skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Remember this name: Darrell Wallace Jr. He recently became the first African-American driver to win in a NASCAR national series in nearly 50 years with a victory in the Kroger 200 Camping World Truck Series race.
No African-American driver has won a NASCAR national touring race since Wendell Scott won in Jacksonville, Florida (my hometown - Woot!) on December 1, 1963.
Darrell is only 20 years old (so young!) and grew up in Concord, North Carolina. He started racing at the age of nine. Nine?! I was baking cakes in my Easy Bake Oven at nine years old. :)
When asked about this historic win and what it means to him, he said:
“I want to be a role model and inspiration to the younger kids and just change the sport as a whole and change it for the better, bring in a new face and just new activity into the sport, and winning helps everything."
Nice.
Lord. *sigh* Yes--I started a post with a call-out to LJC (Lord Jesus Christ). *heating up my prayer oil lamp, lighting a candle* Yes--it's that bad.
So, listen. Everybody knows Tiger Woods, right? Well--for the past few weeks, he and Sergio Garcia, a professional golfer from Spain have been going back and forth in a war of words. The two men have been going at it since The Player's Championship earlier this month. That's when Sergio implied that Tiger had purposely stirred up the gallery when he was playing a shot. Tiger snapped back and said he wasn't surprised that Sergio was complaining. *cue the dramatic music*
 |
| Sergio Garcia |
Everything came to a screeching halt earlier this week when Sergio answered a question at a European Tour players dinner about getting together with Tiger at the U.S. Open. Sergio jokingly answered:
"We'll have him 'round every night. We will serve fried chicken."
*blank stare*
I know what you're thinking: He said what?!?! Rewind that. Did he say, "We will serve fried chicken?" He said it alright.
But wait, there's more. After Sergio apologized publicly for his racist remark, the CEO of the European Tour, George O'Grady was asked to give a comment about the situation. And what did he say?
"Most of Sergio's friends are colored athletes in the United States."
Mr. O'Grady has since apologized as well. *sigh*
I could go on and on about this, but I won't. It is what it is. Sad, really. And totally unacceptable. These comments were hurtful to Tiger Woods, but they also demonstrate irresponsible ignorance and a lack of sensitivity towards African Americans.
Sergio's remarks were wrong. George O'Grady's remarks were wrong. Plain and simple. Both men have apologized, but is it enough? No, it's not. Not without consequences. This is definitely an opportunity to educate, and teach right from wrong. But it's also an opportunity to show that these racially offensive and inappropriate statements will not be tolerated. Will the PGA do the right thing and take a stand? I sure hope so.
Ok, I'm done. *blows out my prayer oil lamp and candle*
I'm toooooootalllly loving NBA player Jason Collins right now. He did something so remarkably brave yesterday. His unwavering courage makes my heart smile. I don't know him, but I sure wish I did. He's best known for his basketball skills, but his legacy will be the news he recently shared with Sports Illustrated:
"I'm a 34-year old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."
So, here he is. The first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. Wow. I mean...wow!
After I read Jason's story, I was reminded of how important it is to live a life that's genuine and true. It takes so much courage to live your life as YOU see fit. It shouldn't be that way though. It really shouldn't. We should be able to live and think as freely as we wish. In doing so, maybe we can help others along the way. I know Jason's announcement will help others. It will help some people embrace who they are and it will also help our country to become more compassionate.
I'm convinced that being who you are and living in that truth is the path to happiness. Trusting yourself and making choices without fear is just...dope. Point blank period. Sound simple? Not always. But, it's sooooo worth it.
Click here to read Jason's Sports Illustrated article.
