The Dallas Mavericks star forward, Josh Howard is back in the news. A recent Youtube video shows Josh Howard disrespecting the national anthem. Now this is not the first time a negative light has been shown on the young star. Earlier this year he admitted on a radio show that he, along with most players in the NBA, smoke marijuana. Also, this comes on the heels of a recent arrest for street-racing.
Now I understand that every American has the right to remain stupid. But it boggles my mind that Howard not only puts himself down, but he drags others with him. His Marijuana remarks negatively portrayed every player in the NBA. His remark on the national anthem?
"I don't celebrate that S***. I'm black."
Nice work Josh. I'm sure the African American community is thrilled with your blasphemy. The icing on the cake? This was said at a charity flag-football game for youths.
Can somebody find a good role model for these kids out there?
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7 comments:
Excuse my language, but that really pisses me off. He's a player for the NBA. That is an American team. You're putting down the United States of America because "you're black"? That's one of the most ignorant statements I've ever heard.
This is just as bad as Kanye West saying George Bush hates black people in the midst of Hurricane Katrina.
It just seems like he has so many run-ins with the law, why not keep going and make yourself look as bad as you possibly could?
Just one more reason i hate the Dallas Mavericks.
You'd never hear anything like this from a Spurs player, and most of them aren't even from this country.
Go Spurs Go!!!
So sad this story is... I love the Mavs, but Howard is definitely an idiot. I totally agree with Sarah; when you play on U.S. National teams having respect is incredibly important. It is important to have respect for yourself, your team and most importantly your country. And how does being black have anything to do with patriotism for our country? I don't know; this is why I stopped watching pro-football because I felt like they were all just a bunch of fools who were all about spending money on frivolous things, wrecking expensive cars, doing drugs, shooting people and being all about themselves. Is this what basketball is coming to... Really?!
I see the good and bad in this situation:
Good: Only in America can you enjoy the right to free speech, even if it's against your own nation.
Bad: What an idiot! I can maybe understand Howard saying what he did if he thought he was just around some friends and didn't know he was being filmed. But no. He just smiled for the camera. Seriously? Where did he think that video would end up?
I think it is rediculous that anyone, famous or not would say something like that. If your an American you need to have respect for yourself and your country. Howard needs to find a publicist, if anyone will represent him!
While I don't agree with what Howard says, he does have his right to free speech. But this isn't the bone I have to pick. Everyone in here is ragging on Howard because of all the wrong choices he has made. Everyone makes mistakes, it happens, we are all human. But what really gets me is the American media that has portrayed Howard as "the bad guy."
Has anyone mentioned, or even know about The Josh Howard Foundation? He has programs that he is heavily involved with were he reads to, and helps promote reading to kids. His foundation also helps fund after school activities such as pizza parties, puppet shows, video game tournaments, etc. He even has a program that assists the elderly in assisted living facilities to get them the necessities they need for everyday life. Not to mention all the community work he is involved with in Dallas and back in his hometown of Winston-Salem. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this guy's charitable side.
But because the American media focuses on the negative 99% of the time, everyone thinks Josh Howard is an anti-American pot smoker who likes to drive his car fast.
Now I don't condone what he has done. All I'm saying is I'm tired of the media focusing on the negative of people in the public eye and not the positive they do. It's really spinning out of control.
As to the comment made of finding a good role model for today's kids, how about their parents? Sure kids are going to idolize sport stars and movie stars, but when it comes down to it the parents are with the kid 100% of the time and they should be the role model. Not some guy the kid sees on TV once a month who happens to slam dunk the ball.
One thing to keep in mind about charities and non-profits... They are business endeavors.
NPO's raise money, support jobs and give tax breaks to those associated with it. I can only imagine how much money has been added to Howard's bank account just by letting somebody run his non-profit.
But I guess that still makes him a good person. It's kinda funny though - I don't hear too much from the Michael Vick Foundation these days...
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