“I’M NOT BLACK, I'M O.J.”-SNEAKER WARS pt.3
by eric d. graham
by eric d. graham
Remember, the ultimate pitch man for white capitalist was Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson, whose nicknamed was The Juice. Why? Because, he was smart, clean-cut, well-spoken, good-looking, and had the perfect smile. Plus, he didn't identify as "being Black"-"He was OJ." Simpson, somehow, believed that he had somehow transcended race, due to his athletic prowess on the football field.
However, this quote “I’m not Black, I’m O.J.”originated in 2002 and, for over 15 years, has been mis-attributed to O.J.. The words “I’m not Black, I’m O.J.”, in fact, came from sociology professor Dr. Harry Edwards. who said those words in the 2002 HBO documentary film O.J. Simpson: A Study in Black and White.
See, it was Simpson, the USC running back that won the Heisman Trophy in 1968, who changed the way we see the modern day Black athlete. Because, it was the Juice, whose appearance in the (1975) Hertz Corp's rent a car service commercial, earned him a $600,000 endorsement contract that increased the company's net profits 50% to 42.2 million. This endorsement deal made OJ, the first Black athlete, to be considered a celebrity in the new age of television.
OJ, matter of fact, became the perfect role model for the commercialization and the domestication of the Black male athlete. For this reason, Sports journalist Skip Bayless, even, felt Cam Newton had the potential to be the next OJ when he first entered the league. But, Cam's fashion choices and demeanor on the field and during press conferences, destroyed this football fantasy.
While Newton failed to be America's new favorite pitchman, Tiger Woods & Michael Jordan as well as Serena Williams, later in her career, with her interracial marriage, walked in OJ's footsteps by becoming the "colorless, raceless, apolitical" athlete, who played the middle ground by distancing themselves from issues that affected Black America just like OJ did when he removed himself from athletes like Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Lew Alcindor-Kareem Abdul Jabbar during that time of political unrest.
Plus, he, like OJ, was (selected) to be the perfect pitchman to sell a multi-cultural dream to America-Bill Cosby style, the former Jell-O spokesman, who was slapped Tuesday with three to 10 years in Pennsylvania state prison for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
Yes, OJ, was the ultimate pitchman like Bill Cosby, the proto-type to Tiger Woods, who referred to himself as Calablasian, while denying his Blackness in the process, before falling victim to the Black Mans Kryptonite, which is known as the white woman, which all of these men suffered from.
See, this multi-cultural dream, tried to commercialize off of the (Black-ish) of Colin Kaepernick. a second-round pick in 2011, who led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII by making him the new face and pitchman of their new Nike (Just Do It ) ad, with his Afro, butterscotch leather jacket and Black Panther mannerism.
Believe me, Nike doesn't like Kap. This is business not personal. Because, capitalism is a system of pimps and hoes. The question is-who is getting pimped. (Kap or Nike.) See, I applaud Kaepernick for securing the bag (as the young people say) without coonin or (shuckin and jiving) like OJ did in several of those Naked Gun movies.
But, I have to remind Kaepernick, who like OJ played for the San Francisco 49ers not to get distracted by this Nike Deal and sacrifice his stance against injustice for a pair of shoes. Because, that plantation politics is real crafty. I mean, they are trying to sell us shoes instead of giving us justice. They are really telling us that they could care less about the death of Black people at the hands of the police. It's similar to the 2017 Kendell Jenner Pepsi commercial, which suggested that police brutality could be solved with one Caucasian woman with a Coke and a Smile.
This is the hidden Hollywood formula, were they profit off of Black pain to increase their economic gain. See, that NEW Nike commercial, was no different. Because, it was nothing more than a multi-million dollar Megan Markle moment, which was equivalent to a multi-level marketing scheme in order to sell stuff we don't need to boost the low NFL ratings to start the 2018 NFL season.
Therefore, remember, its a movement not an achievement. So, Kaepernick, please continue to be unapologetically Black.
And, not like OJ.
O.K.
