17· .1
P OP
PREACHER'
In Spor Illu trated nd on t-----_
public televi ion thi week w the 1-- _
e-old lle tion th t bo in
promoter Don Kin who I kno
well d ve worked with cl ely,
w conn ted with the mob. In
ct, it w ted that I advertently
w ed to rrange meeting
where mob ter brought in n un­
dercover gent without the
know led of King or my elf to try
• and entrap Mr. King in an illicit deal. The f c of the King ting and
other matte h ve long been di c ed by thi column but I think that
the general, overall view of Blae in b in nd th mob hould be
ddre here ince it been mi ed by the journali who have
"analyzed" this rehashed story.
Firstly, it is not Don King or anyone el e in Bl c Ameri th t
created a climate where mobste control I rge pa of the orts and
entertainment world. I recall how everal years go when e y of
New Yor had decided to ell its anitation righ to private carters and
we tried to put together a consortium of Black busin smen to buy an
exi ting carting firm (since that is the only way you can get trucks and
other neces ary equipment to go into busines ) we were ccused of
dealing with a mobster named Matty Ianniello.
The fact of the matter is if we had gone to any carting company we
were llegedly connected to
the mob. It' the age-Old trick
of blaming the victim rather
than the victimizer. The
culprit i not a ociety or a
lackadai ical judicial ystem
that permits the mob to thrive
and suck the blood of innocent
poor people of all races. The
culprits are those who are
forced to do busine with
them even if they are trying to
do business with them to put
them out f busine and put
those purse strings back into
the hands of legitimate
entrepreneurs from the com­
munity. If Don King were to
do boxing business at all, I'm
sure at some point he would
have to meet a mobster or two
ince the field is dominated by mob ters.
Do you blame a poor Black man from the ghetto, who rose from the
treets, for dealing with what his hand gave him or do you blame a
ociety that has failed to incarcerate, pro ecute and eliminate mobsters
that the Presidents of the United States have done business with? John
Kennedy, Richard Nixon and others have traded with the mob, so why
does it become such a particularly gross offense that a Don King might
have seen a mobster sitting at ringside at a fight when the mobs
controlled the ring before Don King's rise to power?
SECONDLY, speakIng for myself and no other, how does a Black
distingui h who i the mob? As one that comes out of the community,
I have a hard time distinguishing who are mobsters and who are not in
the general white power structure. Historically, it is clear that we were
kidnapped as a race, disenfranchised culturally, linguistically,
religiously, physically, emotionally, intellectually. So for someone to
say to me that one guy is a mobster and another- isn't is absolutely too
difficult for my mind to discern. What is the functional difference in
this institutionally racist SOCiety that has intimidated and barred me
from my existence, put a ceiling on my aspirations and a limitation on
my human rights, and some guy who talks out of the side of his mouth,
who merely verbalizes what the general society has done to me in the
first place?
I've had record company presidents, movie industry moguls tell me
to talk to so and so - someone that law enforcement officers would
identify as a mobster. But how can law enforcement expect me to have
any less respect for someone they call a mobster when they shoot the
Mary Mitchells, the Eleanor Bumpurs, the Phillip Pannells of this
world, and they seem to be above the law when they make "hits" right
in the treets of our municipalities. I think that rather than "Front Line"
and others focusing on the mob, they need to question who the mob is
and why those people who are reluctant proletarians in Black America
are forced to deal with the mob, whether their name be Cuomo or Gotti,
their function is the same when it comes to a King, a Sharpton, a
Maddox, a Mason, a Jeffries, a Farrakhan, yes, even a Jesse Jackson.
Have I dealt with the mob? Yes, I was the head on the end of their
sharpened sticks.
REV.
AL
SHARPTO
It is not Don
King that
created a
climate where
mobsters
control large
parts of the
sports world.
Highland Park Community High School
1991·92 Basketball Schedule
December 13 Grosse Pointe South Horne 5:30
17 Ypsilanti Away 6:00
20 Bishop Borgess Home 5:30
26 Christmas Tournament Home
5:00 & 7:00
27 Christmas Tournament Home
5:00 & 7:00
3 Romulus.
7 Willow Run
10 Oak Park
14 Ecorse
17 Robichaud
21 Southfield
24 Inkster
28 River Rouge
31 Ann Arbor Huron
February 7 Willow Run
11 Oak Park
14 Ecorse
21 Inkster
28 Robichaud
6 River Rouge
January
Home 5:30
Home 5:30
Away 6:00
Away 5:30
Home 5:30
Away 6:00
Home 5;30
Home 5:30
Away 6:00
Away 5:30
Home 5:30
Home 5:30
Away 5:30
Away 5:30
Away 5:30
March
HeAD COACH-OARRELL PURSIFUL
ASST. COACH-FRED DOAKES
ASST. COACH-WIWE JOHNSON
champio , dropped the Tige to a first nine gam
4 and 5 record. 15 touchdo
Alab ' junior tailb c aul poin.
hby scored three touchd on
94 nd 97 y rd ic off return
touchdo d a 3-yard phmge.
All- merle n
c ndid te i enior out ide
lineb cker Eddie Robi on, not
related to Gramblin' head co ch,
continued hi puni hing tackling
ways Saturday night.
Hi comments about co ch Eddie
Robinson, after the game were, "Not
too many teams can y they beat
him (and) he i a great coach."
Alabama will prob bly pl Y in the
inaugural Heritage Bowl at Miami'
Joe Robbie Stadium, December 21.
The Hornets head co ch, Houston
Markham aid the Hornets have
played "committed" ball all year.
As usual, the half time how w
pectator but one ingredient w
mi ing. For some strange on I
kept looking for the raz-ma-tazz the
Golden Girls dazzled the crowd with
during Alcorn State and Hampton
University'S half time show.
University' Hornets rolled over
Grambling t te University' Tige
60 to 14 before 44,692 fans at the
Ponti c Silverdome Saturday,
ovember9.
The living legend, Eddie
Robinson, h d coach at Grambling,
w tched his team made co tly
mi e aft r mistake. But true to the
the coach that he is, he made no
excuse and aid hi opponent,
Alabama, "bas a good team."
Robinson, 72, who i in hi 51st
year of coaching at Grambling, id
retirement m y com this year, next
year or five years from now but, "1
am having fun but (while you are)
having fun, you still have to win. "
Saturday's night loss to the
Hornets, who at 8-0-1 are the SWAC
QU C Ricky
, who threw for 272 yards, 0
cored a uchdown on a 24-yatd
p play from h Ifb ck Canvl
Jones.
Eric Mathews, a junior, caught
five passes, cored one touchdown
and had 162 total yards for the game.
Grambling's two touchdown
came on pa s play to their
All-American candidate, enior
wide receiver, Nathaniel "Nate"
Singleton.
Singleton, whom coach Robinson
expects to be W'3 L" j by the NFL,said
WashingtoI, l.:ami, New England
and Clevelar-! ., .. 'r b.en watching
him closely.
Singleton is the . .ading receiver
in the conference' and in the team'
ABOVE: Marva Nlcbo
M Grambllng State.
by N. Scott)
LEIT: 0 er 44,00 packed
the Pontiac SUverdome to
cheer on the n e and the
Home No.9. by N.
Scott)
s
J, 1.-0 Senior
New \)rlean ,Loul I n
Grambling Co ch Eddie Robinson helps All-American candidate
Nathaniel "Nate" SlngidonofftheDeld. He laterretrunedtoplay.(photo
by N. Scott)
- SWAC Scoring Leader
(4th Nationally)
- SWAC All-Purpose Leader
(13th Nationally) .
- 2n11n SWAC In
l .�r Game (13th
Nationally)
- 6th �iahonally In Receiving
Yar�. p ,r Game
- Grambting ;. Ingle Game
Aeceptions Leader
16 rec., 330 yds)
- Freshman All-America (1988)
Penny' per-pin bowling
fundraiser held
By DANNY COOKS
Sandra Love and Nathan Anderson, President and Vice P ident of
South Michigan Sickle Cell Support Group, take b k between
bowling for pled to raise money to upport Sickle Cell famlJ • (photo
by D. Cooks)
despite there being weeks before all
the pledge money rolls in.
"Just to have gotten of the
support from the community that we
did w gratifying to y the least, ..
Anderson said.
.. And the volunteers were great,
too. They mu t be given
recognition. "
Fifteen volunteers, includin
eight Sickle Cell Support Group
membel1, raced to beat the clock in
knocking down as many pins
humanly possible. Belinda Woods.
Secretary of the support group,
she had never bowled before but did
very ell. ·1 think I'll become a
regular bowler. It' nice," be id.