Some of ya'll knock me for being a serial hater overly critical all the time, and never saying anything good about black folks. Heck, I've even been called "secretly white" by some misguided reader.
Reality is, folks, whether they admit it or not, don't care about "positive" stories. We're conditioned to gravitate towards things that cause fear. TeeVee news is all about "if it bleeds, it leads". The front page of the newspaper follows suit. It's only natural that bloggers do the same, whether we realize it or not.
Our "conditioning makes it necessary."[1]
That said, when I read a story like the one that follows, even I don't know how to act. This is such great news, because the young man chooses to defy the stereotypes and low expectations that even his coaches and AD have for him.
Few things would keep Florida State safety Myron Rolle from playing football on Saturdays. A Rhodes Scholarship could be one of them.Just for the sake of reference, Rolle isn't some 5th string d-back who barely plays. He was one of the most highly recruited players coming out of high school a few years back, and would be a high-round pick should he decide to enter the NFL draft this year, after his early graduation. Dude is no slouch on the field, or in the classroom.
Rolle, recently named a finalist for the academic honor, will interview with the scholarship selection committee Nov. 22 in Birmingham, Ala. His FSU teammates will be at Maryland that day, playing the Terrapins in a game that could decide the ACC's Atlantic Division title.
The junior said it's tough to be away from his team on a Saturday, but he made the decision to be in Birmingham.
"I thought about the fact this might come up a while ago," Rolle said. "But it didn't really crystallize in my mind until a couple of weeks ago, when I learned I could be a finalist.
"It really hit me, but this is a priority to me and my family. This is something really special."
Each year, the Rhodes Trust affords 32 students from across the country the opportunity to study at England's Oxford University.
Rolle, who has a 3.75 GPA and wants to study medical anthropology, said he has the support not only of Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, but also of Athletic Director Randy Spetman.
Rolle is trying to become the second Florida State athlete in recent years, and first football player at the major-college level in more than 10 years, to win a Rhodes Scholarship. FSU's NCAA champion shot putter Garrett Johnson received the honor in 2005.
What's interesting here is what's not really said in this story, but that I've read elsewhere. Namely, FSU's athletic director, Randy Spetman, publicly criticized Rolle for a subpar Sophomore season because he was "focusing more on the books than he was the field". I think that's pretty damn pathetic to be honest with you, and it only adds fuel to my theory that college athletes whose sports generate revenue should be paid for their contributions.
Up yours, Randy Spetman!
Thankfully, Rolle will have his academics to fall forward on, not back. And just in case you're wondering, the ACC went ahead and moved back the kickoff time so Rolle can both make his interview and play in the game the evening of the 22nd. I guess that says something about the conference's priorities. What exactly, I'm not so sure.
Either way, whether he's one of the lucky 32 or not, well done Myron Rolle! Well done.
Question: Do you think bloggers (your trulys included) dwell on the negative too often, or is this simply human nature? Should the team have rescheduled the game so Rolle could make his interview and play? Do we make too much of the "dumb jock" stereotype or is Myron Rolle really the exception, not the rule? Got any notable "dumb jock" stories? Did I just go negative again?
Academics trump football for Rolle [Palm Beach Post]
FSU's Rolle choosing Rhodes interview over Maryland game [SportsIllustrated]
[1] Let's see which literary genuius is able to first identify the classic that I cribbed this line from. My money is on Uppity Negro.
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I just gave a link to the NYT article on Rolle this morning and I blogged about him last week as well.
Yes, yes I do think bloggers do exactly what we accuse MSM of doing--focusing on the negative.
I've spoke on this quite a bit actually because the same people (us) who say Black people aren't all bad are the same ones who spend all our time talking about the bad only.
I don't mean whitewash reality but I wonder how many blogs mention a Myron Rolle at least one a week, or even once a month?
Certainly you can't improve things if you don't speak on them, but it doesnt have to be at the expense of ignoring all the positive things going on in our communities.
I've dedicated an entire blog to chronicling positive stories regarding Black people. Its called "Tradition of Excellence" and its on Wordpress.
I'm on hiatus because grad school is a killer but the middle of next month I'll start chronicling more stories.
As to sports, when you look at the number of athletes and then take the same knuckleheads that get in trouble I think we'd see about 80-90% of pro athletes do the right thing as a way of life. Surely better than the general public.
I love this story! I'd like to see more stories like this. Sure, focusing on the negative is human nature. But positive stories are like calcium for the bones. They make you stronger. Would people visit a blog that was only filled with positive stories? Probably not. But maybe once a week, like Symphony said. It will be interesting to hear whether or not it's a struggle for you to find these kinds of stories on a regular basis, AB. It seems to be a struggle, or maybe just cultural resistance, for the MSM. It takes effort, that's for sure.
I saw this yesterday in the Grey Lady. I think it's the height of outstanding. And that coach is a hater of the worst order, he probably hates in his sleep.
Kudos to Mr. Rolle.
And for what it's worth, I think media in general loves to focus on the negative because drama brings hits and ratings. Folks doing the right thing is so 1952. LOL!!
Yeah, focusing on the negative is just one of those unfortunate things we do. I think they should have moved the interview for the award around so that he could do both. I mean no matter what is said, this guy is doing something remarkable.
The Spetman stuff doesn't surprise me. I went to a certain private, top-tier Southern university in a big sports conference and we used to hear opposing teams' fans ROUTINELY trying to ridicule our athletes because they (gasp) WENT TO CLASS and (disgraceful!)GRADUATED (most in four years, and quite a few who played as freshmen used their fifth year of eligibility to get master's degrees) and that this was (shocking!) actually EXPECTED of them by the athletic department and the administration in general.
It really makes me sad that people have such low expectations for these kids, when so few of them will have careers in sports.
What a Great Story!!! Good for him!
FYI-To be a Rhodes Scholar, you must play a sport. Cecil Rhodes believed in athletic prowess as well as intellectual.
Thanks for running that story!
I think everyone focuses on the negative so much because that's what's seen the most. Think about it, the "nerdy" kid was not flashy and conceited, he/she was most likely an introvert. It's like the saying goes, no news is good news.
As fars a rearranging the game times for him, it might show they are more worried about winning, but he is part of the team and I think that it's nice that they did that so he can be included. He obviously takes pride and stives to be the best at everything he does wether it be sports or studies. They aren't "punishing" him for choosing to be a smart athlete.
Stories like this are needed in today's cynical society. I hope more athletes take this route instead of being at the mercy of the booster club.
Honestly, though..no one watches the evening news for the GOOD news.
EG
I think we do. but bloggers are reflection of society. so it only makes sense. but most of us write to attract readers.
Ten comments. Guess that answers your question.
Kudos to you for highlighting this story. Hopefully he'll get the scholarship.
To hell with Spetman and other anti-intelligence people. Stupidity reigns supreme.
We need to hear more stories like this,(especially our young people), so keep it up. Well done indeed! This brother is an inspiration!
I find it beautiful that he choose to bypass the game over going to his interview. It's not so much that we focus on the bad stories, its just that the bad outweighs the good on some occasions. Or the bad is so outrageous it takes a minute for us to sit back and comprehend the utter stupidity of common folks.
I dont know why, but something tells me that some young women on his campus still wouldnt't find him as attractive as the thugs that play on his time. Its just a random thought. He'd be seen as square and the saggy pants troop will be having the girls chase them.
10 years from now, he'll be successful in whatever he does. It's always important to stress to ball players the need to have something, their education, to fall back on if the pros don't pan out.
Something also tells me that this point isnt known to black players, as much as it is their white counterparts.
Most student athletes know that they won't make it to any type of professional sport. I think only like 3% do.
I feel that when it comes to college sports because it is an entertainment industry in itself, most people could care less about player GPA unless its stopping them from playing. That's why you never hear about many black college athletes that do have high GPAs. I went to U of Mich. (who are getting butts spanked at the moment) and it was always known that Athletes and Greek had better cumlative GPAs then the rest of the student body.
Dhani Jones was one of our best black football athletes and its rarely known that he was Pre Med with basically a 4.0.
He earned it. From SI:
He was one of two Rhodes scholars selected from 13 candidates in District 7, which comprises Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. There are 32 Rhodes Scholars elected each year. Rolle is the first BCS conference starter to win a Rhodes Scholarship since Stanford tight end Cory Booker in 1992. Booker now is the mayor of Newark, N.J.
To answer the question, I do believe that bloggers/the media in general focus on the negative. But, I also believe that there is a lot of negative and it cannot be ignored. I believe we create "dumb jocks". These young men are spotted when they are 7-8 years old and told that they will go to the NFL/NBA. They are not told that although sports can be used to get them started, they may be better off focusing on academics. The last time I check, the richest people in the world are NOT athletes.
I am glad that Symphony brought up Cory Booker. The man is 39 years old and his playing days are long over. But, his influence continues because he used his Sanford education to gain a Rhodes Scholarship and eventually a degree from Yale Law. He is still making a difference. Can you name another person who played NCAA football in 1991 who can say the same? Oh, and can still walk!?
@ Symphony,
Thanks for the update. I was just about to find out if he won the scholarship.
And I co-sign what everybody else said about negativity. Bloggers do it, too, because it's good for business. The JJB says Well Done stories get a whole hell of a lot less comments than when CJames is poppin' shit about black women.
As far as dumb jocks go, I agree that they are made. My SigOther coaches a youth football league in Minneapolis' "ghetto", and I LOVE how much he stresses education with his players. He'll help with homework or bench them if school isn't going well. Some of these kids have never thought about college in their lives, but he tells them if they ever hope to play in the NFL, they have to get their grades up so they can go to college. (Note: not you have to dedicate every waking moment to football, but you have to do better in school)It's been a blessing to watch these boys set new goals for themselves and believe in a possibility that didn't exist for them before.
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