Etan Thomas, professional basketball player:
Courting More Than Just Basketball
By Etan Thomas
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 20, 2005; Page M05
Basketball is not all that I am, it is something I like to do. A lot of times people don't
understand why I always make this point. Don't get me wrong: Everything about playing
in the NBA is a blessing. I'm living the dream of every little boy who has ever picked up a
basketball. So I'm thankful. But in our society, athletes are put into a box that limits our
potential to delve into any other arena. Now, we can either allow ourselves to remain in
this box, or we can resist these attempts. That's why my book of poems is titled "More
Than an Athlete" -- because there's much more to me than what I do on the court.
A lot of times preconceptions can get in the way of anyone truly seeing what's inside of a
person. People are always blown away by the idea that I write poetry, and I ask them
why? Because I'm a 6-10, 260-pound black man, I can't have an interest beyond the field
of athletics? Or, after someone hears me recite one of my poems or hears a speech, I am
graced with the words, "You speak so well," as if I'm supposed to take that as a
compliment. Now, if they tell me they enjoyed my poem or they agree with my point of
view, that's a compliment.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What's inside of me is passion for so many things outside of the realm of basketball. I
recently had the honor of speaking at an antiwar rally right on the Mall, in the shadows of
the Washington Monument. I spoke about my opposition to the war, the Bush
administration's seeming lack of concern regarding people on the other side of the tracks,
health care, the education system, police brutality, unemployment, the justice system and
other problems in our society to which the right is apparently oblivious. Since then, I
have often been asked if I was afraid of repercussions for speaking out. But there is
simply too much going on for me to keep silent. I have a voice, and I have to use it. In
the same way Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Jim Brown, Tommie Smith and John Carlos
used their positions as platforms, I feel obligated to speak out. All of my life, my mother
has told me, "To whom much is given, much is expected."
Etan Thomas is a center for the Washington Wizards. He is also the author of "More Than
an Athlete: Poems by Etan Thomas" (Moore Black Press, $19.95).
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:49:21 +0100, David Bircumshaw
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Other well-known athletic poets: Leopardi, Pope.
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