Pleasant Center...

© June 2, 2021, the Griot Poet

 

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet,”

Thus said the Bard,

William Shakespeare,

In the tragic love affair “Romeo and Juliet,”

 

At the time of his existence,

There were festivals,

Jousts,

Jugglers, mimes, and jesters,

Archery competitions,

Fencing for high sport,

Duels to settle deadly scores,

Not behemoth entities,

Through radio, television, and the internet,

That beam in billions of eyeballs,

To gawk,

And armchair-judge your talents,

Reality shows condition citizens,

Every opinion is relevant,

Without a comparative experience,

Or expertise,

On which to make judgments,

Just instinct, kismet, the “gut,”

Inexperienced nincompoops,

And empty-headed peacocks strut,

 

Naomi, etymology, Hebrew, meaning “pleasant,”

Osaka, the commercial and cultural city center in Japan,

 

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter et al,

Empower sociopaths,

That has a problem with her youth,

That has a problem with her biracial status,

Typically racists,

Some of them elected house members and senators,

Many of them,

Charter members of the TTPC:

Teeny, tiny, penis committee,

Armed to the teeth with weaponry,

Sending their best missives to cyberspace

In soiled and semen-stained underwear,

Sitting like Gollum in mother’s basement,

 

She was a teenager

Thrust into this caustic cauldron,

There’s been no guidebook ever written,

Muhammad Ali on ABC News’ Wild World of Sports winged it,

He was an exceptional athlete,

Won Gold at the Olympics

Before becoming a professional athlete,

Spoke out against the Vietnam War,

And the irony of making

People of color

Fight people of color

On foreign shores,

He was a natural loudmouth, overconfident,

His [own] best PR agent,

Gadfly philanderer, and narcissist,

He was the greatest,

But this doesn’t mean,

Every athlete has this particular talent,

 

Naomi Osaka,

[Grew] up in the shadow,

Of Ora Mae Washington,

Althea Gibson,

Arthur Ashe,

Zina Garrison

Venus, and Serena Williams,

Each enduring hellish attacks, and double standards,

Discussing their bodies,

Their abilities,

Like they’re commodities,

Or thoroughbred stallions,

Climbing up a tennis ladder,

Rife with boobytraps

To taint or take their well-earned crowns,

And minimize their status,

 

On these shoulders

Naomi saw inspiration and support,

She’s human,

Like a lot of us,

Vulnerable to isolation in this pandemic,

Vulnerable to the unsympathetic among us,

That feel empowered that their screeds

Can reach their targets with light speed,

Revel in the pain they generate,

Oblivious to the destruction they create,

The FIRST to cry for help when THEY need it,

 

The French Open

Acting like plantation oligarchs,

Like Naomi Osaka is THEIR property,

That she doesn’t have agency,

Or a say in her mental health,

Just because her name means “pleasant,”

Doesn’t mean she lacks inner strength,

Or foresight on her condition,

$15,000 is a small pittance,

For wholeness,

An obligatory press conference,

It is analogous to an auction block,

Slaves nor horses had much choice,

Stand for inspection,

Answer questions on-cue,

Like Trigger,

The Sports Industrial Complex (SIC) is about profits!

 

Who controls a sport: the businesses that organized the competition or the athletes who play it?

 

Leagues turn press access to an athlete as an additional source of profits,

 

Think “show, and tell” with dollars.

 

Since the descendants of plantation oligarchs,

Pull strings in SIC boardrooms, and sign the checks,

They feel empowered to call the shots,

Of every aspect of athletes’ lives,

Laura Ingrate: “shut up and dribble!”

Ask how that worked for Michael Fred Phelps II,

After 28 Olympic Games Medals in swimming,

Setting a record,

The most decorated of all time,

Is now a spokesman for Talk Space,

 

At the beginning of every athlete’s journey,

Before they reach the apogee,

Of 0.03% in their respective fields,

They were children with noble dreams,

Their participation based on sheer joy,

[Which] is why they should be treated as individuals with agency,

The activity for which they’re paid handsomely focused them and kept them calm and centered.

 

That dedication to their craft should be honored and respected!