THRIVING Melanin Family Magazine November 2018 | Page 19

The Tragedy of
the Triumph
If I had known the dangers of football, my decision to
play might have been different.
may have UNKNOWINGLY contributed to their own
BEHEADINGS by subjecting themselves to a violent,
unforgiving, traumatic, mind stealing
sport/profession that requires repetitive head
“banging.”
They are supposed to establish a “no-man’s” land
between (totaling 100 yards) vertical lines that are
separated into intervals of five vertical yards, those
Mired in “man-tears” (‘man-tears’ you wipe them
away quickly, so no one will notice), I paint this
canvas with revealing truths of those “gladiators”
(friends) of whom I, revere, respect, embrace and
mourn for!
I label these friends, “gladiators” because; as athletes,
we were expected to adopt this “archaic” analogy
and we were to psychologically adapt to the
concept of being and or becoming great “warriors.”
 Many if not most young males were familiar with
movies like; Ben Hur and others that depicted
five yards are separated into intervals of 1 yard each,
this area is “framed” by the remaining real-estate
known as the sideline which is fifty yards wide. To
possess this area of real-estate, there is little if any
regard for “casualties-of-war”!
This brings us face to face with the question; If I had
known the dangers of football would my decision to
play have been different?
It has been both a blessing and a curse to have
participated at such a high level in such a popular
sport as football, suffice it to say that it is the most
popular professional sport in America.
heroism, bravery and MANLINESS which epitomized
What do you do
when the crowd stops
cheering?
a Roman gladiator.
The untold story of those “gladiators” that were faced
with dehumanization and marginalization by those
in power, were often perceived, by the power
structure to be of limited “usefulness” to their
respective thrown. They viewed these gladiators as
prized stock that were being tolerated and was only
allowed to remain in their provinces as a source of
personal entertainment, while “re-assuring” them
that they were replaceable commodities. These
gladiators were thrust into the fighting pits while
receiving very little if any empathy or sympathy from
their kings nor the peasants (spectators) and were
only allowed to enjoy some of the spoils of “Victory” if
they managed to somehow avoid being BEHEADED!
The Tragedy of The Triumph is a perfect depiction of
athlete’s fulfillments of their dreams of becoming
professional football stars only to realize that, they, 
A more piercing thought is What Do You Do When
The Crowd Stops Cheering, and you realize that you
and or your friends have been decapitated while
maintaining your head? It is not only devastating
and frightening, it takes you to a place of utter fear
and uncertainty. Questions like; How long will I be
able to function “normally” if at all, Will I have to
depend on others to assist me with simple,
mundane task, how do I fit into society now that I
am viewed as damaged goods, will my spouse
abandon me, will my children be embarrassed of
me, the list is infinite.

One of my closest friends perished before most of
this discussion of CTE became a focal point and
CAME OUT OF the “closet,” he and I told each other
everything or so I thought, it was only after his
passing while engaging in a discussion with his wife 
NOVEMBER
2018 • THRIVE | 17