HustleKnockin'

Andre Waters

I remember watching Andre Waters play back in the day. he was nice--ALL-Pro caliber DB. He passed away from Alzheimers... that and a self-inflected gunshot to the dome. Dude went crazy.

The reason i pick this story is because it gets at the frustration of how professional leagues and even the NCAA throws away athletes once they're done with them. The amount of money these guys get paid is peanuts compared to the billions in revenue they generate for indivdiual teams, cities, leagues, corporations.

Yet when they're all used up--too old, too slow, too "black" they just get put out to pasture to fend for themselves. This dude, Andre Waters was sick. No insurance. no benefits...(The NFL doesn't help these guys like that.) So when something goes wrong in their personal lives, with their well-being, it's all on them.

Now don't get me wrong, the NBA leaue minimum is like $412,000 and i think the NFL's minimum is around $500,000, maybe a little less. So they're not exactly starving. But i don't know how much is enough to be treated like race horses. AT least the good race horse get laid when they get old. These guys, well, that's another issue...

A book everyone should read is "$40 Million Slaves" by William Rhoden. It deals with this and other issues related to not only pro but college athletes:

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Report: Waters' suicide tied to brain damage
Associated Press
Posted: 4 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) - Brain damage caused on the football field ultimately led to the suicide of former NFL defensive back Andre Waters, according to a forensic pathologist who studied Waters' brain tissue.

Bennet Omalu of the University of Pittsburgh told The New York Times that Waters' brain tissue resembled that of an 85-year-old man and that there were characteristics of early stage Alzheimer's. Omalu told the newspaper he believed the damage was related to multiple concussions Waters sustained during his 12-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.
Waters was 44 when he committed suicide last November.

KTH EXCERPTS!!! N'joy

(You Can’t) Knock The Hustle

A realist is always hated in a society of
sanctimonious hustlers, which is what America is.
—Gore Vidal

My hustle of choice: the advertising and marketing industry. Been in it for 15 years. Now the best way to explain marketing is this: Hold up your hand, either one: Go ’head, get it up—I’ll wait (lol)... Okay, now think of your hand as the marketplace:

white boys dunking

Not a slow weekend, just a silly stressed out one. so to unwind, i watch goofy stuff people send me. like this:

Kid's got some ants in his pants, no?

somebody ate their, um... steriods? what are they feeding these kids?

Starbury, the remix…

Stephon Starbury’s got problems! Starting with my review of his Starbury shoes marketing efforts. In "Great Product, Bad Marketing" i wrote that I loved the product, the concept behind the product , but wished the marketing of it had been a little different--more focused on the price ($15 a pair) and the anti-crass-consumerism spirit behind the price.

yeah, i caught some heat for that one...

I still stand behind my gut, but it's hard to argue with results.

I’ve been doing some digging. Seems that (1) The shoes are actually flying off the shelves. Kids are digging them. (2) From everything I’ve heard from hardcore sneaker afficionados, hiphoppers, folks in the know, etc.—no one’s blown-out an ankle or ripped an Achilles in the ‘bury’s. (Always a bonus when consumers don’t get hurt using your product.)

Lastly, I actually heard from one of the chief authors of the campaign—Mr. Tony Laugher of Straight Cre8tive Studios in PA. As much as I was a proponent of playing up the social-consciousness angle of a $15 shoe in a category that seems to encourage crass consumerism, Laugher noted that “you gotta sell the quality, the star and the other features equally if not more,” to really make some hay.

Starbury's: Great product, bad marketing!

When I first heard about this from cats I knew, I thought it was a joke. Then here it was in Brandweek: Starbury pushing Dime ‘n’ Five kicks from... Steve & Barry. Now, Mitchell & Ness, I get, but Steve and Barry?

My ample gut's told me that it’s just another sign of a brother falling on hard times. Steph brought the Showbiz to KG in Minnesota. Shoulda been Shaq/Kobe 1 minus the rape trial and infighting. Definitely one of the greatest mag covers ever. (Ups to SLAM!) One of the true and living streetball legends to break an owner’s bank before the salary cap—and back it up on the court. Mostly.

He was like Iverson without the (mainstream paranoid-media-hyped) thug passion. Grip. Speed. Could go baseline or the lane on just about anybody. Better passer than AI. Could give you 40 most any night. (Might require 25 shots but he’s good for 40.) Star’s heart was questioned on occasion. No real love for the game. In short: Typical block to the top hood baller.