While 103 million people (a 7 percent drop from last year) were glued to what was apparently a thrilling, captivating Super Bowl game, my thoughts were far from football. I was busy helping my nephew, Sidney Keys III, run his monthly Books N Bros meeting in Ferguson.
Instead of seeing stiff arms, spin moves, diving catches and perfectly-placed throws, I was with a bunch of 10-,11- and 12-year-old boys reading Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors. We also witnessed an excellent inspirational speech from motivational speaker Tony Thompson (no relation to the well-known KWAME CEO).
Don’t worry. This article isn’t an attack on your level of “wokeness” if you watched the Super Bowl, as you’ll soon discover. After I returned home and got settled, the game was entering its final minutes. This was apparent due to the buzz of text and group chat messages that lit up my phone like a Christmas tree.
A friend who had essentially wagered a mortgage payment on the Eagles was getting antsy. The underdog Eagles were winning, but Tom Brady was about to get the ball back with a few minutes remaining. If you don’t know how that story usually ends, just ask the Atlanta Falcons.
I found myself at a crossroads. I hadn’t watched or really even thought about the game until that point. But my curiosity was building. For those outside the 314, the prospect of watching Brady and the Patriots lose a Super Bowl is only second to a Cardinals World Series victory in terms of exciting scenarios for St. Louis sports fans. Add in the drama of my friend risking homelessness on a sports hunch and my pro-Kaepernick spirit wasn’t strong enough to keep me away from the game’s final three minutes.
Now I don’t have any particular affinity (or disdain) for the Philadelphia Eagles. For those few minutes, though, I rooted for the Eagles as if Ezekiel Elliott, Sheldon Richardson, Jeremy Maclin, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Larry Hughes, Nelly and SZA were all on the Philly roster. It didn’t matter who the Patriots were facing, I wanted them to lose.
So when Brady coughed up the pigskin with 2:13 remaining, there was joy. When his last-ditch Hail Mary attempt fell short, there was great delight. It’s great to know that even though my interest in the NFL has waned, my hatred for the Patriots have not.
Philly fans wild out
One thing that can, and will, be pointed out after nearly every sporting world championship celebration in the U.S. is how different rioting sports fans are treated than those protesting injustice and police misconduct.
Michael Boren, of the Philadelphia Enquirer, was slightly miffed at the national media’s portrayal of unruly Eagles fans and penned the following words:
“Yes, one gas station was looted at Broad and Catharine, traffic lights were torn down outside City Hall, and a couple of windows at Macy’s were shattered,” Boren wrote. “A few fights broke out, the awning outside the Ritz-Carlton collapsed, and a car was flipped on its side. One fan ate horse manure. (Frankly, worth its own headline.)”
However, Boren noted how, at the time, only four people had been arrested by police. His efforts to downplay the scene were backed up by the mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney.
“The knucklehead contingent was extremely small,” Mayor Kenney said Tuesday during a news conference about Thursday’s parade, which is expected to draw millions to the city. “The media focuses obviously on the negative.”
If those individuals had taken the streets with Black Lives Matter signs instead of Eagles jerseys, we all know that the responses of the police, mayor and media would’ve been much different.
Never trust the Patriots
As if America needed another reason to despise the Patriots, Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled a DeAndre Jordan on the Indianapolis Colts.
Tuesday morning the Colts announced that McDaniels would be the new coach of the franchise. The Colts officially signed Matt Eberflus (defensive coordinator), Jerry Schuplinski (quarterbacks coach) and Dave DeGuglielmois (offensive line coach) to contracts, after they were offered positions by McDaniels.
Later in the evening, the Colts dropped a bomb and released the following statement regarding the McDaniel’s hire:
“After agreeing to contract terms to become the Indianapolis Colts’ new head coach, New England Patriots assistant coach Josh McDaniels this evening informed us that he would not be joining our team. Although we are surprised and disappointed, we will resume our head coaching search immediately and find the right fit to lead our team and organization on and off the field.”
McDaniels backed out.
Apparently, when McDaniels went back to Boston to clear out his office, he was talked into staying in New England by Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft and Head Coach Bill Belichick. Kraft offered to pay him more money. Belichick offered to take McDaniels under his wing, essentially grooming the OC as his successor.
The move is embarrassing for all parties involved. The Colts look like fools for publicizing the hire and scheduling a press conference before they had ink on paper. The assistants, who left other teams to coach for McDaniels, were left hanging. McDaniels, who served as the St. Louis Rams’ offensive coordinator under Steve Spagnuolo, looks indecisive and insensitive.
According to Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports, McDaniel’s agent, Bob LaMonte, severed his ties with the coach following the fiasco.
After “Deflate-gate,” “Spy-gate” and now this McDaniels’ debacle, everybody should know that you should never trust the Patriots.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
