AS America’s sports culture is daily laid lower by America’s gang culture, perhaps the most appalling part of it all is that there still is no shortage of eager promoters of the gangsta life among those holding the highest positions in sports.
This past Saturday, ESPN’s Web site was among many news entities to report the murder, the day before, of Herman Mitchell.
Mitchell, from Houston, was a star high school linebacker who had committed to play, next year, for the University of Oklahoma. He was shot multiple times, according to police, in a street hassle with another teen. Shot dead at 17.
But let’s face it; such stories have become so common they make small and fleeting news outside their immediate regions. The next one’s coming – here, there and everywhere – any minute.
Four days after ESPN reported Mitchell’s murder, the network proudly announced that its big, Saturday night, prime-time college football schedule on ABC would be accompanied by the work of gangsta rapper Curtis Jackson, street named 50 Cent. That’s right, 50 Cent, ESPN was happy to report, has been engaged by the network to write “special lyrics” that will serve as ABC’s “Saturday Night College Football” opening.
ESPN/ABC’s press release reads that 50 Cent “has taken the street culture by storm.” But I’ll bet that none of the champs who selected 50 Cent for this endeavor lives anywhere near that street nor that storm.
ESPN’s press release doesn’t include any hints, let alone specifics, but 50 Cent’s lyrics are among the vilest, most hateful, violent and vulgar ever recorded for mass production and mainstream consumption. His artistry demonstrates a consistent fondness for two things: himself and guns.
One small example among many, is provided in his rap song “Gun Runners.” From the top (expletives edited by me):
“Aww, man, who the f – – – is calling. I don’t even wanna answer this s – – -. Hello? . . .
“Damn, Nigga, you hot. You talkin’ like you tryin’ to get a Nigga knocked.
“I shouldn’t sell you s – – -, but Son, meet me on the block . . .
“I told him Niggas give these s – – – – respect, but you don’t want this man. These s – – – – known to jam.
“This is a little smaller here. And a little more common, a 9 millimeter Ruger, 16 shots, hollow points will go through ya.
“And this? This here? This a 12 gauge Mossberg, kid. Two shots and you can wet half a block.
“This s – – – here makes my d – – – hard. It’s a Calicko, it holds 100 shots. If you can’t kill your beef with this you need to stop.
“C’mon, pick somethin’ now Nigga, you know it’s hot.”
That’s the artist who, four days after ESPN reported that 17-year-old Herman Mitchell, headed to play college football at Oklahoma, was shot dead by another teen, ESPN/ABC proudly announced as its latest get, its latest attempt at young male-targeting and blending sports with entertainment. Yep, ABC’s prime-time college football opening would be provided by 50 Cent and his “special lyrics.”
“50 Cent is very popular,” an ESPN spokesperson explained. Yeah, we know.
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With incivility the way of the modern sports world, the Phillies, at home Tuesday, were down, 2-0 to the Mets, but had runners on first and third.
On SNY, Keith Hernandez took a well-timed shot at the constant ear-aching and pounding “Big League Experience” provided through the public address speakers at Shea Stadium: “Notice how they don’t have the music blaring here in a tight situation? Kinda nice.”
Gary Cohen and Ron Darling, working with Hernandez, at that very moment could’ve formed a united and populist front with Hernandez. They could have said, “Amen, amen to that!” That would have had some impact.
But they seized such an opportunity and came up with nothing; they suddenly went silent, not a word out of either. Pity.
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The best laid plans of mice and merchandisers: Tuesday, after the top of the sixth in the Red Sox-Yankees game, Ch. 9 cut to some live and thoroughly lame interactive commercial, one featuring a Manhattan street scene loaded with young men and women holding Heineken bottles and celebrating “Heineken’s Big Night Out,” although it’s normally illegal to have opened alcohol containers in such a setting.
Ch. 9 sportscaster Scott Stanford, in the dual role of shill, interviewed a few of the congregated and asked whether they favored the Yankees or Red Sox. But one thing all could agree on: Everyone loves Heineken!
When this pathetic episode ended and Ch. 9 returned us to Yankee Stadium, we immediately were presented with a crowd shot. Hard to miss in that shot was a patron holding a bottle of Budweiser, the Yankees’ official beer and beer sponsor.