(ThyBlackMan.com) There is a systemic marketing agenda that specifically targets young African males in this country that promotes the falsified hood dream that if you invest everything into mainstream sports and entertainment, then you’ll be able to become the next athlete or entertainer.
But what 99.9% of these brothers fail to truly understand let alone realize is that they’ll never ever become the next Lebron James or Kevin Hart because the chances of becoming either one of them are slim to none.
Intro: Here are three reasons why the mainstream sports and entertainment industries are a tremendous curse to young African males in America.
1. Underinvesting In Education – In today’s mainstream media, you
very often hear stories of brothers who traded in every bit of their academic opportunities for a chance to either become the next big actor in Hollywood or have their 15 minutes of fame on ESPN. And that alone is a huge receipt for disaster and self-destruction because being involved in athletics and entertainment is cool, but without decent education, you’ll be vulnerable to financial leeches outside and inside of your community because there is an old saying “A fool and his money would soon part ways” and this statement is especially true among many athletes and entertainers today.
2. Financial Irresponsibility & Devastation – One of the biggest dark sides of the mainstream sports and entertainment industries in America is that these two industries promote this idea that when you get money, you’re supposed to waste it by buying overpriced Eurocentric stuff or making it rain at the club by blowing 40 G’s like Floyd Mayweather recently did. Also about at least 80% of pro football and 60% of pro basketball players go either bankrupt or broke within their first few years of either retirement or after their careers are cut short. And there are plenty of entertainers that have also gone broke also because of extreme financial irresponsibility.
3. Alcohol & Drugs – Many brothers that get involved in these industries soon become very addicted to alcohol and drugs upon their first try. These two vices alone are very harmful and destructive to them is because
1) inability to provide for his family
2) will do anything to get the next bottle of liquor or bag of spice
3) inability to become a good husband and father later on down the road. I have seen the tragedies of brothers dying because of heavy alcohol and drug abuse which is why I strongly warn the brothers out there to stay away from alcohol and drugs.
The Conclusion – It’s time for us to teach our young men that are easier and better paths to achieve lifelong success and achievement in the careers of being an attorney, business owner, doctor, entrepreneur, neurosurgeon, or scientist. It’s time to stop pushing our sons to these dead end pipe dreams of sports and entertainment.
Staff Writer; Kwame Shakir (aka Joe D.)