When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong

Why does there always seem to be a camera around when ignorance is present? Or do cameras bring out the ignorance in people?

I'm going to go with the former on this one just based on the past history of the Dallas Mavericks star Josh Howard. Howard was attending a charity football game put on by Allen Iverson and friends. Some kid (is he famous?) was going around with his camera talking to participants in the game. While the national anthem was being sung nearby, Howard exclaimed to the camera "'The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on right now. I don't even celebrate that ****. I'm black ********." He then added "Obama '08. Obama and all that ****."

Apparently, Howard doesn't know or doesn't care that if you're on video, whatever is said or done on the video may come back to haunt you (see: Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian/Ray J. . . R Kelly). Heck, not only will the video probably be seen by other people, it may even end up on this totally obscure website that posts videos, which people might be able to find on another seldom used search engine. And if all that happens, and you're an athlete, chances are you will end up on a sports channel of some type, which might post said video on its also fairly unpopular website.

I'm positive that all of these things weren't going through Howard's head when he decided to let loose, but I was hoping that maybe just one of these sunk in at some time prior so he didn't have to think when the camera turned his way. The one thing that is clear from this video is that thinking probably did not occur.

I'm not posting his video here because I don't like the content (the whole video, not just the few seconds featuring Howard), but you can find it on the Internets somewhere.

Now, Josh Howard clearly has some issues. Among other things, he has admitted to occasionally smoking weed (apparently some Nittany Lions do, too), and didn't want to play for the U.S. Olympic team because he said it "conflicted with his summer training camps." Since guys way better than him can do it, he really could have kept that one.

I don't even understand what his comments are supposed to mean, to be honest. What I do understand is that he probably thought he was being funny and had no clue (at the time) how ignorant he may have sounded to others. And most importantly, I don't think he considered that the video might end up on the Internet. Apparently, it was a cell phone camera, so that's not so far-fetched, I guess. It has actually been up for almost two months but apparently no one got wind of it until the past day or so.

Had Howard been aware of the import of his statements, he would know that every comment made by one black person reflects on the group as a whole. If you think I'm making this up, check out the comments on ESPN.com's article on this story. Of course, all black people are not unpatriotic, so he was speaking for himself and not anyone else. Unfortunately, he's just feeding into what some people already think ... the same people jumped on Michelle Obama for her alleged lack of patriotism when she said she was proud of her country for the first time. Yes, there are plenty of legitimate reasons why some black people might not feel patriotic, but Howard wasn't speaking on any deep level. He was just being irreverent.

Mark Cuban's attempt to remedy the the situation fell flat, in my opinion:

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said, according to The Dallas Morning News, that the team dealt with Howard at the time of the incident. He added that the team has a plan in place to address the issue at training camp.

"That said, we will be going through some advanced communication skill sessions together this training camp," Cuban said Tuesday. "I have explained to him that cell phone cameras are not your friend and that what you think you said on camera is never what people will hear when it shows up on YouTube or TV."

"Advanced communication skill sessions"? For what? Let him keep his butt on the court. (Although I do agree with the last part - cameras are not your friend). Howard just needs to keep his mouth shut and make sure he knows/trusts the people who get to see him in "laid back" mode. Period. Clearly, what we heard on the video is Howard's normal way of speaking and though he may have been joking, there's probably some truth to the statement he made (to him). His words and thoughts are not going to change with any "sessions." He appears to not have known this guy who filmed him, and I say that because if he did, then he probably would not have posted this video. There are pictures and video of celebrities and athletes on regular people's cameras right this second, but most people who want to continue to befriend celebrities/athletes don't publish the images if they want to remain in with the "in-crowd." Such was not the case here, and Howard ended up the loser. Hopefully, he has learned that he can't just "keep it real" with everyone he encounters.

The ESPN folks on Outside the Lines went a little far, as I don't think he's going to be dismissed from the Mavericks for acting a fool, nor should he be fined, even if he has a history of cutting up. What's the basis for the fine? Being unpatriotic? Disparaging Obama? Cursing? Using the "n" word? I'm not a fan of fining people for words they say, especially if they are unrelated to the body that is doing the fining. Any fine here would be for an "image violation." Aww. And they worked so hard to on it . . .