#10 The Politics of Sports
Although Dr. Harry Edwards supposedly pioneered the sociology of sports, Dr. Nathan Hare wrote his PhD thesis at the University of Chicago on sports, and was a professional boxer. Dr. Hare was so radical he was kicked out of a Negro college, Howard University, where he lectured on sociology and taught Black Power radical Stokely Carmichael, aka Kwame Toure'. He was partly ousted from Howard for bringing Muhammad Ali to campus after he had refused to fight in Vietnam, after all, Ali said, "The Vietcong never called me a Nigger!" Later, Howard also found Hare's boxing career unacceptable for one of their distinguished academics, so he landed at San Francisco State College/now University to become the first chair of Black and Ethnic Studies at a major American university, igniting the longest student strike in American academic history.
Today as we replay the political history of athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Tommy Smith and John Carlos, reincarnated in the persona of Colin Kaepernich and now a host of other brothers who have suddenly awakened to the reality of life in racist, white supremacist America, despite their status as muli-million dollar running dogs for professional athletics, we are not shocked at the response of white America, led by the president who has further inflamed the torch of racism by calling the mostly Black athletes “sons of bitches.” Oh, shit, that white nationalist motherfucker Trump truly crossed the line of propriety by playing the dozens. Now you know Homey don't play dat, not with sacred holy Mother (Of God).
For sure, the politics of American sports has reached a level never seen before, not even when Jack Johnson ignited one of the worse race riots in American history after becoming the Black heavy weight champion of the world , and after Muhammad Ali refused to serve as a running dog for American imperialism or when John Carlos and Tommy Smith gave the Black Power salute to protest American racism at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
It is indeed wonderful to see the Black athletes unite with the suffering masses of North American Africans. These brothers (and sister athletes as well) have put their careers on the line for social justice. We salute them and welcome them home.
--Marvin X
9/29/17
#11 Confession of an Ex-basketball Player
What I am about to tell you may shock you beyond belief as I shocked DJ Davey D when I told him I was writing this essay. But it's true. It is a story of how one can transcend the illusions of life, things we thought were priority, vital to our breath of air, yet, Solomon told us when I was a child I did childish things, when I became a man , I put away childish things. Elijah Muhammad taught all his followers, including Muhammad Ali, the world was not made for sport and play. HEM's sole focus was our liberation into a nation of our own. But we must take a break, R and R, sometimes. My mentor Sun Ra asked, "Where can Black people go for R an R, i.e., rest and relaxation? Nowhere!" The best we can do is the escape of sports and entertainment to "assuage our social angst and shattered cultural striving, " said Dr. Nathan Hare.
With all wars, even in the low intensity national liberation battle of North American Africans in their childhood and young adulthood, soldiers find sports a necessary diversion from the real world of dread, make believe and conspicuous consumption, the one trillion five billion illusions of the monkey mind Guru Bawa taught us about.
Some of us budding soldiers came to realize sports was/is indeed a diversion from the real world that would otherwise drive us to the brink of suicide or homicide. Like music, sports soothes the wild beast in us while stimulating our tribal instincts in athletic prowess and competition..
As a child, teenager and college student, basketball was my life, a way to get away from home in a safe space satisfactory to my parents. Shooting basketball probably saved me from descending totally into the precipice of juvenile delinquency, although my high school coaches bet I would fuck up before the season was over. For sure, although an A student and athlete, several times I found myself in Juvenile Hall for stealing from the snack shop at White's Theatre in Fresno CA where all Blacks went on Sundays, or barely escaped GTA, i.e., grand theft auto, after we stole keys from cars in auto dealerships and siphoned gas so we could joy ride weekends to meet with country girls in Madera or Hanford, or attend the country fairs in Visalia and Tulare where we snatched purses from screaming white girls.
But the question is how did I get so far away from basketball, something I loved? My basketball career began at New Century Recreation Center, next door to McFeely Elementary School, where I spent the 3rd and 4th grade in West Oakland, Harlem of the West coast. New Century's gym was my home away from home. Soon I was addicted to basketball. It became my drug of choice as a youth. FYI, at New Century I saw a dance teacher that my elementary school mind told me was a beautiful queen. I could not say she was an African queen because I knew nothing about Africa except Tarzan and Jane that I learned from movies at drive in theaters with my parents or at Whites Theatre in Fresno and the Lincoln Theatre on 7th Street in West Oakland, across the street from my parent's florist shop, where we lived in the back. Lincoln Theatre was owned or managed by a Black man, Mr. Freeman.
The Dance teacher was Ruth Beckford who looked royal with her short natural--, yes, a natural in the 50s when we were Negroes and niggas. Black was a fighting word.But Ruth Beckford was black and beautiful to me. And I relished seeing her come and go from her dance classes.But my primary interest was basketball. When I got to Lowell Junior High, I made the team and a cheerleader tongue kissed me and scared me to death. I knew nothing about tongue kissing but she taught me. I ain't telling you her name!On the Lowell Junior High team was Joe Ellis who went on to play for the SF Warriors. At a basketball clinic, I won a trophy for hitting 9 of 10 at the free throw line. McClymonds star and future NBA player Paul Silos was there. I don't think he hit 9 of 10 from the free throw line!
The Defermery Park, now Bobby Hutton Grove, basketball court separated stars from wannabees, after all Bill Russell played there, Paul Silos, Joe Ellis, Jim Hadnot, the Aliens brothers and the Pointer Sister's brothers, et al., from McClymonds, the School of Champions, pride of West Oakland and the City at large for producing so many State champions in all sports. Let me acknowledge my homeboy from Fresno, the legendary McClymond's Coach Benny Tapscott.
In Fresno my basketball career continued at Frank H and Frank White rec centers on the West Side. We used to play at Frank White on the outside courts. Benny Tapscott was there, along with Odell Johnson, who later starred at St. Mary's and became President of Laney College, Billy Hicks, my neighbor in the projects, Leroy Mimms, who became President of Contra Costa College in Richmond.
A few days ago in the parking lot of a grocery market in Oakland, I recognized a brother I remembered from New Century and Defermery: he always had a braid in his hair. He was sitting at the wheel of a faded gold 1955 classic Cadillac. As I headed into the market I couldn't resist saying something to him, "Hey, bro, I remember you playing basketball at Defermery. Matter of fact, didn't you play at New Century?" He said yes. I said, "Hell, bro., you was old in the 50s as I recall. How old are you now?" He said, "91. I graduated from high school in 1944. Wasn't no Merritt College or Laney so I went to Community College in San Francisco." I was honored to be in his presence because I surely remember him, especially at Defermery as one master of the game.
There were other brothers like Big Joe Johnson who used to use his weight to muscle into the hole at New Century and Defermery; Toliver, point guard who could dunk, AC Scott, Bobby Chapman, et al.
In Fresno, Edison High was the school of champions. I spent my high school years on the team at Edison. I recall we played against Lemoore High School that had one black player, Tommy Smith. With five Blacks on our team, Tommy and his crew of white boys were no match, we beat their asses. I was shocked but honored when Tommy Smith raised his fist in the black power salute at the 1968 Olympics along with John Carlos, Mexico City, 1968.
Having recounted the above, I am shocked at my self for transcending basketball and never having seen the Warriors play?They won the NBA championship again tonight in Oakland. Warriors! Warriors! Warriors! Everybody loves winners. I love winners. I salute the Oakland Warriors! Oakland is the City of Warriors, City of Resistance, like Fallujah in Iraq, destroyed yet resistant--Oakland North American Africans, yes, City of Champions, Pullman Porters Union, Black Panther Party and the battle continues....Let the new generation take the baton, let them not reinvent the wheel but learn from Ancestor and Elder mistakes and avoid them as you move into the world of your making. Khalil Gibran said your children come through you but they are not you. You are the bow, they are the arrow!
No, I have never watched a Warrior game or any other NBA game. I can't believe myself after spending childhood and young adulthood playing basketball night and day, sleeping and eating basketball. I cannot believe after being on the team at Merritt College, 1962. At Merritt my main problem was my West Oakland brothers from McClymonds, John Aikens, Jackson, Bobby Chapman, A.C. Scott, Toliver, Sunni James Shabazz, et al. I was not going into the hole with those tall brothers from McClymonds, they weren't going to elbow me in the head. After suffering a knee injury on the road, I think it was against Fresno City College, I gave up basketball and started playing tennis. Wasn't many blacks into tennis in 1963. When I beat a tall white boy on the tennis court at Merritt, he threw his racket down and walked off the court. I continued playing tennis until I taught at the University of Nevada, Reno, and my children visited me for the summer, 1979. My son, Darrel, aka Abdul (RIP), a high school tennis champ, beat me set after set and laughed all the way. It was then that I realized youth is superior to elders as per energy and strength. My son ended my tennis career forever.
My athletic interest was rekindled when my oldest son Marvin Keith played college football as defensive end, captain of the defense. I saw him sack the quarterbacks. And this was all right with me until he thought I was the quarterback to sack as abandoned father. I was elated when he tried out for the San Francisco 49s but was cut. He didn't pursue his athletic career but went into computer programming. When he worked for PGE, he said, "Dad, do you know how much I make?" I said no son, he said, "Eight thousand dollars every two weeks." All I could say was wow. He showed me his hand computer that controlled all the PGE computer stations in Northern California. After my son was cut from the 49rs, I had no further interest in football.
I am happy to report that today, 10/21/18, I attended a soccer match between Cal Poly and Cal State East Bay.
Left to Right: The Marvin X Jackmon Crew: Granddaughter Naima Joy, grandson Jahmeel, daughter Attorney Amira Jackmon, Marvin X, grandson Jordan
at Cal State East Bay vs. Cal Poly soccer game 10/21/18
Left to right: Grandfather Marvin X and grandchildren Jahmeel, Jordan and Naima
Marvin' s son Jordan, my grandson, is a member of Cal Poly's team. They won 3 to O. Jordan may have rekindled my interest in sports! All power to my grandson and his twin sister Jasmin, also a soccer player at the University of Oregon.
Jasmin Jackmon
Jasmin Jackmon
10/21/18
