Black Athletes and Handguns: What Up with That?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Shaun Rogers, a Defensive Tackle for the Cleveland Browns, was fined $400,000 by the league for violating its personal conduct policy. Rogers was caught carrying a loaded gun inside an airport. The fine represents approximately 1/17th of his $6.9 million salary.
Some would say that Rogers got off easy, since it would have been no surprise to see him either suspended or sent to jail. The player was caught carrying a loaded semi-automatic handgun in his carry-on bag at Hopkins International Airport. There's no indication regarding whether or not he realized that TSA agents actually have the ability to see inside of someone's luggage with their x-ray machine. It's hard to imagine what he might have been thinking.

Click to read.

Son of Black NFL Coach Arrested for Child Porn Possession

Jeremy Green, son of former NFL coach Dennis Green, has been arrested in Connecticut on a charge related to child pornography. Jeremy Green is also an ESPN analyst. He was picked up Thursday around 5 p.m. in a Southington hotel. He is charged with possession of child pornography, possession of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is being held on $750,000 bond and police are not releasing details of the warrant, which is now sealed. He has worked with ESPN since 2005.
Jeremy's father, Dennis Green, was one of the most successful African American coaches in the history of the NFL. His 1998 run with the Minnesota Vikings led to a 15-1 record for the team, and the most points scored by any NFL team during any one season. The team made it to the NFC Championship game that year, led by Randy Moss and other great players the team had that year.

Click to read.

Why Lebron James Needs to Go to Miami

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

I wanted to make a quick note on why LeBron James should and probably will end up playing for the Miami Heat.  Now that his homeboys Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade have decided to play together, LeBron has a choice of either joining the club or fighting it.  While Chicago, New York and New Jersey provide viable options for James, the truth is that James probably sees the kind of empire he could build in Miami with two great players who are equally committed to winning. 

Chris Bosh reportedly gave up $30 million to play in Miami, which argues that he is a man of principle.  Wade is also a proven winner, known for going above and beyond when necessary to find a way to win.  These are the guys that LeBron would want to play with, and these are NOT the guys he'd like to play against.

My prediction?  LeBron ends up in Miami and a dynasty begins.

Here are a couple of other possibilities:

Click to read

Son of Dallas Police Chief Allegedly Kills a Cop

Suge Knight, Kanye West: Lawsuit, Guns and Money

• It appears that Kanye West and the infamous Marion "Suge" Knight are getting together to work out ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 6:36PM | Comments (0)

How Love and Money Mix and How You Can Do it the Right Way

• I did the interview below on CNN Radio this week about love and money. Most of us know the feeling ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 4:45PM | Comments (1)

Black Single Mothers and Dating: What's It Really Like?

• In this episode of 'Dr Boyce Watkins on AOL Black Voices,' we discuss black single mothers ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 3:54PM | Comments (0)

Should Facebook Be Held Accountable for Murders by Members?

• A man was sent to prison after he did the unthinkable: He pretended to be a teenager, lured a young ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 3:42PM | Comments (1)

Rev. Al Sharpton and Dr. Boyce Discuss the Plight of the Black Male

• Every week, I speak with Rev. Al Sharpton on various issues that affect the African American ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 9:45AM | Comments (6)

Obama's Fatherhood.gov Commercial: Too Feminine for Black Men?

• On Father's Day, I wrote about the immense thrill of being a dad. This is one of the reasons I ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 9:30AM | Comments (8)

BP Chooses a Black Man to Head its Claims Process

• "BP is paying all the bills right now," Darryl Willis, the vice president of resources for BP ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 7:50AM | Comments (1)

Son of Dallas Police Chief Suspected in Killing a Cop

• Investigators are saying that the 27-year-old son of Dallas Police Chief David Brown shot and ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 8:38PM | Comments (2)

Rapper Fat Joe Detained for Alleged Sexual Assault

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices

The rapper Fat Joe was detained by police Sunday night after he and his entourage were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Madison, Wisconsin. According to TMZ, the woman is 33-years old and claims the assault occurred in a Cadillac Limousine after a concert at the Orpheum Theater.

Fat Joe (a.k.a.Joseph Antonio Cartagena) and his entourage were held for questioning, but he was released and not arrested. The details of the case are still being sorted out in the investigation. Relative to most artists, Fat Joe doesn't get into very much trouble. The 39-year old married father of two has not, to my knowledge been accused of any sexual assault, so I'd be surprised if he waited this long to get started. He has been arrested in some of the typical rapper non-sense in the past: In 1998, he and the deceased rapper Big Pun were arrested for assaulting a man with a baseball bat and stealing his gold chain. I'm not even going to try to explain that one.

 

Click to read

Dr. Boyce Watkins argues for NCAA Reform

Dr. Boyce Watkins - The Institute of Black Public Policy

I wrote about a new book regarding the NCAA’s alleged exploitation of black athletes, written by University of Georgia Professor Billy Hawkins. In his recently-released book, “The New Plantation,” Hawkins goes out of his way to help us understand that the method by which the NCAA does business is not much different from the mindset of plantation owners of the old south.

The analogies used by Professor Hawkins are thought-provoking and appear to be alarmist at first glance. After all, citizens are commonly comparing nearly every modern-day injustice to slavery in order to make a dramatic point. But in this case, the analogies are appropriate, in large part because slavery is not a dichotomy. Instead, it is actually a continuum, with complete freedom on one end and total servitude on the other. One could even argue that slaves themselves were not completely devoid of freedom, since they could have always chosen to run away, buy their freedom, maim themselves or even commit suicide as a way to escape their condition. The point of this very grim example is not to say that slavery was not entirely horrific; rather, it is to say that something does not have to be entirely horrific to be compared to slavery.

Click to read

Slim Thug Attempts to Defend His Comments about Black Women

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices

Many of you may already know about the "interesting" comments made by the rapperSlim Thug, and his frustration about the lack of loyalty among black women. His comments were met with resistance by myself and Dr. Marc Lamont Hill from Columbia University, who gave him the stable advice to keep his mouth shut. I say that "Slim Thugga" needs to be quiet, not because he's wrong, but because this is a battle he can't win and still sell records. Getting every black woman in America to hate you is simply not good for business. Even Talib Kweli, a fellow hip hop artist, had something to say about Slim Thug's remarks.

On his twitter page, Slim Thug went out of his way to try to protect his image in the face of all the backlash:

Click to read

Reggie Wayne, NFL Star - Mistress Takes Credit Cards

AOL Black Voices

NFL star Reggie Wayne is finding out the hard way that giving your credit card number out to anyone may not be such a good idea. Wayne, who is married, is suing his ummm, girlfriend Natasha McKenzie. In the affidavit, Wayne is alleging that McKenzie did it big on Wayne's credit card without asking his permission.

As the story goes, McKenzie, who is 26 years old, just needed Wayne's credit card for a "few little things," like paying her cell phone bill and buying a plane ticket. She was allegedly going to buy the ticket to come and visit Wayne to spend "quality time" with him. To Reggie's surprise, Natasha and her friends "got a little jiggy" with the credit card and charged up $95,000 worth of "necessities." Actually, there were 333 necessities on her list, which is the number of charges she allegedly made to the account.

Reggie originally took the charges to police in April. He has had the uncomfortable challenge of keeping this information from his wife. McKenzie claims that Wayne knew about the charges all along, and that she is only being scapegoated because either his wife found out about her or he has moved on to another mistress. Either way, this entire situation is a little bit strange. Wayne is not the only athlete to be taken for big money as the result of an affair. Tiger Woods allegedly paid millions to keep some of his mistresses quiet.

 

Click to read

Officer Taped Spraying Black Man in the Face

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

I am not quite sure what to make of the ruffled YouTube video that is now scouring the web out of Paterson, New Jersey. In the video, the woman filming, who mentions that her mother works in the sheriff's office, is taping a New Jersey police officer holding a black man to the ground. The man clearly has his hands behind his back and appears to be restrained.

As the woman videos the incident from a distance, the officer inexplicably grabs the man, turns him around and puts pepper spray into his eyes. He appears to do it twice.

 

Click to read

Singer Brian McKnight Ruled to Pay $341,000 in Child Support

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

It appears that the singer Brian McKnight is now a not-so-proud father. Well, the child isn't exactly a baby either. According to TMZ, the child is a 14-year old that Brian hasn't exactly claimed to be his own. Well, whether McKnight chooses to address the child as his own or not, a Florida judge has ruled that Brian must now take financial responsibility for the child. The amount owed? $341,640, which comes out to just over $2,000 per month for every month since the child was born.

The mother of the child, Miriam Lee, took Brian McKnight to court to establish paternity last year. Why she waited so long to do so is not clear. From this point on, the singer is responsible for making child support payments in the amount of $11,388 per month. The ruling was a default judgment, since McKnight was not in court and didn't respond to the woman's claim of paternity.

Click to read

The Latest from Dr Boyce Watkins on AOL - 6/12/10

NBA Gets High Marks for Diversity in Annual Report Card

• According to Professor Richard Lapchick, author of the recent Racial and Gender Report Card for ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 12th 2010 11:20AM | Comments (0)

Obama's "Angry Black Man" Criticism: Isn't He Also Half White?

• In light of all of the interesting analysis that others have done regarding why President Barack ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 9th 2010 9:36PM | Comments (34)

CNN Asks Why Black Men Are Not Graduating From College

• Richelle Carey at CNN Headline News recently reached out to me to find out why black men aren't ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 5th 2010 4:24PM | Comments (32)

Dwyane Wade Given Temporary Custody of His Sons

• NBA star Dwyane Wade's divorce just got a little uglier. This week, the court gave Wade custody ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 4th 2010 8:51AM | Comments (33)

Could LeBron James' Mother Rumors Push Him Out of Cleveland?

• The world seems to be buzzing incessantly about the statements made by former NBA great Calvin ... Read More
• By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on May 24th 2010 10:41PM | Comments (4)

 

Slim Thug and his comments about black women continue to get the artist into trouble.  Is he going to lose big money because of this?

News: NBA Gets a Good Diversity Report Card

 

To view the entire report card for the NBA on race and gender, Please click here

 

Highlights from the Report (released by the press representative for the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport):

 

· In the NBA, 82 percent of the players were people of color, remaining constant from last year’s totals. This ties the highest percentage of players of color since the 1994-95 season. The percentage of African-American players also remained constant from last year’s report at 77 percent. The percentage of Latinos and Asians remained constant, at three and one percent respectively. The percentage of international players stayed steady as well at 18 percent.

Click to read

 

Visit our Other Blogs and Join Our Family!

African American News

Black Celebrity News

Syracuse University

Your Black World

Black Scholars Blog

Black Political Blog

Black News Blog

Scholarship in Action at Syracuse University

The Whitman School of Management

Follow us on Twitter!

Teenage Boy Beaten by Police in Indianapolis

The Latest

Brandon Johnson: 15-Year Old Boy Beaten by Police in Indianapolis

• Indianapolis Police Chief Paul Ciesielski called for the firing of a white officer who's been ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 11th 2010 1:25AM | Comments (1)

OJ Simpson Fights to Get a New Trial in Nevada

• OJ Simpson's attorneys are planning to try to convince a group of Nevada judges to overturn his ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 10th 2010 11:58PM | Comments (0)

Oscar Grant Trial Has No Black Jurors

• On New Year's day of 2009, Oscar Grant was shot in Oakland, California. The shooter was a Bay ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 10th 2010 6:58PM | Comments (8)

How To Fight Like A Celebrity!

• From the Urban Daily: Have you ever noticed that celebrities always have beef, but never actually ... Read More
• By Lucette Jefferson on Jun 10th 2010 5:50PM | Comments (1)

Around the Web -- Jay-Z in Rolling Stone, Drake Was Rihanna's 'Pawn'? + More

• In his third Rolling Stone cover article, Jay-Z speaks on aging gracefully in a youth-oriented ... Read More
• By Journey Ade on Jun 10th 2010 5:45PM | Comments (2)

Talib Kweli vs. Slim Thug on the Black Women Issue

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

A note to Slim Thug: You probably just need to be quiet for a while. It's not to say thatyour comments about black women were outside your rights to freedom of speech, but if you keep dissing the audience most likely to go out and buy your records, you are probably going to end up in the same poorhouse as MC Hammer. Don't get me wrong, black men love your music (at least I do), but the bottom line is that brothers don't buy albums, books, or anything else put up for sale. But when black women turn on you, it's a wrap son. Settle down and go back to the studio; it's good for your financial health.
I wrote yesterday about the comments made by Slim Thug regarding how he perceives white women to be a better dating choice than black women, as well asColumbia Professor Marc Lamont Hill'sresponse to Slim Thug's words. It seems that the debate has taken a life of it's own, now that rapper Talib Kweli has joined the conversation. In a recent essay he wrote for Vibe Magazine, Talib Kweli was ever the diplomatic artist, as he showed respect for Slim Thug, but also expressed his own concerns for his colleague's remarks about black women:

Click to read.

To read more about the debate regarding Slim Thug’s comments about black women, click here.

The Latest News from AOL Black Voices - 5/24/10

Financial Lovemaking: Does Tiger's Wife Deserve $750 Million?

• Let's be clear: Tiger Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren will probably not have her request for $750 ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on May 24th 2010 5:38PM | Comments (0)

Lil Kim Reportedly Signs With Jay-Z: Top Black Business Links

• ♦Lil Kim Reportedly Signs To Jay-Z's Roc Nation Label In the midst of trying to revive her ... Read More
• By Alexis Stodghill on May 24th 2010 4:59PM | Comments (1)

VIDEO -- Wiz Khalifa 'Kid Frankie'

• Hey Wiz Khalifa, that sure is a big lighter you've there. What else would we expect from the ... Read More
• By BVX Staff on May 24th 2010 3:45PM | Comments (0)

Vivica A. Fox and Mike Epps Headline 'Love Chronicles' Sequel

• Black Voices has learned that Melee Entertainment will be releasing the anticipated urban drama ... Read More
• By Wilson Morales on May 24th 2010 3:30PM | Comments (1)

Black and Missing: Have You Seen This Person?

• Latoya Renea Grissom Case Type: Endangered Date of Birth: February 6, 1982 Missing Date: ... Read More
• By Jeff Mays on May 24th 2010 2:19PM | Comments (1)

Lena Horne's Style Legacy and How to Recreate it Yourself

• With her passing this month at the age of 92, Lena Horne leaves behind a legacy of ... Read More
• By Katie Hintz-Zambrano on May 24th 2010 2:00PM | Comments (0)

6 Steps to (Help) Win Your Discrimination Lawsuit

• If U.S. Senate hopeful Rand Paul has doubts about the federal government's responsibility to ... Read More
• By R.L. Nave on May 24th 2010 1:30PM | Comments (1)

The BV Cannes Film Festival Best Dressed List

• Over the last two weeks, every major fashion house and the Hollywood starlets they love to dress ... Read More
• By Qianna Smith on May 24th 2010 1:23PM | Comments (1)

Mother Who Beat, Bound and Gagged Babies Arrested

• Erica Monique Henry, the young mom whose 4-month-old and 18-month-old babies were found last ... Read More
• By Ruth Manuel-Logan on May 24th 2010 1:05PM | Comments (2)

Has Reality TV Become Black Women's Enemy?

• From The Root: Remember the ''real'' housewife named Sheree? Whose only claim to fame is that she ... Read More
• By Lucette Jefferson on May 24th 2010 1:00PM | Comments (4)

Michael Jackson Fans to Spend Night With Possessions‎

• Michael Jackson was a huge sensation the world over, but he was especially famous in Japan. As ... Read More
• By Ruth Manuel-Logan on May 24th 2010 12:39PM | Comments (1)

'Memphis,' 'Fences,' Viola Davis, Montego Glover Win Drama Desk Awards

• The critically acclaimed musical 'Memphis' was the big winner at the 55th annual Drama Desk Awards ... Read More
• By Wilson Morales on May 24th 2010 11:50AM | Comments (0)

Legend of the Fall-Offs -- 10 Washed-Up Black Actors

• Since black Hollywood is but so big, we treasure our African American actors, like Denzel ... Read More
• By Alvin Blanco on May 24th 2010 11:30AM | Comments (2)

Is Chris Brown Color Struck?

• Tons of celebs use Twitter to express their thoughts at any given time. A few of these very ... Read More
• By Ruth Manuel-Logan on May 24th 2010 10:46AM | Comments (49)

Jamaica News: Kingston Under Siege, Extradition Warrant Signed for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke

• Embattled Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding declared a state of emergency in Kingston and ... Read More
• By Denise Campbell on May 24th 2010 10:20AM | Comments (3)

Teacher Uses Obama Assassination as Geometry Example

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

A teacher in Alabama apparently takes his geometry lessons a little too seriously. A high school math teacher was teaching his students about angles and used the assassination of President Barack Obama as his teaching example.
The Secret Service was alerted and the teacher was questioned by federal agents. He was not taken in to custody or charged with a crime.
"We did not find a credible threat," said Roy Sex ton, special agent in charge of Birmingham's Secret Service office. As far as the Secret Service is concerned, we looked in to it, we talked to the gentleman and we have closed our investigation."
The teacher was explaining the use of angles by describing where you would stand if you wanted to aim and shoot Obama.

 

Click to read

What? Did Matt Lauer Have an Affair with Whitney Houston's Sister?

Popular 'Today' show host Matt Lauer and his wife of 12 years, Annette, have split. Word on the street is that when Lauer was in Vancouver covering the Winter Olympics, he allegedly "bumped Uggs" with Whitney Houston's half-sister, Alexis Houston.

Houston, who also dabbles in music as a singer/songwriter/producer, met Lauer on the set of his show back in 2007. She accompanied Dionne Warwick, who had sung one of her hits for a segment on marriage. Reportedly, Warwick and the show's producers had some friction before the segment aired, and Houston squashed it. Lauer was apparently impressed with how Houston handled her cousin, sources toldHollyscoop.

Click to read

Bob Johnson's Wife is Ashamed of BET

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Thirty years ago, with $15,000 dollars in seed money and another $500,000 in bank loans, Sheila Crump Johnson and her ex-husband, Bob Johnson founded Black Entertainment Television. Since that time, the couple has earned over $1 billion dollars from their tiny investment, and BET is a household name. They sold the company to Viacom in 2000 for $1.3 billion, making them richer than Oprah Winfrey.

Now, the 60-year old woman who founded the company with her husband says that she is ashamed of the channel:
"Don't even get me started," says Mrs. Johnson. "I don't watch it. I suggest to my kids that they don't watch it... I'm ashamed of it, if you want to know the truth."

Johnson goes on to admit that BET may be contributing to the spread of AIDS in the black community by promoting raunchy, unprotected sex in rap music videos.
"When we started BET, it was going to be the Ebony magazine on television," Johnson told The Daily Beast. "We had public affairs programming. We had news... I had a show called Teen Summit, we had a large variety of programming, but the problem is that then the video revolution started up... And then something started happening, and I didn't like it at all. And I remember during those days we would sit up and watch these videos and decide which ones were going on and which ones were not. We got a lot of backlash from recording artists...and we had to start showing them. I didn't like the way women were being portrayed in these videos."

 

Click to read

Tiger Makes His First TV Appearance

Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University

Tiger Woods chose ESPN and the Golf Channel as the venues for his first interviews, since his sex scandal began four months ago. He gave the interviews with the requirement that they be only five minutes long.
"If you limit it to five minutes, when you account for structure, there's not much time to get into anything, which is probably best," said Syracuse University professor and pop culture expert Robert Thompson.
Woods had to be careful to ensure that the interviews were done in a such a way that they did not overshadow the PGA event being played this weekend. Woods has been able to transcend the game of golf in ways that no player in history has been able to accomplish. His presence (or lack thereof) can make or break a golf tournament's financial outcome.
"We really had two main things that were most important," said an ESPN spokesman. "No. 1, no restrictions on questions, and No. 2, we chose the interviewer."

 

Click to Read

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Are these McDonald's Ads Racist?

CNN just called me for an appearance on American Morning.  They wanted to know if I think that these McDonald's ads are racist.   Please watch them and tell me what you think:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YRcBTq6T4A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBq7Ver15IA