The death of Sean Taylor has been discussed at length over the past few days. They're saying that this looks like a random, failed burglary attempt, but I don't know if I believe that (and they could well be lying in order to make the culprit(s) get his/their guard down). The bottom line is that, regardless of who killed him and why, Taylor not only died senselessly, but he died trying to protect his family. I don't have to tell you that this is a very sad occurrence, for so many reasons.
I read an interesting article by Mike Wilbon in the Washington Post entitled Dying Young, Black, which discusses the implications of the Taylor situation.
Unfortunately, what happened to Taylor (the incident itself, not necessarily the end result) is not necessarily unique. If you've perused any of the Taylor stories by several prominent African-American sports writers, you may have seen the names of other athletes who have found themselves literally caught in the cross-fire, such as Eddy Curry, Antoine Walker, or Julius Hodge, Jerome McDougle, and even more recently, the death of Darrent Williams.
Williams' death occurred on New Year's Day 2007, when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting following the birthday party of Denver Nuggets player Kenyon Martin. The shooting stemmed from an altercation that had occurred previously. Williams was not involved in the altercation but he is the only one who paid the ultimate price.
I found myself extremely saddened when that happened, and I hadn't even heard of him before he died. To me, it's always sad to see a young life snuffed out in an instant, particularly for something that is not nor could ever be as serious as death.
Now, some people may take issue with my discussion of race here, but I would ask those people how many white, professional athletes do they know who have been robbed at gunpoint, shot and/or killed, or are even going to jail for misdeeds? Not too many. Race is intertwined in the issue. I think we have to call a spade a spade here.
The truth is that young, rich, successful African-American athletes are a rare commodity in this society. Sure, we see them on TV everyday, but for every one of them who's in a professional league, there are millions of others who did not make it - of all races. Those who are jealous. Those who want nothing more than to bring that man down, and don't value themselves enough not to take from those who have more than them.
And it's not just about the tangible things that these athletes, the "stars," have, it's the having "it all" that these have-nots, the "dream snatchers," can't stand. The dream snatchers feel that they are somehow lesser just because these stars exist. The dream snatchers feel that because they aren't "in the league," and they don't "have it all," somewhere, deep down, they are entitled to literally take away these dreams.
In his article, Wilbon discusses what he wishes Taylor had done, and what I, in retrospect of course, wish Taylor had done, in light of the conflict between stars and dream snatchers: left his home behind.
A man's home is no doubt vitally important to him, and it is this import that is the subject of numerous quotes, adages, and the like. Where he comes from is the essence of who he is, and serves as a measure of what he has been through to get where he is today.
In the African-American community, though, staying true to one's home has a much deeper significance. It's important to "be real," to "keep it real." As the Notorious B.I.G. infamously once said, "I'm blowin' up like you thought I would, call the crib, same number, same hood. It's all good." The message is clear that it's important to remain true to your roots.
But like most things, this mentality also has its downside. I was discussing Dave Chappelle's sketch about "when keeping it real goes wrong" with a friend earlier today. I was saying that we all laughed when we saw it, but in actuality, it is both funny and sad because it's true.
Let me be clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with showing love for your hometown. Some things (and people) are just better loved from afar. Just because you're from there doesn't necessarily mean you should stay there when you do "blow up."
Just as I was writing this, I was forwarded crowd favorite Jason Whitlock's view on this situation. Weeding through his journalistic grandstanding ("black KKK"), and putting aside his ultimate conclusion, the man's piece looks markedly similar to what I just wrote above (if I had published this already, I might accuse of him of reading my blog. Ha.) . He expands the concept to African-American men as a whole rather than just athletes, and I certainly agree. I think what I said applies to any "star" on any level, in any "league" that matters to the dream snatchers (usually, making money or the appearance of doing so).
But, I think everything happens for a reason, and the fact that he was a professional athlete will speak to others who identify with him, whereas other situations may not hit home as hard for the people who need to hear it. So, for example, while a number of people have been involved in nightclub shootings, when Pacman Jones got in trouble, those NFL players who were "partying" like he was definitely took notice.
And my concern is not so much with any "unsavory" characters that Taylor wouldn't leave behind (according to Whitlock) as it is with the fact that he remained in an unsafe situation.
According to one of his numerous former college teammates now in the NFL (but apparently also one of his closer friends) Antrel Rolle of the Arizona Cardinals, Taylor had been a target in Miami for many years, and he lived in fear.
Now, he undoubtedly had legitimate reasons why he did not want to leave Miami, and no one can say for sure what he or she would have done in the same situation. If what Rolle said is true, then hopefully this serves as a warning to others like Taylor that it is just not safe to live in the general population, around the people you've known all your life, when you "have" and others do not. This is not to suggest that he lived in a bad neighborhood, because he certainly did not, but he apparently lived in an "accessible" dwelling, and therein lies the problem.
The harsh reality is that if you become a "star," you must give up some things that the ordinary man or woman do not, including the use of ordinary means to protect yourself and the ones you love. As long as there are jealous people, then stars will have to behave like stars to some extent, and there is really no way to avoid it.
It is sad that you cannot just "keep it real" and live like a normal person, but it is even sadder when the dream snatchers accomplish what they set out to do.
Michael Vick, I hope you're watching. You still have a chance.
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