"Yo, money got moves! You see his cross-ovah?" "Word, brutha definitely got skillz! He should go pro!" I'm sure we've either been blessed to be the one, these two bruthaz are talkin' about, or know someone that possess such skillz.

Most bruthaz, that are athletic have, at one time, pursued that dream of goin' pro. Mainly the sport is B-ball or football. The game today is developing into more of a capitalist sport, where we find rich white (or blacks with white mentality) leeches who squeeze every nutrient and vitamin out of black athlete's as if they were Florida oranges!

You can't blame a brutha for staying at the courts into the wee hours of night, or lifting, running, and catching day in and day out. Nobody want's to have a hard time paying bills, and everybody wants to be able to buy what they want, when they want. This eurocentric; dog-eat-dog; live-for-today, fuck tomorrow; mentality has made it so most bruthaz feel the only way "out" is through sports.

With the opportunity for jobs decreasing, minimum wage similar to what NIKE pays foreigner's to make his shoes, welfare next to elimination, and the cost of living rising, athletics seem the only "legit" way out. Most young Afrikans think this. Most go to school because they want to receive a college scholarship, which will get them closer to turning pro -- or as of late, do what Kevin Garnett has done and go pro from high school.

I believe the american amateur and professional athletic regime is a hoax. It is a "legal" pimping business that shatters the minds of many Afrikans world-wide. I speak this from both the heart and experience. I received a 4-year Track & Field scholarship at a major university and I still suffer from the psychological spells they put on me.

Most kids will tell you when they grow up they want to be some type of professional athlete. Not realizing the high risk of even making the high school team, most of these young beautiful, black shining faces will be crushed by the jaws of sports competition and most may never recover and become an asset to both our people and the community as a whole. You know some legends in your burrough. "Brutha Scoop, you know, the one who is a legend; he used to play at the park. You know, the one who used to have a nice handle and crazee up's; he went to college, couldn't make it and ended up droppin' out. You may see him on the court still, but he ain't playin' he sippin' somethin' out of a brown paper bag and he's on crack!"

Why is athletics so highly marketed? I say, it is a diversion to keep you from knowing yourself. To distract a people from what really needs to be done, like, liberating our economic situation in this world through knowledge of self and setting up black business' that employ our people.

To understand how sports evolved, we must go back to a time when YT first realized he could use our melanated rhythm and garnish riches from it. True, after they raped KMT they had nobody else to kill, so they looked for other things to release their agression. They had barbarous sports like fighting lions inside an arena, but when they realized Afrikans were much quicker, more agile, could jump higher, and was more spontaneous, creating sport was inevitable. Looking at the history of athletic competition, there really isn't much a difference in the mentality of YT. The caucasian has always looked at the Afrikan in the eyes of profit. Therefore, we were never seen as men and women in their eyes. Our mental, physical, and spiritual development is what made them so infatuated with us, they felt the need to steal us all for themself, as if we were humans with much tenacity, but no direction. That's like saying we're intelligent enuff to run the whole offense, but not intelligent enuff to be the quarterback.

In order to understand the nature of our relationship with YT, please refer to the piece, "IZ YT Human? or Mutant!" We must also understand that athlete's are only good if they can produce (make money for YT). If you're injured, or in some cases like school, fulfill your 4 years of eligibility, you are of no use. In the process of the Atlantic Slave Trade, we were dispersed to the americas and the carribean. At the same time, over 100 million of us were either murdered, starved, or committed suicide in this nearly 25 year crime of kidnapping and led to nearly 500 years of hard, free labor. Think of how many of our ancestors bones lie on the bottom of the Atlantaic...deep! After reaching the docks, we were lined up and sold to the highest bidder for labor we have yet to be compensated for.

This is where the modern NFL and NBA drafts have similarities to the the Middle Passage draft. One of the most exciting times around the year is the draft (auction). Each draft (auction) is relatively the same, they hold training camps (plantations) where athletes come and get clocked in the 40-yard dash and a max-out bench press test. After these, as well as other tests, the name of the athlete is passed on to ball clubs and the teams try to get the player on their squad. What is mostly concentrated on is the height, weight, and strength of athletes, because this is what attracts spectators, who'll pay much cream to see the athletes play. There's also "trading" Afrikans, oops, athletes from one plantataion, oops again, team as late as 1/3rd into the season. This means the athlete must pack up and leave. So what he just bought a new home in New York, pack up, "ya ass is movin' ta Iowa!"

What an athlete goes through to potentially become picked is somewhat sadistic. In athletics, they stress fitness and shit. But Y IZ it dat their diets are so poor?! Most, if not nearly all, athletes eat tons and tons of decayed flesh, or what you may call meat; carbonated acid (soda); and pop so many pills they'd be considered a junky but because these are "prescription" drugs and formula's, it's ok. In other words, you can be addicted to drugs as long as you continue to make loot for YT, but if you a junky on the street, you ain't shit! As these bruthaz build up their muscle strength, most have not exercised the biggest and most important muscle -- the heart. With a poor diet, aritificial formula's, and other drugs ok'd by team physicians, bruthaz don't even realize they are shortening their athletic career. Most don't even think about "after athletics" until they are either too old, been benched, or injured. By then, most have made million's but got nothin' to show for it.

Back to the auction, everytime I hear how much a particular Afrikan, being auctioned off, weighs or how fast and strong he is, I think about the slave auctions (drafts) of the past. The only difference is that today's Afrikan's are being paid for the work. But if you think about it, a $3-4 year million contract is but pennies to a franchise that racks up a couple hundred million annually and will be here far longer than the career of the brutha who just signed. In all actuality, we are in worse shape than when being auctioned for free labor a couple hundred years ago! Why you ask? Because we are given millions of dollars and we still ain't free! Afrikans in america ain't got shit! When we didn't have nothin' we had dreams of what we would do if we had money. We said we'd open up our own businesses -- which would create jobs for us and so on. Well, at present, Afrikans, especially in america, are making the most money we ever had and the number is increasing. If we knew of our spending power, we could put any company out of business. In 1995, Afrikans in america spent a total of $399 billion! All the other ethnic races -- including YT -- put together only totaled approximately $323 billion! If we all stopped purchasing NIKEs for a month, they would take a major loss! If we did it to any business we patronize, they would feel our power! So why don't we have an Afrikan company that makes tv's, cars, or toothbrushes?! Y do we just have BET as a tell-a lie-vision station? Because there is a catch!

Do you really think the white establishment (white supremacy) would give these amounts of money to Afrikans, if he didn't think we'd just buy things for ourself and not think about using it to build Afrikan-centered schools?! Where is the modern source of such a way of thinking? The wack educational system and tell-a lie-vision, aka massa-media. It was also learned on the plantation. Heard of the crab theory? There's a barrel full of crabs at a restaurant about to be cooked and they're trying to escape. To do so, crabs are climbing over each other. Instead of working together as a unit, climbing over each other until the last one's out, the crabs snatch the crab, who is nearest the top edge, back down with the rest of them. "If I ain't got nothin' (in this case, freedom), you ain't got nothin'!" "If I'm oppressed, you oppressed." But the mentality changes when we get something. Our attitude is all about self. It is no longer "we,"it's now "me."

These athletes mostly have white agents (or white-thinking, Afrikan agents) who keep bruthaz away from the black burroughz (economically oppressed Afrikans) and end up giving mad loot to charities like united way (who's founder's and executives have alliances with the New World Order of white supremacy, therefore, doesn't give 2 shits about Afrikans being economically, socially, and spiritually oppressed globally) and other leech fundraiser's.

On the amateur (collegiate) side, these pimps have more hoes. I'm not dissin' collegiate athlete's, I was pimped 4 years! Universities are making crazee lootchie! Football and basketball are considered revenue sports, everything else is not. Think about it, Notre Dame would not be Notre Dame if it weren't for the athletes, right? PLUG: how can they be the "Fighting Irish" when there's mostly bruthaz on the team?! Think about it. Florida State, North Carolina, Michigan, UCLA, this list goes on, none of 'em would exist if it wasn't for the black athlete!

Notre Dame has a multi-million dollar contract with NBC. Who get's the money? It goes to coaches, the university president, and other leeches salary. It keeps construction on campuses (which are jobs most Afrikans construction companies don't get). It buys the coaching staff their cars, their children's car's, their families vacation, their newly built home in the suburbs, their children's tuition, and so on. But what does the athlete get? A lil' tv coverage (4 years max) and a scholarship. As much loot as the college bowl games get, the NCAA (National Control against Afrikan Athletes) doesn't cut one check to the athlete. The athlete's family may get a couple crumbs, but their son, who just won the heisman trophy, has brought millions of dollars in university exposure ('cause he wears their jersey, which is like saying who you "belong" to) and endorsements.

Think about this. NIKE remakes athletes, who're in the NBA, collegiate jerseys and sellin' it. Do you think Chris Webber get's any percentage for making the #4 jersey for michigan popular? If he does get paid, he is the last one in line. Just like we were on the plantation, the last to break from work, the last to eat, the last to drink, and the last to sleep. Michigan receives the largest profit because Chris was their property! Sound like the plantation theory now? When you are a collegiate athlete on scholarship, you cannot play your sport for any money because it is a violation against NCAA rules. I was told if you play a pick-up game and receive money from it, it is a violation. Word. Control. The Afrikan cain't make no money unless the overseer gets a cut...a large cut!

I believe collegiate athletes should be paid a salary. Did you see the movie Blue Chips, with Shaq? What was madd deep was how alumni took care of the recruits. Personally, I didn't see nothing wrong with that. After all, it is the players that go out and win the games, which brings national attention to the universities, which breeds stand-out high school athletes around the country to sign letters of intent with these universities (which is like signing yourself away to a specific plantation), which will ensure these universities will continue to make money in the years to come. This also attracts regular students to enroll at these universities, which is even more loot, knowhatI'msayin'?

In college football, the bowl games rack up so much loot, with the Rose Bowl leading the way. For universities that constantly produce national attention, they can count on that money being there for years to come. This is how coaches and other university officials get over. Meanwhile, if I blow my knee out during a game and can't play any more, I'm no longer "the man" 'cause I can't score no more touchdowns for YT.

My college track & field coach was always suspect to fraud, in my eyes. For one, he had a son who was handicap. His son, at one time, needed a couple major surgeries one year. Also, that year, my freshman year, we won the outdoor Big East Track & Field championship and that following fall, he showed up in a phat new car. He also bought some expensive land out in the woods and shit, and had his home built there. I'm thinkin' to myself, where'd he get the money to do all this? Last time I checked, it was me and my fellow teammates that busted our ass and won the championship! And what did we get for winning? A warm-up suit! Y IZ Dat?!

Athletes keep president's and owner's of franchises paid for generations! Although athlete's get millions for their work today, we are in worse shape! Think about it. We all wanna watch Tyson as he get vexed in the ring, right? But we all ain't got the loot to fly to Vegas for ringside seats, right? So we order the fight through Pay-Per-View, or watch on other cable systems like HBO and Showtime. Did you ever think about how much money these companies are making off the fight? Not to mention, the many undaground bets goin' on. If you add all that up, the fighter is making scraps! And he's the one that's out there "puttin' in work!" Who gets paid first after the fight is over? I don't know, but I bet the fighter is the last one!

Having millions of dollars is senseless if you just keepin' it for yaself! There ain't enuff nationally Afrikan-owned businesses in america, so what's up black athlete??!! Wha'chu waitin' on? There is a reason black athlete's don't know of Da Ghetto Tymz or of the self-empowerment philosophy. Professional sports don't facilitate there money management programs! Instead, athletes have white agents (or white-thinking, black-faced agents) who control athletes money and end up sucking them dry! If Shaq, Jordan, Magic, Foreman, B. Bonds, and so on, thought of doing something nationally -- or globally, for that matter -- like supporting the construction of an Afrikan public school system, or a record label big enuff to contend with Sony and RCA, or purchasing an Afrikan-owned satellite that would air real Afrikan entertainment and not tell-a lie-vision's B-S station BET, we would have a stronger economic, and therefore, more unified race of people. We would have what KMTic scholars call balance. See, society doesn't want us to choose so they only show you one way and you, in turn, thinks it's the only way.

Some of you may ask, "Y IZ dis brutha talking about black stuff? Y does he want to have black business' and boycott others?" Because Afrikan-owned businesses produce jobs! Jobs for Afrikans. This is how we can become self-reliant. Afrikans in america have the highest buying power! Meaning, we spend the most money of any race! Why? Because we are 99% consumer and 1% producer! Everything we buy, someone from another culture made it. Whether it's buying a pair of NIKEs or some BBQ Ribs from the chinese restaurant 'round the cornah. White amerikkka knows this and are starting to re-direct their marketing strategies so their products will appeal to us; which means we'll buy Nautica, or Tommy Hilfiger, because we saw Grand Puba wearin' it! And they're using our Afrikan athletes, as well as entertainer's, to endorse their product!

Look at how soulful the fast food commercials be (McDonald's, Kentucky Fried, Sprite etc.). Look at how their gear is lured to our heads by using bruthaz and sistaz to wear their gear. Even though Polo, Guess, Hilfiger, and so on, claims 'when they make their clothes they ain't thinkin' bout black folk', they can say that because we still will buy their clothes. Or we'll drink St.Ides, because we saw Snoop and Wu-Tang rappin' about it even though we never saw them drinkin' it! Or we'll "obey" our thirst and drink Sprite because Grant Hill drinks it. Last time I checked my thirst was sayin' get me some clean water, fuck carbonated acid! I mean, think about it son, do you really think Jordan eats McDonald's every day the way they make it seem? Do you really think he wears Hanes underwear or eat Wheaties every morning?

I understand bruthaz wanna get paid. But you must look at who get's hurt at what cost. Athletes must be more responsible (and loving) and think about opening our own NIKE, our own McDonald's --BUT making sure we sell good, healthy food! Current and ex-athlete's, alike, must consider opening our own Afrikan professional league. It don't matter, all YT wanna see is Afrikans dunking, rushing, or punching someone's lights out!

It doesn't make sense what Magic did. This lost nigga would rather give up is (I think) 5% of the LA Laker's he owned -- which would've guaranteed him and his familiy millions for as long as the league lasted; which is much, much more than he'll ever make being a player instead of an owner -- and play for a couple more years. We need to stop limiting ourselves to just "player's" and think about being "owners"! Think about it Magic, after they don't want you no more, they won't pay you! I know you're well off, but why can't you be like Tyson when he said you can never have enuff money, cause the more loot you have the more people you can help! If you kept your ownership you would still get "free" money from them and you could still play ball. Didn't you have a couple of teams you were touring on before you came back? So don't tell me you came back for the game 'cause you never stopped playing!! Another Plug: What's up with your selfishness 'bout the Olympics?! You got your gold medal, Y you gotta rob the dreams of a younger player?! You lost brutha...way out there. But continue reading Da Ghetto Tymz and the yellow brick road will lead you back to an Afrikan knowledge of self!

I propose that all you professional athlete's, or friends and relatives of professional athlete's think about developing our own Afrikan league. Other's are/have done it (USFL, USBA, WFL, etc.), Y can't we have an Afrikan Football League and Afrikan Basketball Association?! Currently, there are 30 NFL teams with a total of approximately 1410 players. We know that somewhere between 65-75% are Afrikan; the NBA has 29 teams, totalling about 348 players, with 80% being Afrikan players. If you bruthaz thought about droppin' those eurocentric agents and save 50% of your salary for the next 3 seasons (until 2000), we could use that money to start a league, a national Afrikan-centered school system, and numerous Afrikan business' (automobiles, electronics, food, etc.) so that we'd be able to employ our own people, institute our own banks, armed defense, and import/export establishments so we will no longer have to sit at the table with YT "askin'" him to give us our 40 acres and 2 mules. That shit is dead! He ain't gonna give it to us, so fuck it! Let's cease from waiting for something that ain't comin'. We can make this cream ourselves, son, but we need you Afrikan athletes to leave them white women and white agents alone and come home!!

We need more conscious bruthaz in the league like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (even though he didn't hold out long enuff, I guess the lyrical lashing's he took from YT got to him -- Brutha Rauf, read DGT, we'll bring you home, you on your way). This brutha is one of the top shooter's in the league and doesn't have a shoe contract. That's why he tapes his shoes so you don't see his logo. Y don't you use some of those millions and pick up a creative Afrikan artist to design your shoe Mahmoud?! Afterall, NIKE, Reebok, and FILA, got bruthaz designing their shoes!

It doesn't make sense that only 50 players from the NFL donated $10,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Even though the UNCF ain't shit and it's founding was financed by beasts of the New World Order (ie, Rockefeller, Rothschild, Ford and other foundations to keep an eye on us), the principle being that of all the money athlete's make, they could only raise $500,000 which was matched by the NFL. If every Afrikan player donated just $5000, they would have raised nearly $5 million! Y don't yaw think of givin' Da Ghetto Tymz that kinda of cream?! We would institute an Afrikan educational institution where our people would be taught self-esteem and 360 degrees of knowledge, including self-reliance and abstraction from the one's who created all the mischief we see on mother earth! We would also establish companies in all 9 areas of people activity, Francess Cress Welsing (author of Isis Papers), speaks of that maintains white supremacy. Those areas are: 1)Economics; 2)Education; 3)Entertainment; 4)Labor; 5)Law; 6)Politics; 7)Sex; 8)Religion; and 9)War. By establishing an Afrikan centered gear/shoe company (or supporting one's that already exist like Wu-Wear, Ubnoxus Wear, Mecca, and Walker Wear), we could could break the financial arm of white supremacy by taking away NIKE, Reebok, Adidas, anything we wear, money and direct it toward purchasing OUR own gear. Same thing with cars, tv's, refrigerator's, toothpaste, carpet, computers, cassette tapes, pencils, bread, hats, rope, steel, vegetables, gunz, fertilizer, napkins, paper, towels, staples, shoe strings, crayons, deordorant, toothpicks, jewelry, sunglasses, coats, brooms, toilets, ketchup, sandwich bags, purses, weaves, powder, clippers, soap, clocks, chairs, basketballs, dental floss, DAMN! Let me stop this flo'. I can go on for dayz. But you get the picture...anything YT makes, which is everything!!

We should also check the brutha and sistaz who s'posed to be representin'! Ewing, ya got's to pick it up baby. I'm tired of not be picked to run some ball 'cause I got on your boots! Kani, ya got's to find a way to break your merge with BOSS 'cause they takin' all your clients, plus ya shit is too expensive! Jordan, ya got's to get on mr. knight and tell him to stop sellin' your sneeks for 140 beans when we know it only took $7 to make the damn shoe! Bruthaz of the Negro Baseball League, ya needs to break your contract with those to white women who think their jewish and come back home and find a black clothing company that'll hook you up! BET, you just gotta go off air, cause you ain't black-owned! Brutha John Thompson, ya gots' to stop doin' those Taco Bell commercial's 'cause we know you don't recruit white boys! Also you shoulda stepped to bill packer for calling Allen Iverson an <em>"tough little monkey"</em> during the Big East Championship a couple years ago. You gettin' soft on us John?? KRS, ya got's to chill on televising the revolution and sayin' "it's about basketball" and wanting me to drink coca(cocaine)-cola products! It's too late in the day for house niggaz. You either for us or against us! 'Cause we know house niggaz is scared of revolution, but there will come a day when you won't have a choice -- you will have to choose a side. I forewarn you to do it volutarily now, 'cause if you wait, Afrikans ain't gonna take no "johnny come lately's", for real, Sun!! LIK SHOT!!

Niggers play football, baseball, and basketball while the white man is cutting off their balls...niggers tell you they're ready to be liberated, but when you say to him, "Let's take our liberation", niggers reply, "I was just playin'.
- The Last Poets, "Niggers Are Scared Of Revolution"