Bye Bye Birdie

Everybody loves a hero, hero being used loosely in this instance, but what everyone loves even more is having something in common with their hero. And what better to have in common with your hero than your home town? For example, even being from a city as big and diverse as Chicago I still take immense pride in knowing that Barack Obama made a name for himself right here in Chicago, my home town. The common thread there may be irrelevant to the hero but it is something you have in common, something you could talk about if you ever met. Chicago has its fair share of home grown celebrities who have become heroes to many around the country; Barack Obama, Dick Butkus, Joan and John Cusack and Bill Murray to name a few. All are well accomplished in their fields and have made contributions to the social fabric of Chicago, and all have my support because we are Chicagoans.

But there is one celebrity, from Chicago, who I have begun to take issue with, Kanye West. Perhaps the most successful rapper (maybe even musician) to come out of the great Chicago, but also the craziest and least representative of what Chicago is. Although I believe his last album, 808s and Heartbreaks, was jam packed with hot garbage, I am not referencing his music. Because looking at the whole body of work, his music is amazing.

My beef with Kanye is not when he is in the studio nor is it when I am listening to amazing music produced and/or made by him. But when Kanye is not being enjoyed in either capacity, I do not want to hear from him. His genius has for too long disguised and maybe even made up for the lunacy that is Kanye West. With each album and accolade Kanye has received his head has grown and grown.

To quote Kanye, "In America, they want you to accomplish these great feats, to pull off these David Copperfield-type stunts. You want me to be great, but you don't ever want me to say I'm great?" Yes! Exactly! We understand and have acknowledged your genius Kanye, which is why you have millions in the bank and live the extravagant lifestyle. Because your music is great and we pay our hard earned dollars to hear and experience it. But no one needs you to tell us anything else about yourself. Sit down, shut up, and let us 'enjoy the beat'.

Kanye does not represent the city that works, Chicago is a blue collar town, where even those white collar folks work hard and more importantly keep quiet about it. Because humility is a virtue that is cherished in Chicago. On each album Kanye has sickeningly endorsed himself as someone so much better than those from not only his home town but from everywhere else. Which is the main reason I am embarrassed to say Kanye is a Chicagoan.

Kanye simply does not represent Chicago anymore. Chicago is not New York or Los Angelos where glitz and glamour are extremely important and where celebrities are expected to act as if they are a cut above the rest. That is not Chicago, Chicago is represented in a person Obama who despite being smarter and more accomplished than most Americans was and is humble enough to understand that you can not forget the people, because without them your respective greatness can not be recognized.

I do not expect Kanye to follow in the footsteps of a Barack but a lesson ought to be learned. You are nothing without your fan base Kanye, your so called "greatness" would never have been realized, so stop looking down your nose at us. You are great at making music, that is about it. Until you understand that I hope you stop claiming Chicago roots, because you are not shining a positive light upon those who live and work here and also understand what it means to truly claim you're from Chicago.

Stop Doubling Your Pleasure, and Your Fun for that Matter

Listening to FM radio today, I finally realized why so many people have switched to Satellite stations as their source of music and news in their respective cars. With all the commercialization and the pressure to keep ratings high, FM radio has become eerily similar to late afternoon network TV. A distorted mixture of unimportant news, celebrity gossip, and the same 8 programs (or in this case, songs) playing on continuous loop. It was under these circumstances that I first heard about Chris Brown’s alleged assault on Rihanna. I must admit that I was surprised by the news, but when I thought about it, I was somewhat happy. Not that the 19 year old superstar singer may have struck his 20 year old, equally talented superstar girlfriend. No. I was happy for other reasons. This is what you can take away from this incident.

1. Chris Brown and Rihanna’s relationship is very real. Many people assume that relationships between budding celebrities in similar realms of entertainment are actually contrived by managers, labels, and agents in order to produce synergy and simultaneously promote two separate careers. Jay Z and Beyonce, Brad Pitt and Angelina etc. But please believe, if Chris and Rihanna were in an argument that heated, that he was ready to go upside her head, the two are as real as any other couple out there. Why am I happy? Irrational anger and intense jealousy are side effects of love, or at least very strong like. It’s noteworthy that two superstars who could have anything/anyone they wanted in terms of relationships, have the same problems as everybody else. The series of events alone are so ordinary that they just bring them both back down to our planet momentarily. We’ve all heard this story with our girlfriend or boyfriend. Scheduled to go out for the night, probably getting ready together, started arguing, one of them said f*** this, I am not even going anymore, the other says “yea you are, but doesn’t not concede the argument, fight continues in the car and reaches a boiling point, things get physical, and Chris doesn’t realize his own strength nor does he realize how gangster his girlfriend really is, now she seeks criminal charges. Only difference is between this situation and that of somebody we all know is that Chris and Rihanna were on their way to the Grammy’s thus more cameras and media were involved than that one time I grabbed my girlfriend’s elbow and she slapped me real hard in the face because we were arguing about who was weirdo she was talking to on New Year’s right in front of my face?! Moving on, it’s good to know that money and fame don’t change everything; relationships are still just as emotionally and physically taxing.

2. Many people I heard call into the radio spoke of how disappointed they were in Chris Brown. And why not. He is the new pop icon, blossoming into stardom as Justin Timberlake fades away while refusing to leave the set of Saturday Night Live. At only 19, he is a grade school girl’s obsession as well as a sex symbol to grown women who straight up celebrated the day he turned 18, thus legalizing their lust for him and removing their feelings of pedophilia whenever “Forever” came on. Knowing that a kid who is so talented and such a heartthrob is the kind of guy who beats on his girlfriend is disheartening no doubt. But if I’m a father or brother to one of the aforementioned girls, I am happy, because not only do I have an axe to grind, but I have a point to prove, and Chris just helped me prove that point and relate to my daughter or sister. Just because he sings about “dancing forever” and “hearts all over the world feeling the way he does” doesn’t mean he won’t get jealous, get angry, get petty, get furious, lose his temper, and hurt you. Badly. On the whole, women idolize, respect, and adore male celebrities more intensely than vise versa. What’s unfortunate is that very few men in this world are worthy of our sisters’ or daughters’ respect or adoration. In all this, I’m making sure that my sister or daughter knows that plenty of guys will approach them with that whole “yo, excuse me miss” routine, but they all have flaws, be selective, be smart. Pick one that keeps his fists to himself, and if he doesn’t, get real on him just like Rihanna did. Let everybody know so you can ruin his ego and his reputation like he ruined your self esteem and your face.

Whether it’s Michael Phelps and smoking pot, Arod using steroids, or Chris Brown hospitalizing Rihanna, there is a valuable lesson available for everyone to learn. It’s about emotions, and the people we choose to assign those emotions to. For now, let’s reserve admiration and adoration for people we actually know, respect, interact with, and whose actions affect our daily lives. As far as celebrities and professional athletes go, give them no more than your affinity and fascination. Though their social status is such that their private lives have become intriguing and newsworthy, we must realize that celebrities do not owe us anything, anymore than we owe them. Thus, we cannot continue to empower celebrities with the ability to disappoint us.

Chris Brown makes hot music, I like it and I buy his hot music. (Or download it for free) He chews double mint gum, and I want to double my pleasure and my fun, so sing the song forever after I buy some at the gas station. Girls think he’s cute; they put a poster on their door or wallpaper on their computer screen. That’s where it should end. If you felt you were close enough to Chris Brown that you were truly disappointed when this Rihanna assault story came out, I urge you to analyze how close you are to all of your favorite celebrities. Life is hard, (for most people) and therefore full of disappointments…Don’t allow yourself to feel so close to a celebrity that now, someone you never met before can now upset you by falling short of your expectations…instead acknowledge the people you see everyday who satisfy your needs and make you happy. They are probably more deserving of those feelings you used to have for your boy Chris.

What's the Big Deal?

The perjury case, being tried by the Federal Government against former Major Leaguer Barry Bonds, is finally picking up steam as a judge unsealed hundreds of documents that could very well lead to a conviction against the 7 time MVP. But what has not already been said about Barry Bonds? OK, I took a minute to think about that one too and couldn't come up with anything either. So why continue to beat that tired old drum? No point in doing so, instead let's talk about why everyone is so up in arms about the entire steroids use situation, the presumption that the user is cheating.

Let us put this into context and understand what exactly we are debating, this is the sporting world, meant as an escape from the daily grind of life. This is entertainment, just as going to a concert or movie are. Just as the music and movie industries, the sport industry is merely a money making machine, making millionaires out of its stars and mega-millionaires out of its owners. I believe the cliche goes, 'It's just business'

Coming back to Barry Bonds and steroids, I ask who is cheated when a Major Leaguer (or any other athlete) decides his body is need of enhancement? Is it his team? Tough to argue his team is really hurt by the players use, seeing as Barry Bonds won 4 MVPs after 2000 (when his alleged steroid use began). Meaning his team had the most elite player in the National League for 4 of the 8 years Bonds played in after 2000, and what that equates to is revenue for the team when fans come not only to the park in San Francisco but all across the nation to either cheer or jeer Bonds (either way the owners benefit through shared revenue).

Speaking in terms on actual team performance, MVPs rarely go to a player who is on a team that finishes either near or at the bottom. Barry Bonds led teams made the playoffs 4 times from 2000 through the end of Bonds' contract with the Giants, in fact they also made it to the World Series in 2002 (a MVP year). Sounds like the team was making money and winning, so was the team hurt? No.

How about his teammates or himself? Again it is very hard to find a way the user is hurting himself or his team, when sports is put into context. You can argue that the user is hurting their body, to which I will not argue. Steroids although beneficial in the short term, do have long lasting negative effects on the body, but the user is willingly using. And since the user is often an adult in the industry who knows the consequences and does not care enough to take them into account, why should anyone else? The team often benefits from one players stronger than normal performance, take Shawne Merriman for example. The linebacker for the San Diego Chargers tested positive to using steroids during the 2006-2007 season, was suspended for 4 games, came back and completed a season in which he had 17 sacks. Meaning coaches had to game plan against him with double teams and schemes to slow him down, indirectly positively effecting the stats for the lineman or linebacker not being blocked rise due to Merriman's dominance. And when statistics rise for players, so too does their stock, meaning they're now in line to make more money. How are those teammates hurt?

How about the game? Are fans not attending baseball games in record numbers since 1998 when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire flexed their muscles and sent balls flying out of stadiums across the country? Yes they are. The game was desperate after a strike ruined the 1994 season, depriving fans of a postseason that had a lot of potential to entertain and leave fans telling stories for years. Fans were slow to come back and if not for those 2 sluggers having a magical season, each chasing the record of 61 home runs set by Roger Maris in 1961, baseball might not have recovered and got back to the level it is on today, setting attendance records in the last 2 years. Sounds like the alleged steroid use by McGwire and Sosa helped to save the game, rather than hurt it.

How about the fans? Here the issue is not so black and white, because one's level of dedication to and involvement with the game varies drastically from fan to fan. But when putting things back into context, were you really cheated? Ask yourself and answer honestly. As a die hard fan of baseball I can and will say no I was not cheated. Starting in 1998 the show put on by Sammy Sosa during the month of June was something that had me slapping my knee and cheering at the top of my lungs. Then again when Barry Bonds passed Hank Aaron, hitting an opposite field home run in the very spacious Petco, my friends and I stopped our game of pool to high five each other and watch in awe as Bonds circled the bases. Were the emotions evoked by those performances fake? No, because ultimately those players were doing things that I could not do, making it very compelling television (or a great show if you were lucky enough to see any of it live). Was I cheated by Sosa or Bonds? Not at all.

All these players did was try to put a better product on their playing field. If you want to get historical and say these players cheated the record books, then a bigger deal has to be made of the actual record books. Meaning Babe Ruth's accomplishments need to be taken with a grain of salt seeing as he did not play against the best talent in the world, but merely the best white players in America. So how can he truly be the greatest of all time?

So start there and work your way down the record books before coming down so hard on the players of today, who merely provided a better product. Which is the model for the 3 major entertainment industries. At the super bowl, for instance, the music and sports industry combined this past Sunday. Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson sang beautifully prior to the game, or so we thought. Ultimately it was their beautiful voices we heard but the performance was enhanced due to their vocals being prerecorded and used while they sang. Now would you say you were cheated of hearing their voices?

It's Funny Who Our Heroes Are

Sometimes, keeping it real is a lost commodity in America. Often times, when athletes keep it real, it quickly becomes headline news. And seldom times, when white athletes are actually punished for keeping it real.

Over the weekend, a photograph depicting 88 time Olympic gold medal winning Michael Phelps smoking marijuana out of a bong was published in a tabloid newspaper in Great Britain. Phelps, who admitted to the accuracy of the photo, cited peer pressure from friends and poor judgment as reasons for getting high at the college party in November. Phelps’s who is 23, is apparently a PR genius as he emphasized his youth as a key factor in his errant decision making when he said"I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate"

Of course the issue here is Phelps’s image. He was the world's greatest after he smashed every record at the Beijing Olympics, and the following Fall, to the victor goes the spoils of endorsements. Now, after his second run in with reckless, illegality, (let's not forget his DUI after the 2004 Olympics when he was caught blowing stop signs while smashed after another college party) will his endorsements with Visa, Speedo, Nike and etc go south after Phelps labeled as a pothead?

The answer is "no". Throw away all the speculation. Not going to happen. It's not a money decision, because Buick dropped Tiger reasoning that it sent a bad message to their customers and investors to pay his endorsement contract in bad economic times. But please believe Tiger sold more of Buick Rendezvous than every salesman on the lot combined. So as bottom-line as you think a major corporation is, they really don't sell their image short to make money. So as long as Phelps' image is restorable, which it is, he will still reign as king of Athens 04' and Beijing 08' and king of all our hearts for bringing so much Olympic gold back to the U.S.

Which brings me to the why? Why is Phelps so damn likable? I am shocked at how objective the media has been in the coverage of this weed story. I've seen no columns about ripping his posters off the wall, no analyst saying that after his DUI and now this photo that he has a substance abuse problem. Just a couple jokes on read aloud on Letterman and published in High Times magazine will be the only fallout from this. Phelps kept it real, apologized, and this will not be a story come Friday. (Just like his DUI in 04')

What's hilarious to me is the strict dichotomy of similar situations when it comes to black athletes. In 2003, similar stories were written about Wake Forest star, and ACC player of the year Josh Howard. Howard, in local Winston Salem publications was contrite and said throughout college he smoked weed recreationally. Yet he was ripped in the media, his draft position plummeted from a projected lottery pick to going 29th in the 1st round, and 5 years later, he was fined by both his team and the players association for retelling that story to the Dallas morning news. Josh Howard kept it real, apologized (twice really) he lost millions in draft position, and thousands in fines 5 years later.Howard is not even on the same planet as far as iconic image, marketability, or celebrity status. And this precisely my point. Why is Howard, a role player for a NBA team, and is actions so reprehensive and lamentable while those of Michael Phelps, the greatest US Olympian of all time, are so "youthful" and forgivable. I am not arguing for Phelps reputation to be torn down, but I am lobbying for Howard reputation to be restored to that of a youthful, sometimes inappropriate, young man, but a respected and phenomenal athlete. That is the reputation that Phelps enjoys despite private behavior that while expected for someone his age, is alarming for someone of his superstardom.

Keeping it real can go terribly wrong when you're a black athlete, because the flaws you admit to can affirm what the public already believed. Admitting to smoking weed or any illegal activity is a bad idea for a 23 year old black basketball player because it entertains America's worst fears about black people. For Michael Phelps, admission to the same behavior might just save him millions of dollars in endorsements because he is a 23 year old white Olympic swimmer. America has no fears to be entertained by Phelps, thus the DUI, the marijuana, just lapses in judgment, because well boys will be boys.

It's always going to be presented this way through the media, no surprises there. But as far as who they are as people, romanticize Michael Phelps and turn him into a hero any more than you would Josh Howard. Just because he wins Gold Medals, doesn't mean he's a hero or a role model. Casual weed smokers do not smoke out of bongs. So it wasn't poor judgment, it was typical Phelps recreation. He's a pothead, which doesn't mean you should take his poster off the wall in your room, just make sure you're thinking about swimming when you look at it.

Here's a bone..

After a whirlwind weekend since the creation of this blog instead of focusing on one thing I feel it's best to dabble in a little bit of this and a little bit of that, with this the first post from Gray and Beans.

I had originally planned on talking about the fact that our governor, Rod Blagojevich, had been impeached but that blog never got off the ground. So here is my take on that situation: to the members of the Illinois Senate, all 59 of you who ousted the governor, please do not act as if the people of this state are that clueless. Everyone knows how politics and the brokering of deals work, Blago was a fool for getting caught but do not turn your noses up to him and act as if these acts are SO beneath you, we know better.

On to a lighter note, while reading the Chicago Sun-Times this morning I came across an article about Jessica Simpson, who after a performance has had her weight called into question. There have been several celebrities, including her sister, who have spoken on her behalf calling it ridiculous that this is an issue, and frankly I am going to have agree with them. Because Jessica Simpson is still a ridiculously fine specimen, so really tabloids? Really Perez Hilton? Let's get off that. The woman is not fat nor is she big, you want fat talk about Oprah or Rosie O'Donnell, let's keep our accusations within reason and on planet Earth.

Finally, the most annoying part of the weekend came Sunday evening when Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23, in what became a very entertaining game. Being from Chicago and not being a fan of either team, I am not complaining about the game play because I saw a spectacular play to end the first half (although the play only happened because the Cardinals refused to throw to Larry Fitzgerald during the first half of the game) and a very well played second half by both teams.

With that being said, what did annoy me about the game yesterday was the fact that Big Ben won and is today being heralded as one the greats and his performance is grossly being exaggerated. Ben, did make 2 perfect throws to Holmes (the first going through his hands) at the end of the game but was his performance worthy of the MVP? Not at all, which is why he didn't win the award. It went to the right man, Holmes was the difference maker on that final drive, Ben was just living in his world making the right reads.

So ESPN please stop! Just stop! Ben is not the second coming of Jesus Christ and he does not deserve anymore credit for the Steelers winning the Super Bowl this year than the next guy. Please focus on the number 1 defense and the fact that they made the game changing play to end the first half. I will not be watching ESPN for the remainder of the week and I know my colleague Kid Gray will not be either to prevent our heads from exploding due to Big Ben overload.