Recently a media feeding frenzy ensued when Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth uttered the statement, “Just because somebody pays you money don’t mean they’ll make you do whatever they want…I’m not for sale. Yeah, I signed the contract and got paid a lot of money [$21 million this year], but that don’t mean I’m for sale or a slave or whatever.”
Part of the shock, or better yet outrage, seemed to be focused on the very thought that a black man making so much money would compare playing in a defensive scheme he despises to the master-slave relationship at the heart of the American Black-white divide. According to Haynesworth his bone of contention was part of his contract negotiations with the Redskins.
Of course he is not the first contemporary athlete to utter the slave comparison. Former NBA great Larry Johnson once referred to some of his New York Knicks teammates as “rebel slaves” which generated similar outrage. William Rhoden’s wonderful book Forty Million Dollar Slaves takes on the historic plantation mentality of American sport culture and contemporary athletes. And my own book, Ballers of The New School, examines the mentality of contemporary post-civil rights, hip-hop generation athletes, bold enough to make such utterances.
RELATED: Albert Haynesworth “I’m not a slave”
To be fair to Haynesworth who is black, the history and legacy of the enslavement of African persons in the New World, and testifying against it or vestiges of it, will forever be part of the psyche of black Americans. Enslavement in America was harsh, bitter, and cruel as recounted in endless slave narratives. These narratives testified against captors and bore witness to the desire of every black person to be free. Haynesworth’s recent tirade or testimony (depending on your point of view) underscores the feelings that most contemporary athletes are either unwilling to or incapable of articulating.
While Haynesworth certainly does not endure the same type of cruel bondage, his rebellion is against those in power of a plantation or system (dominated primarily by white men) that controls black men—even if they pay them. It is a system capable of making them “do whatever they want” whenever they want. Haynesworth, like the slave narratives, which demonstrated the problematic value of plantation culture, is perhaps addressing the problematic white-black labor conditions in contemporary sports culture that is driven by a modicum of the past master-slave ideology.
Rhoden says in his book “sports might be a plantation of sorts.” Haynesworth seems to concur. And, no amount of money will hush black folk with knowledge of this legacy, because America’s foundation is buried in the fields of slave plantations.
Ironically, the foundation of contemporary high profile sports like football and basketball are the descendants of former slaves. Even the structure of contemporary sports teams traces the power dynamics of plantations. Nearly all the people who exercise power over players are white— the owners, head coaches, commissioners, etc.
The outrage directed at Haynesworth for making his “slave” comment confirms the unspoken notion that because he is Black, he is treated as a descendants of former slaves. Critics say Haynesworth should be grateful—more grateful than his white peers—for the money he makes.
But if Haynesworth is getting paid so much and the dynamics are so different, why make the comparison?
Haynesworth is bothered that despite his immense wealth he does not control the terms of his liberation—the problem slaves faced without the benefit of wealth. Further, in the contemporary sports world not only are white men (like his coach and team owner) in power, but they have defined the terms of the liberation for black men. Haynesworth’s analogy is perhaps his way of saying that while his services may be for sale, his pride and self-respect are not. Despite the money, prestige, and lifestyle, he is not blind to the master-slave power dynamic in contemporary sport culture.
What underscores the Haynesworth saga is how it compares to that of Minnesota Vikings’ Brett Favre who is white. Haynesworth dislikes the Redskins 3-4 defensive scheme, preferring to play tackle instead of nose guard. He also skipped the Redskins voluntary off-season conditioning program. The media maligned him for this, suggesting he was lazy. Brett Favre routinely skips training camp until the last two weeks of camp. He also chose to play for the Vikings because they use an offense he likes.
RELATED: Cavs see LeBron as runaway slave
Yet, the media response to his antics is the antithesis of the response to Haynesworth. Haynesworth is called “ridiculous,” “an idiot” and worse for making his comments. Meanwhile Favre is worshipped for holding teams hostage (deciding if he will play or retire) each year until two weeks before the season begins. In fact, he was given a raise this season. (He now makes $16 million!)
Race is an undeniable variable in the different treatment of these men. The black one is told he should be grateful, shut up and do what he is told. The other is afforded the latitude to waffle about playing, and is offered a raise for doing so.
My point here is not that Haynesworth is literally a slave, but that because he’s Black he’s treated like one. Nor is it that whites are literally masters. The point is that Haynesworth seems to be aware the racial dynamics at play and rejects them. Our national understanding of race could make leaps and bounds, if the public considered these dynamics alongside Haynesworth words, “I’m not for sale or a slave or whatever.”
Thabiti Lewis is the author of Ballers of the New School: Race and Sports in America (Third World Press, 2010). He teaches English and American Studies at Washington State University Vancouver.
Click here to join the 2011 Black History Month contest
Share this post on Facebook! CLICK HERE:
15 Responses to “The Waste-Free Stimulus”
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robert shumake
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<b>News</b> and Publications - <b>News</b> Release
News and Publications - News Release. ... Academy in the news � News links � Ingenia � Photo Gallery. News Release. 08 July 2010. Academy elects 'unique national resource' to assist in economic recovery. Fifty three of the UK's leading ...
robert shumake
Orlando Magic <b>News</b> for October 5th: Quentin Richardson in <b>...</b>
Today's Orlando Magic news post includes word that Quentin Richardson will start at small forward tonight when the Magic take on the Houston Rockets in preseason action. Plus, a video of Dwight Howard practicing his free throws, ...
Energy and Global Warming <b>News</b> for October 5th: Solar panels <b>...</b>
One Response to “Energy and Global Warming News for October 5th: Solar panels coming to the White House and military; First marine life census; Japan mines rare earths from used electronics; Squish up jelly fish into solar cells?” ...
<b>News</b> and Publications - <b>News</b> Release
News and Publications - News Release. ... Academy in the news � News links � Ingenia � Photo Gallery. News Release. 08 July 2010. Academy elects 'unique national resource' to assist in economic recovery. Fifty three of the UK's leading ...
robert shumake
Recently a media feeding frenzy ensued when Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth uttered the statement, “Just because somebody pays you money don’t mean they’ll make you do whatever they want…I’m not for sale. Yeah, I signed the contract and got paid a lot of money [$21 million this year], but that don’t mean I’m for sale or a slave or whatever.”
Part of the shock, or better yet outrage, seemed to be focused on the very thought that a black man making so much money would compare playing in a defensive scheme he despises to the master-slave relationship at the heart of the American Black-white divide. According to Haynesworth his bone of contention was part of his contract negotiations with the Redskins.
Of course he is not the first contemporary athlete to utter the slave comparison. Former NBA great Larry Johnson once referred to some of his New York Knicks teammates as “rebel slaves” which generated similar outrage. William Rhoden’s wonderful book Forty Million Dollar Slaves takes on the historic plantation mentality of American sport culture and contemporary athletes. And my own book, Ballers of The New School, examines the mentality of contemporary post-civil rights, hip-hop generation athletes, bold enough to make such utterances.
RELATED: Albert Haynesworth “I’m not a slave”
To be fair to Haynesworth who is black, the history and legacy of the enslavement of African persons in the New World, and testifying against it or vestiges of it, will forever be part of the psyche of black Americans. Enslavement in America was harsh, bitter, and cruel as recounted in endless slave narratives. These narratives testified against captors and bore witness to the desire of every black person to be free. Haynesworth’s recent tirade or testimony (depending on your point of view) underscores the feelings that most contemporary athletes are either unwilling to or incapable of articulating.
While Haynesworth certainly does not endure the same type of cruel bondage, his rebellion is against those in power of a plantation or system (dominated primarily by white men) that controls black men—even if they pay them. It is a system capable of making them “do whatever they want” whenever they want. Haynesworth, like the slave narratives, which demonstrated the problematic value of plantation culture, is perhaps addressing the problematic white-black labor conditions in contemporary sports culture that is driven by a modicum of the past master-slave ideology.
Rhoden says in his book “sports might be a plantation of sorts.” Haynesworth seems to concur. And, no amount of money will hush black folk with knowledge of this legacy, because America’s foundation is buried in the fields of slave plantations.
Ironically, the foundation of contemporary high profile sports like football and basketball are the descendants of former slaves. Even the structure of contemporary sports teams traces the power dynamics of plantations. Nearly all the people who exercise power over players are white— the owners, head coaches, commissioners, etc.
The outrage directed at Haynesworth for making his “slave” comment confirms the unspoken notion that because he is Black, he is treated as a descendants of former slaves. Critics say Haynesworth should be grateful—more grateful than his white peers—for the money he makes.
But if Haynesworth is getting paid so much and the dynamics are so different, why make the comparison?
Haynesworth is bothered that despite his immense wealth he does not control the terms of his liberation—the problem slaves faced without the benefit of wealth. Further, in the contemporary sports world not only are white men (like his coach and team owner) in power, but they have defined the terms of the liberation for black men. Haynesworth’s analogy is perhaps his way of saying that while his services may be for sale, his pride and self-respect are not. Despite the money, prestige, and lifestyle, he is not blind to the master-slave power dynamic in contemporary sport culture.
What underscores the Haynesworth saga is how it compares to that of Minnesota Vikings’ Brett Favre who is white. Haynesworth dislikes the Redskins 3-4 defensive scheme, preferring to play tackle instead of nose guard. He also skipped the Redskins voluntary off-season conditioning program. The media maligned him for this, suggesting he was lazy. Brett Favre routinely skips training camp until the last two weeks of camp. He also chose to play for the Vikings because they use an offense he likes.
RELATED: Cavs see LeBron as runaway slave
Yet, the media response to his antics is the antithesis of the response to Haynesworth. Haynesworth is called “ridiculous,” “an idiot” and worse for making his comments. Meanwhile Favre is worshipped for holding teams hostage (deciding if he will play or retire) each year until two weeks before the season begins. In fact, he was given a raise this season. (He now makes $16 million!)
Race is an undeniable variable in the different treatment of these men. The black one is told he should be grateful, shut up and do what he is told. The other is afforded the latitude to waffle about playing, and is offered a raise for doing so.
My point here is not that Haynesworth is literally a slave, but that because he’s Black he’s treated like one. Nor is it that whites are literally masters. The point is that Haynesworth seems to be aware the racial dynamics at play and rejects them. Our national understanding of race could make leaps and bounds, if the public considered these dynamics alongside Haynesworth words, “I’m not for sale or a slave or whatever.”
Thabiti Lewis is the author of Ballers of the New School: Race and Sports in America (Third World Press, 2010). He teaches English and American Studies at Washington State University Vancouver.
Click here to join the 2011 Black History Month contest
Share this post on Facebook! CLICK HERE:
15 Responses to “The Waste-Free Stimulus”
Telling Lies says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:47 am
That last sentence is badly garbled. Automatic stabilizers (UI etc.) reduce the need for decision making on the fly, but have nothing to do with state/local budget crises. Those are about inability to borrow. Unless your automatic stabiliser is automatic, debt financed, Fed grants to states which have budget problems, which isn’t a good idea. Son, Homosex
Alan says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:51 am
I think you mean ARRA, right? not TARP.
Freddie says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:56 am
For the people who are interested in the endless back and forth about Matt’s change, his neoliberalism, and his utter disdain for anybody who refuses to worship at the cult of the Serious as defined by Jacob Weisberg and Nial Ferguson– just look over to the right at Matt’s public Twitter feed, and check out the “ten years ago I was a giant puppet person” one. It tells you all you will ever need to know about Big Media Matt, what he values, who he thinks he is, and who he thinks he is better than without having to say why.
3
Telling Lies says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:57 am
And as I’m being picky, German style job maintanance schemes would have a higher multiplier than the corrupt mayor plan, as corrupt mayor distributes randomly, job maintanance targets people who would otherwise reduce their spending markedly if laid off. And bridges to nowhere take time to design, acquire land and permitting etc, while the Interstates need pretty major resurfacing which you can start tomorrow, that’s macroeconomic bang for your buck. 8 FIX IT!!!!!!!!!
Nate says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:10 pm
@Telling Lies beat me to it. The margin is really not that difficult of a concept. If in the baseline, people would lose their jobs and have to cut back abruptly and deeply on spending, but in the control people keep their jobs and don’t, that is a net positive for consumer spending. NOT DIFFICULT.
Don Williams says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I think Michael Foucault would have cracked up at the idea of stimulus money being spent to pay someone to make signs touting the benefits of stimulus money.
But what would have really have put Michael in stitches is Herb Sandler bankrupting Wachovia by selling it a subprime mortgage business named Golden West, helping to throw the country into a Great Recession, and then using the proceeds from the sale to pay Matthew to photograph and praise the stimulus sign.
soullite says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Too many people mentioned the non-TARP baillouts so Matt needed a new thread,
7 years ago, Matt was a pro-war hack who hated liberals. I seriously doubt he was ever ‘a giant puppet person’. He’s just a liar who perpetually pretends to be further left than he really is so he can stab the rest of us in the back.
2
soullite says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I guess too many people mentioned all the other bank bailouts on the other thread, so Matt needed a new one.
Given that 7 years ago, Matt was a corrupt pro-war hack who hated liberals (indeed, he cited annoying ‘liberal’ opposition as the primary reason he was pro-war, I seriously doubt that he was ever a ‘giant puppet person’. He has perpetually claimed to be further left than he really is in order to gain enough credibility to stab the rest of us in the back.
3 times
B says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:51 pm
I drove past this sign two weeks before Matt did!
Freddie: I don’t actually understand that tweet.
kafka says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Wall Street’s Greatest Heist: TARP
FROM: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/sep/20/tarp-bailout-banks-wall-street?source=patrick.net#history-link-box
“Now, the same crew that tapped our pockets two years ago is eagerly pitching the line that their bailout was good for us. It may be the case that the history books are written by the winners, but that doesn’t prevent the rest of us from telling the truth.”
Note you have to go to the foreign media to get stuff like this. Our MSM is too busy whoring for Wall Street.
Led says:
October 1st, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Odd to see this post follow immediately after the last. Isn’t there some potential for serious ideological instruction based on the fact that yes, Virginia, the government can invest in infrastructure and public works on a massive scale in a competent, non-corrupt, cost-effective way? And yet not even Yglesias is enthusiastic about making that case because he things (correctly) the stimulus wasn’t as effective as it could have been.
Liberals: Making the Perfect the Enemy of the Good Since 1968.
Paulie Carbone says:
October 1st, 2010 at 1:39 pm
This blog has dicks for quality.
ds says:
October 1st, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Given that 7 years ago, Matt was a corrupt pro-war hack who hated liberals (indeed, he cited annoying ‘liberal’ opposition as the primary reason he was pro-war, I seriously doubt that he was ever a ‘giant puppet person’. He has perpetually claimed to be further left than he really is in order to gain enough credibility to stab the rest of us in the back.
Matt has always been a centrist technocrat, at least until his current glibertarian phase. I don’t think he ever pretended to be anything else. He talked about voting for Mitt Romney back in 2002, and liked Obama because he seemed like the most conservative of the three Democrats.
I think right now Matt is angling for an “Even the liberal Matt Yglesias says…” role. That sort of thing can be very lucrative.
To get there I suppose he has to boost his non-existent liberal bona fides.
joe from Lowell says:
October 1st, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Christ, no wonder Matt stopped reading the comments.
“Duh, I can’t follow this economics stuff at all, so, uh, MATT’S A CAPITALIST RUNNIN DOG!”
Losers.
urgs says:
October 1st, 2010 at 9:44 pm
“Matt has always been a centrist technocrat, at least until his current glibertarian phase. ”
Centrist technocrats are no war mongers, he is. Read a bit of his old stuff.
Leave a Reply
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Formatting: Use the buttons below to apply basic HTML styles. Or use these tags directly: <a href=""> <abbr> <acronym> <blockquote> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <q> <strong>
Telling Lies says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:47 am
That last sentence is badly garbled. Automatic stabilizers (UI etc.) reduce the need for decision making on the fly, but have nothing to do with state/local budget crises. Those are about inability to borrow. Unless your automatic stabiliser is automatic, debt financed, Fed grants to states which have budget problems, which isn’t a good idea. Son, Homosex
Alan says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:51 am
I think you mean ARRA, right? not TARP.
Freddie says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:56 am
For the people who are interested in the endless back and forth about Matt’s change, his neoliberalism, and his utter disdain for anybody who refuses to worship at the cult of the Serious as defined by Jacob Weisberg and Nial Ferguson– just look over to the right at Matt’s public Twitter feed, and check out the “ten years ago I was a giant puppet person” one. It tells you all you will ever need to know about Big Media Matt, what he values, who he thinks he is, and who he thinks he is better than without having to say why.
3
Telling Lies says:
October 1st, 2010 at 11:57 am
And as I’m being picky, German style job maintanance schemes would have a higher multiplier than the corrupt mayor plan, as corrupt mayor distributes randomly, job maintanance targets people who would otherwise reduce their spending markedly if laid off. And bridges to nowhere take time to design, acquire land and permitting etc, while the Interstates need pretty major resurfacing which you can start tomorrow, that’s macroeconomic bang for your buck. 8 FIX IT!!!!!!!!!
Nate says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:10 pm
@Telling Lies beat me to it. The margin is really not that difficult of a concept. If in the baseline, people would lose their jobs and have to cut back abruptly and deeply on spending, but in the control people keep their jobs and don’t, that is a net positive for consumer spending. NOT DIFFICULT.
Don Williams says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I think Michael Foucault would have cracked up at the idea of stimulus money being spent to pay someone to make signs touting the benefits of stimulus money.
But what would have really have put Michael in stitches is Herb Sandler bankrupting Wachovia by selling it a subprime mortgage business named Golden West, helping to throw the country into a Great Recession, and then using the proceeds from the sale to pay Matthew to photograph and praise the stimulus sign.
soullite says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Too many people mentioned the non-TARP baillouts so Matt needed a new thread,
7 years ago, Matt was a pro-war hack who hated liberals. I seriously doubt he was ever ‘a giant puppet person’. He’s just a liar who perpetually pretends to be further left than he really is so he can stab the rest of us in the back.
2
soullite says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I guess too many people mentioned all the other bank bailouts on the other thread, so Matt needed a new one.
Given that 7 years ago, Matt was a corrupt pro-war hack who hated liberals (indeed, he cited annoying ‘liberal’ opposition as the primary reason he was pro-war, I seriously doubt that he was ever a ‘giant puppet person’. He has perpetually claimed to be further left than he really is in order to gain enough credibility to stab the rest of us in the back.
3 times
B says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:51 pm
I drove past this sign two weeks before Matt did!
Freddie: I don’t actually understand that tweet.
kafka says:
October 1st, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Wall Street’s Greatest Heist: TARP
FROM: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/sep/20/tarp-bailout-banks-wall-street?source=patrick.net#history-link-box
“Now, the same crew that tapped our pockets two years ago is eagerly pitching the line that their bailout was good for us. It may be the case that the history books are written by the winners, but that doesn’t prevent the rest of us from telling the truth.”
Note you have to go to the foreign media to get stuff like this. Our MSM is too busy whoring for Wall Street.
Led says:
October 1st, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Odd to see this post follow immediately after the last. Isn’t there some potential for serious ideological instruction based on the fact that yes, Virginia, the government can invest in infrastructure and public works on a massive scale in a competent, non-corrupt, cost-effective way? And yet not even Yglesias is enthusiastic about making that case because he things (correctly) the stimulus wasn’t as effective as it could have been.
Liberals: Making the Perfect the Enemy of the Good Since 1968.
Paulie Carbone says:
October 1st, 2010 at 1:39 pm
This blog has dicks for quality.
ds says:
October 1st, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Matt has always been a centrist technocrat, at least until his current glibertarian phase. I don’t think he ever pretended to be anything else. He talked about voting for Mitt Romney back in 2002, and liked Obama because he seemed like the most conservative of the three Democrats.
I think right now Matt is angling for an “Even the liberal Matt Yglesias says…” role. That sort of thing can be very lucrative.
To get there I suppose he has to boost his non-existent liberal bona fides.
joe from Lowell says:
October 1st, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Christ, no wonder Matt stopped reading the comments.
“Duh, I can’t follow this economics stuff at all, so, uh, MATT’S A CAPITALIST RUNNIN DOG!”
Losers.
urgs says:
October 1st, 2010 at 9:44 pm
“Matt has always been a centrist technocrat, at least until his current glibertarian phase. ”
Centrist technocrats are no war mongers, he is. Read a bit of his old stuff.