sheriff goes AWOL… The issue of Adrian Peterson and corporal punishment… And how this all of this ties… into Women’s Soccer. Yup, believe it or not it does. If we believe in gender equality, then a women’s soccer player can be just as big a dirt-bag as any male athlete.
Sheriff Roger Goodell is in hiding and the NFL has hired a dream team of women directors to help clean up the league and it image. If you hear a loud, full-belly evil super-villain “Muahahahaha” echoing across the city, that is probably yours truly and the rest of us enjoying the show. After all his tough talk, seeing Goodell exposed is beautiful thing. I, for one, was so sick of his smug, self-righteous behavior that I am laughing at every newspaper I see. #GoodellMustGo has me silently weeping tears of joy. It’s also amusing that the teams themselves have no leadership from the league. Arizona is about to lose its back-up running back to a domestic abuse charge only to replace him with a guy that two of his own domestic abuse charges. And still, no advice from the league. Same goes for Carolina and Greg Hardy, as well as Ray McDonald and the Niner’s. The emperor has disappeared like the coward he is.
One of the stars of the NFL caught up in this [s]witch-hunt is Adrian “All-Day” Peterson. But before I go on, watch this video:
That kid and his “I don’t know? Can you?!” disgusts me every time. He needs a whoopin’! I remember getting a verbal dressing down from my mom for only asking “Yes mom?” when she called and not actually going to her. I was told this was my first and only warning. I knew what would come next. This may be a cultural thing; like the book on the right (the one I saw advertised on a garbage can in Harlem) suggests. Question: Is corporal punishment as parental discipline only a black and minority thing? Possibly. I don’t know. I only have my experience and that of my friends as a baseline. Here is why I believe AP ‘ain’t do a damn thing wrong and people need to let him be:
1) You say you want these men to be fathers to their children and that is exactly what he is doing, checking his kid.
2) This is how maybe half of the population was raised, so it isn’t barbaric. In order for it to be abuse there must be an acceptable standard, no?
3) My first job was flipping hot dogs at a Nathan’s in Yonkers. As I am at the grill one afternoon, I hear a mom pleading (like literally saying “Can you please behave so I can order?”) and begging her kids to behave. I thought, is she really saying please? Later that day, I see a couple come in and there boy is acting up, the mom goes “You’re going to behave or else!” The kid straightens up immediately. I thought to myself, that kid has seen “or else” and he doesn’t want to see it again.
4) My old co-worker Kwasi and his son Kwasi Jr. go to the gym together occasionally. Kwasi likes to find out Jr.’s weight and then bench press it. He finishes 5 reps and then tells his son “Anytime you think you are too grown to listen to me, remember that.”
5) Finally, the last whooping I got, I was 17. I thought I could get loud with my mom, my dad hopped up from reading the paper and showed me he’s still got that power in his hands.
I have also been woken up with a whooping because I knew I had done wrong and hoped that if I was asleep, I would escape it. No such luck… nor for my bro, who got dragged out of the shower in an attempted escape.
I say this with pride because my dad is in the hospital now recovering from an aneurysm. My brother and I look at him and remember all the trouble we caused and the whoopings he dealt out and at no point do we feel it was undeserved. It was a key part in making us the responsible adults we are today. I know the MTM Moral Talisman that is Angry Ward will disagree but I have always been one with a great amount of moral flexibility (name what movie that is from!), so I am not bothered.
Finally, let’s draw a comparison and expose a hypocrisy. There is a pro women’s soccer league in this country. Yeah, we forgot it too. Getting beyond that, one of their star players is still playing – despite an ongoing domestic abuse case. Seattle Reign Goalkeeper Hope Solo (no relation to Hans) is alleged to have assaulted her nephew and her half-sister. The story goes:
Earlier this year, Solo was accused of physically attacking her 17-year-old nephew and half sister in their home during a drunken disagreement (the nephew tried to fend her off with a broom). When she was ejected from the home, she hopped a fence and circled around to an unlocked sliding door, re-entering against their wishes. She’s plead “not guilty” to two gross misdemeanor charges.
Neil Buethe, the US Soccer Director’s response?
“We are aware that Hope is handling a personal situation at the moment,” Buethe told USA Today last month. “At the same time, she has an opportunity to set a significant record that speaks to her hard work and dedication over the years with the National Team. While considering all factors involved, we believe that we should recognize that in the proper way.”
So basically, “Srew this kid and his mom. The kid probably started it!”
Solo is still starting for the Reign and is the 1st-choice keeper for the USA as they go through qualifying for the next Women’s World Cup. Yup, she is representing ‘Murika on the world stage.
Hence, the US Soccer director’s response.
Imagine if the NFL had international competition and still chose AP. The pitchforks would be out. Will we see flyovers at Reign games or National team games? And before anyone wants to cut Solo slack, she has history as a troublemaker. She famously lambasted her coach in the press when she was benched for a semi-final in the 2007 Olympics. She followed that up by basically saying she would have done a better job after the USA was knocked out. She also created a tabloid firestorm by talking about the sex romp that the athletic village becomes during Olympics and how she snuck in some celebs. Remember she represents America and is a role model to young girls. Where is N.O.W. when you need them? MIA like Goodell. Damn shame, I tell you. Damn shame.
I want to thank my fiancé, the always lovely Jayquelin for sending me the Hope Solo piece. Although I recommended she start checking out the site, so I should also thank myself.
That is it for now, hope you enjoyed the article and hope to hear from you below.
P.s… If you want to read more of my ramblings as a Rugby Guy, you can find them on RugbyWrapUp.com and our Facebook Rugby Wrap Up Page and follow us on Twitter @RugbyWrapUp and @JunoirBlaber, respectively.
And as always, stay low and keep pumping those legs.
