Certain words get thrown around these days about as easily as grenades in World War II. It is fairly easy to turn on the nightly news and hear words like racism, socialism, insane etc. used much more frequently than they were 40-years ago. However, it’s not often that you hear an African-American man making $100 million over a 7-year period liken his situation to that of being a slave. However “insane” the preceding statement sounds, Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth uttered it in the past day or so. The insinuation is that “the man” (the owner of the team) is keeping Albert Haynesworth down. I am sure it is hard to get out from underneath the pile of money that Haynesworth has made playing for Washington.
At first blush on its surface the statement is absurd but it’s even more asinine when one considers what caused Mr. Haynesworth to make this statement. You see when Haynesworth signed his 7-year contract last year with the Redskins they played a 4-3 defense but in the off-season the Redskins changed coaches and switched defenses to a 3-4 scheme which would require Haynesworth to play his position differently. For the rest of the world this would seem somewhat normal considering that companies change CEOs frequently; it would seem logical and even predictable that over 7-years Mr. Haynesworth could assume he may be playing for a different head coach than the one he signed up to play for when his deal was consummated. Most importantly, Haynesworth still collects a check every Tuesday for exactly the amount he AGREED to play for when he signed his contract last year.
Haynesworth has now resorted to calling his plight that of a slave and this is where the dangerous part begins. Slavery is nothing to be taken lightly, if one reads a few books and understands what his ancestors went through they would quickly rebuke Haynesworth’s statement as not only stupid and insensitive but dangerous to the black community. You see when people begin using labels, serious labels, on silly things it diminishes the label and as a society we become desensitized to true meaning of the label. Therefore, when the situation actually occurs, society is so used to the label being used frivolously that we as people no longer become outraged by the activity. The analogy I can easily give you is nudity on television. 30-years ago, if you saw nudity on an HBO movie, you were shocked- now if you turn on USA at 10pm there is a good chance you will see what you saw on HBO 30-years ago- it’s not a big thing to society because it has become so pervasive.
I would hope that the leaders of the black community, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson et al would speak out about Mr. Haynesworth’s dumb comment but for some reason I doubt this will happen. The preceding group of “leaders” traffic in race baiting and love to keep that debate alive and well in this country as it provides them with full-time employment and plenty of TV time, that’s sad.
What I find more troubling is that a guy making about $15 million annually feels he is in a situation akin to that of his slave ancestors. The last time I checked my history books, slaves weren’t allowed to leave the plantation, were forced to work without compensation, sold like property etc. etc. Mr. Haynesworth has a huge bank account and is free to pursue any other line of employment he would like other than playing defensive tackle in the National Football League, unless of course he can find it within himself to play for the Washington Redskins with whom he signed a CONTRACT with last season.
With millions of Americans out of work and unsure where there next paycheck is coming from, what do they get from the place they turn to for their entertainment and diversion from the serious issues in their lives? What they get is some self-absorbed professional athlete who doesn’t understand just how blessed he is to play a game for an extraordinary amount of money and to live in a country where freedom is taken for granted. If we, as a society, keep paying attention to morons like Albert Haynesworth who are paid to entertain us on weekends, then sadly we’re all “slaves”.
4 comments:
Kudos to you for choosing this hot button topic and tackling it head on.
The mistake that most people make when they hear athletes use the "slave" comment is that they take it for the true literal historical meaning. The mistake that Albert Haynesworth made is in choosing the word slave but there aren't very many powerful enough alternatives to the word to describe the situation that he feels that he is in.
Sure, Haynesworth is getting paid millions to play a child's game yes. However, there is that saying that money can not buy you happiness and he's not happy. Haynesworth also does not feel like he is in control and quite frankly he is not. In professional sports, although you make millions, the owner holds all the chips. He can take that paycheck away from you whenever he chooses.
Haynesworth did not feel that he is suited to play in the system that Shanahan has implemented. He obviously feels better suited for a different system. It's no different than Ryan Mallet bolting from Michigan when Rich Rodriguez got there because Mallet is not a spread option QB. Mallet made a move that was in his best interest and so far it looks like it was a good one.
Haynesworth would also like to make such a move but unfortunately he can't and that's where the feelings of being a slave come in. The money is irrelevant because he would play for $100k if that was the going rate. Also, relative to those around him, Haynesworth does not feel like he's being treated equally. Has he created some of the problem? Yes, he has but we must also consider that he is stuck in a situation he does not want to be in, money aside.
I have not been 100% behind Haynesworth during this ordeal but now I feel like people are starting to pile on and people should try to have some kind of understanding for his situation. Haynesworth's genetics, skill, hard work and determination has placed him in the position to make $15 million per year. He should not be penalized for that. His feelings should not be disregarded because of that.
Many of Americans make a good salary and have the right to change jobs when the environment changes without suffering a severe decrease in compensation. Consider that part of it when making comments about his situation.
Haynesworth would be less of a player if he just kept his mouth shut and just took the money while he was less productive a player in a system that he is not suited for. He wants to dominate and help a team win and for one reason or another he does not feel that the 3-4 is for him. I think he has played enough football to be able to make that determination or at the very least to know more about it than you and I.
Good points but he should choose his words more carefully. He isn't going to gain much sympathy in the court of public opinion likening himself to a slave when he makes $15 mm per. I am a capitalist so I say if there is a market for your services and you have the skill, God love you if you can make that kind of money. Good for Albert; he just needs to understand nobody is going to take up his cause unless he articulates his feelings in a more clear concise way, like you did for him. :-)
This will come as a shock to no one when I say, I don't think Albert Haynesworth cares about the court of public opinion. Nor do I think he cares much about what people think. I have realized for people to achieve what athletes, entertainers and other public figures achieve, they can't care what other people think. Once you start caring what other people think, you stop performing at a high level. Ask Alex Rodriguez. It's why most people never achieve this status. I know this first hand... unfortunately.
I think you're reading this one wrong my friend. If he didn't care about public opinion, then why make public statements? He may pretend not to care but again if you don't care then no point speaking publicly because the Redskins certainly don't care what he has to say. Just my 2-cents but I think he somehow, as silly as it sounds, thinks he can get the fans on his side of this.
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