athletes

Before the buzzer sounds, before the world takes notice, before history is recorded — Black women have already been there, pushing boundaries, setting records, and changing the rules of the game.

It seems that not a week goes by without news headlines about athletes, many of whom are Black, being involved with guns. The latest incident to grab our attention involves New England Patriots defensive back Jack Jones, who was detained at Logan Airport with two guns and a clip of bullets in his carry-on bag.

Former NBA star Latrell Sprewell two decades ago turned down a $21m contract extension, foolishly exclaiming that he “had a family to feed.” Unless he was preparing his offspring as future candidates for “My 600-Lb. Life,’’ his comment was highly misguided. Sprewell never got another offer, and despite making close to $100 million in career earnings, he allegedly fell on hard times, although it’s never quite clear if athletes in these situations go completely broke or just lose portions of their vast earnings.