Mo Money, Mo Problems
Sports and hip hop; two very different aspects of life that
blend very well together. Each is involved with the other. Rap music plays a
role in today’s modern athlete. Most artists are fascinated by the sports
scene, whether it is supporting one’s team (everyone but Jay-Z) or being an
owner (Hova). This past week, we had two stories where both worlds collided and
ignorance was involved in each case.
Last Thursday night, most of the sports world was buzzing on
how the San Antonio Spurs had their 20 game winning streak snapped by the
Oklahoma City Thunder. Another story that picked up steam was how the Oklahoma
City Thunder denied rapper Lil Wayne seats to the game. The rapper has asked
for four front row seats just prior to the game and team officials informed him
none were available. Instead of just letting it be, Lil Wayne took to Twitter
to complain about this snub. When Thunder players Kevin Durant and James Harden
offered to hook him up with seats to another game, Wayne played the race card
and insisted white management refused to accommodate a black artist. The team
stood by its claim that no front row seats were available, and other seating options
were refused. Lil Wayne has insinuated that he may avoid the area altogether as
a result of this snub.
I really don’t know how to say this more diplomatically:
shut the fuck up Lil Wayne. You are making a mountain out of a molehill. The
team couldn’t hook you up with your last minute request for free front row
tickets and you flip out. I’m not sure if you have noticed, but the Thunder has
sold out every playoff game thus far. These are legitimate sellouts where every
seat is full, not some bullshit Fenway Park sellout where the tickets might be
sold but there are plenty of seats are empty. By the simplest concept of
economics, this is a supply and demand issue. There are not enough tickets to
satisfy Thunder fans who are willing to pay, much less free loading rappers who
are trying to get premium seats comped to him.
Last I checked, Lil Wayne has no connection to the OKC
Thunder. We are not talking about a superfan, like Spike Lee for the Knicks or
Jack Nicholson for the Lakers. This is just a guy who was looking to attend a
playoff game. Lil Wayne has attended several games, most notably Heat games.
The team owed him nothing in trying to hook up the music star. Wayne also
suggested that his presence typically inspires the home team to perform better.
This might be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, post Zombie
Apocalypse. The Thunder haven’t lost since this incident. Also, if Kevin
Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden need a rapper in the stands to play
motivated in the playoffs, then my respect for those three just hit the shits.
Last, please don’t tell me you are going to deprive your fans of ever
performing in the Oklahoma area because the Thunder couldn’t handle your ticket
request. Lil Wayne, you are a talented musician, but you need to get off your
high horse.
Last week, Justin Combs, son of rap mogul, Sean
“Diddy”Combs, was awarded a full football scholarship from UCLA. Several in the
media thought the younger Combs should give back the $54,000 scholarship
because of his family’s wealth and the current financial issues facing schools
in California. Diddy is valued at over $500 million and people argued that
Combs was improperly using state funds and preventing someone more deserving
from getting that scholarship. Both the student athlete and the school stood by
their decisions.
First off, athletic scholarships do not use state funds. It
is comprised of money earned through the sport. Also, they are awarded based on
merit, not financial need. Combs was recruited by several D-1 schools last year
and had a 3.75 GPA. He is entitled to this scholarship.
Second, why is Diddy getting scrutinized over this? Diddy is
not the first rich person to see his child get a scholarship. Michael Jordan’s
kid is getting a free ride and he isn’t exactly slumming it. No one was upset
that Andrew Luck received a scholarship at Stanford, despite his family’s
finances. His father, Oliver, played in the NFL and is currently the athletic
director at West Virginia. I can understand if Justin was not a talented
football player. However, he was rated a three-star recruit by most. Three-star
recruits get scholarships, regardless of their last name. Diddy is being
scapegoated unfairly.
We are dealing with two situations where one rapper trying
to use his stature for his own selfishness while another rapper is being
punished for his successes. I am sure Lil Wayne can afford tickets to a
basketball game, yet no one is trashing him. Why doesn’t the media shift their
attention from an 18-year-old and start asking questions about Lil Wayne and
his spoiled brat antics? Since the scholarship was awarded, Diddy has only made
one statement, stating how proud he is of his son. I feel like if Lil Wayne and
Justin Combs were in Henny’s usual predicament, Lil Wayne would be complaining
the bum didn’t blow him for just showing up behind the alley, while Combs would
have worked hard to obtain the ham and the bread, earning his justified
handjob.
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