Stage In The Sky

For who don’t know, LSU superstar Angel Reese became the subject of controversy after her post-loss conference where she complained and portrayed herself as a victim.  

FoxSports commentator Emmanuel Acho criticized her for making herself the villain. And that’s when all hell broke loose. A lot of Black Women went to Tiktok to put Acho in his place. And in his place, Acho went. He acquiesced and bowed to the woke outrage.  

There’s a lot to unpack here. The main thing I’m going to focus on, however, is that it’s difficult to be treated and respected as an equal…while at the same time people think you need to be handled like a child. 

What I saw from public figures like Cari Champion and Matt Barnes scolding Acho is similar to a high school teacher pulling you and saying, “You can’t talk about this other student, alright. They’re in special ed! They’re different.” 

So, let’s back it up and hit it one at a time.

Again, for those who don’t know…Angel Reese is a superstar in women’s basketball playing for the LSU team. She has millions of followers on social media and by all accounts, she is one of the most talented players out there. And she is a real champion. LSU won last year’s tournament. She’s incredible! 

Here’s where Angel Reese puts a target on her back. Last year, after LSU defeated Iowa in the championship game, Angel Reese made it a point to go after Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and taunt her.  

Do I think that’s right or wrong? Honestly, it’s just sports! I grew up in the 90s. We did way worse than that. Me and my brothers would talk trash from the jump ball to the final score. I don’t think what Angel did was all that controversial.  

But this isn’t the 90s. Last year was 2023. Everyone had eyes on that game because Angel Reese had a huge fanbase, but so did Caitlin Clark. So, of course the fans of Caitlin Clark are going to take umbrage when the rival does something like this. And because one is black and the other’s white, that’s like shark-bait for a mainstream media that’s hellbent on keeping Americans divided. 

From what I saw, Angel Reese was celebrated by black culture. Her fame and popularity blew up. She was called the Bayou Barbie. Celebrities flocked to her. Here’s a list of things that kept Angel and LSU in the news for unsavory reasons. (source)

  Angel Reese taunted Caitlin Clark in unacceptable fashion. 

  Angel Reese threatened to boycott the White House. 

  Angel Reese removed from team activities to start this season. 

  Angel Reese appeared in graphic and vulgar music video. 

  Rival parent starts sniping about Reese’s alleged grades. 

  Flau’jae Johnson flippantly rapped about 9/11. 

  Flau’jae Johnson sparked a melee against South Carolina. 

  Kim Mulkey refused to accept responsibility for South Carolina fight. 

And ladies and gentlemen…to be honest, this is nothing new. Playing the villain role actually makes you more popular, gives you more opportunities, and brings with it more money. Why? Because, the more you make people hate you, the more they tune in just to see you lose. The more viewers, the more money that comes from sponsors. 

Muhammad Ali, in his brilliance, recognized this way back in the 1960s. Ali was an amazing boxer. Some call him the greatest, though I think Joe Lewis and Jack Johnson are up there.

But the thing that makes Ali different from Joe Lewis was all the trash Muhammad Ali talked leading up to the fights. He boasted and bragged and sounded so arrogant and conceited. He knew exactly what he was doing. 

During a 1972 interview, Ali spoke about being influenced by the wrestler Gorgeous George. He witnessed how, before George’s match, George talked all kinds of trash that riled up the audience. He recognized that everyone wanted to see George get a good whuppin. They were willing to pay to see it. 

Muhammad Ali used that. Before that, he was just an Olympic champion. He wasn’t famous. So, he started using his gift of gab to talk all kinds of trash. People couldn’t wait for Sonny Liston beat the brakes off of him, but Ali proved to be the better fighter and won.  

Even when he won, he chanted over and over again, “I shook up the world! Oh, I’m so great. I’m so pretty.” 

Ali made himself the villain. Some people loved him. But a lot of people hated him. 

During the year after her winning the championship, Angel has enjoyed her bad-girl image, sexualized herself on Instagram, told other coaches to “watch your mouth” and was even suspended at the beginning of the season for unspecified reasons. 

When it came time for that highly anticipated rematch between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark on Monday, April 1^st…Caitlin won. She put up over 40 points and dominated the game while Angel shot 7-for-21.  

I do have to say, I respect the sportsmanship between Angel and Caitlin after the game. They seem to be cordial and by all accounts, there’s no animosity there. I liked that. I respect that. 

But during the post-game conference…Full of emotion she said: “I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats. I’ve been sexualized, I’ve been threatened, I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time. I wouldn’t change anything.”  

Now listen…when first heard her speech. The victim mentality was disappointing, but I wasn’t up in arms. I wasn’t mad or angry. I didn’t even care that much. She just lost. If that’s how she feels, speak. All power to her. Let’s not act like grown men haven’t cried their eyes out on the sideline in the final seconds of a losing game. Legion of Boom anyone?

My problem isn’t with Angel Reese. My problem is with everyone else acting like she’s this weak fragile creature who cannot stand up for herself. She’s a 21-year-old. Beautiful strong. She’s proven that she’s one of the best Division-1 athletes in the country. 

I mention her age, because it’s important. Just because you’re a legal adult, doesn’t mean you’re fully mature or there’s no room for improvement. In order to grow, you need people or experiences to serve as the manure to enrich you with wisdom and guidance. 

What hinders that growth however…is when you have all the people around you telling you what you want to hear…telling you that you’re good the way you are, or making excuses for your behavior as if to justify it. I hate this so much, because it pours into the notion of “Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations.” 

For those who’ve never heard of that concept, essentially it’s “Not expecting disadvantaged people or minorities to meet the same standard of behavior or achievement set for most people. It is called “soft bigotry ” because it is a more subtle and subconscious form of prejudice.” – https://www.marinschools.org/cms/lib/CA01001323/Centricity/Domain/1250/Soft%20Bigotry%20of%20Low%20Expectations.pdf 

This is a huge problem. Why? Because for some stupid reason, Black folks tend to focus so much time trying to identify the reasons for the bad behavior or poor performance or losses and failure, that it deflects and takes the attention off what needs to be done for progress. It’s like, I’m sorry we all have these excuses and handicaps. But what are we going to do about it? How do we move forward?

And even there, the solution of Diversity and Inclusion, and this push for representation in movies and television…I don’t think that’s the best route when it comes to getting true respect and equality…Why? Because how do you know you got that award because you earned it, versus getting it because of your race and gender. 

Happy to say, some people fight against that. Idris Elba spoke out against being called a “Black Actor” because, he said, “the obsession with race can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. In my opinion, racism is only as powerful as you allow it to be.” 

Buccaneer’s Head Coach Todd Bowles refused to have the media define him in as a “Black Coach” as if his Blackness sets him apart from other Coaches. They wanted him to talk about how “representation matters” and he wasn’t having it. He’s not there to push an agenda. He’s there to coach. 

Lil Wayne…little friggin Wayne refuses to push the racism holding us back mentality because his life was saved by a white cop when he was just a kid. And as an adult, he’s rich. His audiences from around the country are filled with happy white people singing to his songs.

Black people like them cannot be used by the media. Emmanuel Acho, however…let’s talk about it. 

Emmanuel Acho of FoxSports called out Angel Reese and claimed she played the role of the villain. Acho said: 

“Angel Reese, you can’t be the big bad wolf and then kind of cry like Courage the Cowardly Dog. Nobody mourns when the villain catches an L, and, Angel Reese, you’re self-proclaimed to be the villain. You can’t, under any circumstances, go to the podium and now try to ask for individuals to give you sympathy. Nobody has sympathy for the villain. You painted the bullseye on your back. Why are you surprised when people shoot at you?” 

And since then, scores of Tiktokers (mainly black women) called out Acho for attacking the black woman. They called Acho all kinds of names, like Coon. Matt Barnes criticized him.  

Cari Champion said the dumbest thing. I have it queue up in the video above. Champion said something along the lines of how Acho should’ve pulled Reese aside to reprimand her. He shouldn’t have scolded her on TV like that…basically, he shouldn’t have done his job as a commentator and offered comments about what happened.

I don’t respect this. I think it makes us look so weak. Everyone rushing to Angel Reese’s defense are basically portraying this strong, impressive black woman as a weak defenseless child.  

Furthermore…by Acho’s acquiescing and bowing to the woke mob, it sends the message that anytime anyone publicly says something that, let’s be honest, black women don’t like, you have to apologize for it. What’s the consequences of that? 

These are just theories, but if Black Women are the only ones we’re not allowed to criticize and reprimand in a public setting:  

It reduces the incentive for them to actually grow and get better. Better at what? Life. Prosperity. Picking the right men to procreate with. Prioritizing the right values. If you’re lied to and told that you’re good the way you are and everyone should love and respect you no matter what you do, reality will leave them frustrated and bitter when they see that other groups are more preferred over them. 

I know…all of that sounds bad. That’s not how I want things to go. 

“Hang on, Rock! You’re missing the point! We’re mad because black women are always held to this impossible standard. No one wants to see the black woman come up! Black Women are the most hated group of people in America. Black Women are always criticized and this wouldn’t have happened if she was a white girl!” 

Ever heard of a guy named Christian Laettner? As Jason Whitlock pointed out, when other sports figures faced similar controversies for portraying the bad guy, hundreds of essays were posted criticizing them, from Johnny Manziel to Baker Mayfield. White dudes. 

I know…it’s enticing to dismiss this as another “bash black woman essay.” But, again, my issue isn’t so much with Angel Reese, it’s with the gatekeepers and talking heads that are making the culture worse by acting like black people are children to be handled with kid gloves. 

When Caitlin Clark was complaining during one of her recent tournament games, her father told her to “Shut up!” Did black commentators come out and condemn the father and criticize him? Did they say, “hey, he should’ve waited till they were behind closed doors and reprimanded her? Privately.” 

My dad would’ve done the same for me and we’re better off for it. Men like me were taught that no one is gonna give you anything. Nobody’s just gonna roll over and let you win. Yes, there’s going to be adversity. Yeah, people are going to hate you for your skin color. Even your so-called friends are gonna want to see you fail. But you fight for every square inch, and you work for what you get. Now get up, stop complaining, and power through it.  

Furthermore, it does seem that every time a black woman is called out for some antics or bad behavior by a mainstream pundit…the prevailing push back is what you just heard. That “Black Women are given impossible standards! No one wants to see the black woman come up! Etc” 

Do you know how that sounds? To act like your problems are more significant and difficult than everyone else’s. As if we all don’t have our own personal battles to fight, hindrances based on our immutable differences. I’m a black Christian conservative author. You think I’m going to have it easy trying to become a best-seller in today’s liberal dominated publishing industry?

When you push the message that we’re not allowed to talk about a certain group, or that we have to treat a certain group with special preferences, you run the risk of fostering the very same resentment you already accuse other groups of people of harboring.

It’s no different from people like Ben Shapiro accusing others of antisemitism in trumped up charges, which then produces anti-Israel sentiment where it would’ve otherwise not existed (mainly because most people don’t care as much as you think they do.) 

The reason why I’m personally speaking up against the Media’s coddling of black women is because of politics. A Majority black women vote democrat. The over 70% of children being born out of wedlock, I do place a lot of responsibility on black women and them not picking the right man. 

And honestly, that drives me up the wall. For the past eight years, the culture has been so focused on empowering women to do so many great and wonderful things…but I see little focused on empowering them to require marriage before sex, or to value the men who believe in hard-work, moral virtues, Christ, and family. 

Thankfully, more and more, people are waking up to the correlation between married women leaning conservative, while unmarried women are more liberal. I think it’s by design. The media and culture leaders want to keep it this way so Democrats in power.  

When people speak out about this, they’re attacked and discredited because they don’t want you to remove the wool from the sheep’s eyes. 

Alright…I had more on this, like the reason why Caitlin Clark is a phenomenon and why it’d make sense to be fascinated with her, much like people’s fascination with Eminem when he first joined an industry that was dominated by black men. But I’ll stop here.