June 25, 2007
EL PASO, TX- Per your comments and the numerous private messages I received telling me to NOT go to Juarez Mexico. I’ve decided to spend my Sunday afternoon in the safety of America at a local El Paso, TX Applebee’s. Considering that the restaurant is filled wall to wall with Mexicans and no one is speaking English, I kind of feel like I’m in Mexico right now anyway.
I had no idea this type of ‘Futbol Fiesta’ would be going on. It was a 30-minute wait just to get a seat at the bar. The only way I can describe the atmosphere in here is something similar to a Super Bowl Party mixed with Mardis Gras and a splash of Cinco de Mayo.
The game was being broadcast on a Spanish Speaking TV station so I couldn’t understand what the play-by-play announcer was saying but soccer is a game that you can pretty much following without the help of announcers.
Mexico scored the first goal and the entire place screamed and cheered as if they’d all been granted free green cards. People were dancing in the aisles, having sex on their tables, shooting guns in the air, kids were doing tequila shots, it was hilarious.
I played soccer until I went to high school so I have a love for the sport. I’m just not as rabid about it as my Latino brethren. But when America scored their first goal I had to represent. I cheered and clapped the same way black people did when O.J. was found not guilty.
"Not Guilty...and I'm Filthy, C'mon."- Puff Daddy
When America scored a second (* and game winning*) goal, I was screaming and hollering like the black people in this pic while every Mexican in the building looked like the white girl.
This guy at the bar stared at me with this “how dare you root against Mexico” look on his face. But when I sat back down I realized he was simply astonished that there were black people in America who actually loved soccer as much as they do.
Once they realized my passion for the sport we got into heated discussions about the pros and cons of running an ‘Offside Trap’ vs. a ‘Box Overload’. Then we discussed Brazil’s & France’s chances in the upcoming World Cup. Hell we even discussed David Beckham joining Major League Soccer. Once they felt like I was “One of them” they were nice enough to put the English Closed Captioning on the TV so I could follow the action as well.
The man next to me joked that the reason Latinos love Soccer is because their race dominates the sport. He speculated that this is why blacks like basketball more than they do NASCAR or Hockey.
And you know what.. he has a point.
Cobi Jones- "Hey mon! Kick me the ball whatdebumbaclot!"
Freddy Adu began playing professional soccer in the U.S. at the age of 14. Do you think he got as much press as Lebron James for going pro straight out of high school?
No.
It sucks that these great athletes thrive in a sport that a lot of black people don’t care about. A bigger problem is that Team USA Soccer kind of sucks and they’ve never won anything substantial on a national level.
Can you name either of the black soccer athletes pictured here?
Freddy Adu Eddie Pope
If you’re going to be a black athlete in a sport a lot of blacks don't play then you have to have TOTAL DOMINATION over the sport in order for other black people to support you. i.e.- Tiger Woods, Venus & Serena Williams.
It sickens me to accept that as a truth of this society. What’s the difference between Arthur Ashe and James Blake? Blake has yet to become as dominant in tennis as Arthur Ashe was. Blake is the 4th best player in the WORLD and he has won some tournaments, but he has yet to win one of the four Major Grand Slam tournaments.
There’s a handful of black hockey players in the NHL. From 1958-2000 about 50 black people have suited up in NHL uniforms. Can you name one?
Just one.
C'mon try harder. Just one.
And don't you dare say Donald Brasher. The only thing he's famous for is taking a hockey stick to the head and the offender being banned from the NHL for 2 seasons.
Getting knocked out in the middle of a game isn't exactly the best way to get into 'Jet Magazine'.
So c'mon name someone else...just one.
Just one black hockey player in the NHL. Is that asking too much?
Would your recognize Anson Carter if he came up to you in Wal-Mart and punched you in the face?
I wouldn't.
To be a black player in the NHL I believe that you have to be a damn good athlete. There's no denying the level of talent these players possess. However, their lack of TOTAL DOMINATION in hockey has left them floating in a sea of obscurity.
"Daaaammmnn!! Hey Man! You got Knocked the F--k out!"
Anson Carter. circa 2002
That’s why I’m hoping that Lewis Hamilton does a good job in Formula 1 Racing. Never heard of him? In this year his rookie season Hamilton became the first black driver in Formula 1 HISTORY to win a race. And how did Lewis follow up this historic feat…by winning ANOTHER race the following week.
Lewis Hamilton
He’s only 22 years-old and is set to become a phenom in his sport if he continues on this pace. Born in Britain, Hamilton’s achievements in F-1 Racing will do wonders for race relations globally in a sport that’s generally been dominated by whites.
Seeing blacks excel in atypical sports is a great way for inner city children to not feel insecure about liking a sport that may not be too popular in their neighborhood.
From the looks of this season he seems to be headed that direction. For those of you who don't follow auto racing, what Hamilton has done is right up there with Lebron James. Rarely in F-1 racing does a rookie quality for a race. Rarely does a rookie who qualifies for a race finish the race. Rarely does the rookie win. and it's even more rare for said rookie to win two weeks in a row.
Hopefully Hamilton will do good at racing and not face the same pitfalls that and Willie T. Ribbs faced in his attempts at racing professionally in F-1 and NASCAR.
Auto Racing is an expensive sport and Ribbs sponsors never stuck with him more than two or three races before pulling their money. They expected him to win right away.
Ribbs spent more time during the season trying to secure sponsors than he did practicing. If you don't have money you can't practice. If you don't practice you don't get better. You don't get better, you don't win. You don't win you don't get money. A Beautiful catch-22.
Ribbs struggled to find a company that would stick with him long enough to find his groove.
Wille T. "Collard Greens & Cornbread" Ribbs
Ribbs never won a single race that he qualified for. This is why Hamilton has a big advantage over Ribbs. He's already won races....and his last name isn't consistent with one of black people's favorite foods.
If Lewis Hamilton is set for greatness then my friends there must be equilibrium. And I think I’ve found the heir apparent....
Allow me to introduce you to Rob Brown aka The Human Mix Tape aka “Soopa Hip Hop Kung –Fu”, Myspace’s self proclaimed hypeman. When not performing the duties of “Sex Machine” (*his listed occupation in his Myspace Profile*), Soopa spends his time in Springfield, Oregon perfecting and performing what he believes to be the new dance craze…Hip Hop Kung Fu.
Enjoy his MYSPACE PROFILE HERE!
From the looks of the videos the style appears to be a blend of martial arts moves, break dancing, pop-locking, & that dance that Re-Run used to do on ‘Whats Happening’.
It takes reading the OFFICIAL explanation of Hip Hop Kung Fu in SOOPA’s Blog for us to truly understand what he’s talking about… here’s some excerpts.
(*note, I did not change any of the spelling or punctuation in this blog excerpt. What you see is what I cut and paste from his page*)
what is hip hop
kung~foo????
Current mood: 
contemplative
hip hop kung~foo,is my dance style,ive been a fan of kung~fu movies,since i was a kid,… one nite while i was at the club,i just started putting some of the movements,i saw in movies into my dance,…. ,ive also included other dance styles such as ballet,jazz,modern,as well as traditional hip hop dance,such as pop lockin ,and a lil breakin,hence i call it hip hop kung~foo,the two main styles of my dance style is snake,and tiger,when i'm in snake mode,ull see more circular movements,and i mostly dance with my hands,the tiger is more direct,i dance very explosive,… i'm a pure freestyle dancer,but i do teach my style,….. ,it may look strange when u see me doing it,but thatz me,i want to do wat hasnt been done before,hip hop kung~fOO is me,ANd i Am Hip HOP!!!!!
The “Tiger” and “Snake” styles of Kung Fu are ancient styles that take those who know it YEARS to perfect. Here’s two Youtube.com Examples of how good Kung Fu should look. It’s important that you watch at least 30 seconds of each video so that you can have a true idea of how good Kung-Fu is supposed to look.
Now, Keeping these two videos in mind I want you to watch Video One of Soopa Hip Hop Kung Foo. Now remember, in his blog “Soopa” says "ive also included other dance styles such as ballet,jazz,modern”
Please watch video one and tell me if you see any ballet. or modern Jazz.
I like the idea of integrating martial arts into hip-hop dance moves, it’s a good concept.
If you look closely in the first 10 seconds of the video on the left a police car passes by. They don’t even arrest this man. I don’t know what the hell is going on in Oregon but in Birmingham, AL Black men doing ghetto karate in public are promptly arrested and then tazered.
People clearly in the back ground that could've pulled this man to the side and told him... "hey man your kung-fu is shitty." But instead they stand there and encourage him.
Unsatisfied with the videos I showed you. I wanted to laugh more so I went to view ALL VIDEOS on his page only to discover that this man has uploaded over 100 videos.
Shit like this is why I want to be married. I want to get married so that I can keep myself out of this kind of mischief.
And he has a son. So CLEARLY someone has had sex with this man. Some woman saw enough promise in this man to decide to carry his seed. And how does he repay the mother of his child? By teaching his son the same dance styles. What's funny about those videos is that his son does the dancing better than he does.
I'll let you find those videos on your own.
I’m not quite sure if this dude is worse than Reh Dogg or not. But of all the Equilibriums we've had thus far he's the most dedicated. 108 videos? Damn.
You can laugh at Soopa Hip Hop Kung Fu all you want but know that Lewis Hamilton is only 22-years old people. He'll be racing cars for the next three decades. So Soopa Hip-Hop isn't going anywhere for a long time. Rather than fight this new trend, lets embrace it.
I encourage all of you to add this man as your myspace friend and have an open dialogue with him. Leave comments on his page (*I'm going to do that now*), Send him E-vites to your random events, invite him to read your blogs, comment on his pictures. I can't wait until the next time I'm performing in Oregon because I'm driving to Springfield to meet the man, the myth, the equilibrium.
Wood, Jr.
P.S.- Since when are grown men allowed in a shopping mall w/ a t-shirt wrapped over their head looking like a super hero while wearing a back pack that is made from a box of "Honey Smacks" cereal?