The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

“But somewhere between Jackie Robinson and Michael Vick, things got all fouled up. “Street cred” became the anthem of the modern black athlete, this misguided notion that the only way to appeal to the young demographic of the sneaker-buying public was to adopt the negative attitudes of the thug life popularized by black hip-hop/gangster rappers. According to the 18-page federal indictment, Vick is accused of sponsoring the sort of gruesome dogfighting enterprise that is readily identified as a part of the dark side of that culture.” (“Cultural, social elements have led to Vick’s downfall” – Bryan Burwell – link)

Recently, Jason Whitlock wrote the following on the issue -

“This is a cultural phenomenon that has swallowed a small percentage of African-American athletes, but a large enough percentage to significantly damage the overall perception of black, American-born athletes. As Dr. Harry Edwards told me two weeks ago, it only takes a few key people to hijack an entire culture. (“Vick can evolve from hip-hop prison culture” read more…)

I didn’t know dog fighting was Black cultural problem until I read these pieces.

(If you are slow to my sarcasm here, labeling dog fighting as a ‘cultural problem’ is a big stretch IMO. I think a much better case can be made with other issues.)