The Sand Man (The REAL reason why I've got NO Respect for MichaelJordan)

"I'm just doing MY thing!"

Henri Frederic Amiel, the 19th century Swiss philosopher, once said, "There is no respect for others without humility in one's self." Jackie Robinson gave it to us like this, "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being." Then the big homie, Albert Einstein, spit that fire when he said, "Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized."

Well playas...here's the problem! Boyz out here not only respect Michael Jordan but they idolize him for all of the wrong reasons. Ole boy is the most powerful and influential person in the history of sports because of his resume and the Jordan Brand which should be respected because he's earned it. However, he's never used that power to do anything but play basketball and sell shoes. If life were only played on the court I wouldn't have a problem with him bein' a national hero. Unfortunately, life goes well beyond the game of basketball.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Jordan came into the league in 1984 and you've NEVER seen him take a stance on any issue whether civil or social because all that he has ever been concerned about is his freakin' brand and robbin' boyz in the ghetto for sneakers. As a African-American he has an obligation to be a leader for change both on and off of the court because of his influence. Why? Because he's standin' on the shoulders of those that came before him. It's not often that black athletes possess the economic power that he did as a player and now as an owner. He's worth over a billion dollars bruh and with that comes power and influence not just in the black community but all over the world.

Duns like Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Muhammad Ali put their careers on the line daily by supportin' the civil rights movement and other social issues in this country. People hated Ali until he was unable to speak, now he's a national hero. He stood up to the government in protest of the draft and the Vietnam war etc. Brown founded the Amer-I-can program in 1988 to help young African-American males transition out of the gang life and prisons in L.A. and Cleveland. Kareem was very active in the civil rights movement in the late 1960's.

Jordan was given the opportunity to make the impact that he has as a result of the efforts of the cats that came before him. So he's obligated to pull the next generation of not only black athletes up but all athletes because the American sports landscape is so diverse now.

Even these young thunder cats in today's game are steppin' up and at least speakin' out on the injustice in America. We've seen cats like D. Rose, LeBron, D. Wade, the five wide receivers from the St. Louis Rams with their hands up etc. wearin' hoodies and t-shirts "I Can't Breathe" in support of those that have died in these streets at the hands of the police or "so-called" police. We even saw Cardale Jones last week, a freakin' college quarterback use his power of influence to at least make a statement about the injustice surroundin' this Sandra Bland foolishness. But for more than 34 years all we've EVER gotten from Jordan was a jumper, a slam dunk, a tongue wag and some darn shoes! And that's the edited version. And over the past 5 or 6 years he hasn't given a boy a new pair. He's got you duns so twisted that he keeps sellin' you the same joints and tellin' you it's a Retro IV, V or MXIII or whatever he thinks you'll stand in line for.

It's not just about playin' your particular sport and makin' money. It's about bein' an influence for change and helpin' our youth progress. On some real talk, our kids are sufferin' the most. I put Jordan in the same category as Michael Jackson when it comes to our community. Yeah, he was a huge philanthropist around the world but he never gave two dead flies smashed about the "G" (Gary, In.).

I grew up just four blocks from 2300 Jackson Street playa. Mike traveled all over the world spreadin' hope and joy and never once spoke to kids from his own neighborhood or donated a dime to the schools or music departments at the crib. Mike was the biggest enterainer in the world and we NEVER layed eyes on that dun back in the hood. That's Jordan bruh!

Jim Brown has called both Jordan and Tiger out on several occasions because they continue to stick their heads in the sand on social issues. For those that don't understand why he needs to step his game up let me put it where the goats can get it. God doesn't bless you just for you. He gives you an abundance so that your overflow will spill over to help those that are standin' underneath you. All Jordan wanted to do is make money, play ball and sell shoes. So anything that would jeopardize that was and still is taboo to him. I’m not askin' for him to donate a million dollars. I’m askin' him to be seen and use his influence to encourage kids that look like him.

When these young cats are killin' each other over his shoes I would at least like to see him tell boyz that he doesn't condone that foolishness. I'd like to just see him act like he cares about what's goin' on in the hood.

I did a Hot Joint entitled “The Jordan Effect” on how Mike completely changed the sports marketin' game and how that has allowed other players to prosper off of the court. However, that doesn't do anything for the kids in the hood dreamin' of gettin' out. As products of the black community we all have an obligation to reach back and help or encourage others to become great and in my opinion Mike hasn't done that. And yes playboy, I'm in the hood at some school all of the time speakin' to the young homies and I'm nobody but a dun from the "G" that cares about kids that look like me. Mike's got all of the power and influence and all he's gonna do is sell them some freakin' shoes!

I’ve got the utmost respect for Oprah Winfrey because she put her entire career on the line in 2008 when she endorsed Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign. Regardless of how you may feel about Obama and his policies she endorsed him when that one move could've nose dived her career. She wasn’t ashamed to let the world know how strongly she felt about it either. That was a power move playboy. Magic Johnson even jumped out of the birthday cake and supported Hilary and regardless of how you felt about that he at least stuck his head out there. Where was Mike? I'll tell you where he was, playin' ostrich with his head in the sand next to Tiger. 

And no! A boy doesn't have to tell me who he's votin' for durin' an election but he at least needs to have an opinion about something in this world. You can't tell me with all the stuff that has gone on in the world since 1984 that a GROWN "A" MAN has no opinion one way or another about ANYTHING! Stop it! You sound crazy! A man with no opinion is a man with no soul! And that's why I've got NO respect for Michael Jeffery Jordan! And don't look at me sideways playboy! I just had the nerve to say what you were thinkin'. Why? Because I don't care nothin' about Jordan dappin' me up when I see him and my career isn't dependent upon that dun likin' me. Stop me when I start lyin'! 

Playas Thesaurus:
1) Spit: verb - to say
2) Fire: noun - important information
3) Dun: noun - the person in question, dude, guy, girl, etc. It's whoever I'm talkin' about.

 Holla At Ya Boy!
JayGravesReport
#thebestdressedmaninmedia
 Get @ me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheJayGravesReport
Instagram: JayGravesReport
The caption under the photo isn't real but its REAL talk!