It's Always Personal

I had to clarify a few critical details regarding the ongoing Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor-ESPN spat, and where the Conservative sports media took the matter this week, as roles at the network changed abruptly. Also circling back to last week's topics, Team USA made an interesting decision this week as it finalized its Tokyo 2021 T&F roster and made its decision on Sha'Carri Richardson. Some other random sports and entertainment topics include Gwen Berry's issue with the National Anthem, Naomi Osaka and Maya Moore "recognized" at the ESPY's, the seventh and final season of Amazon's BOSCH, and some very brief The Championships Wimbledon thoughts. In this week's intro segment, It's Always Personal had to revisit personal fitness goals and cycling. 

Those who want to remain bogged down in mainstream America's favorite battle got a "Valley"-oop (Shout to the Phoenix Suns) with U.S. Olympic hopeful Sha'Carri Richardson losing her 100m slot after testing positive for marijuana, cannabis, THC or whatever it was. The 21-year old elite sprinter owned the matter, but you know certain folks can't let it go at that. No guests this week, so I guess IAP has to wade in... Let's not forget about Brianna McNeil's possible 5-year suspension though. In other racism-related news, an illegal recording of The NBA on ESPN's Rachel Nichols featured The Jump host talking through her sudden removal from the studio and reassignment to a sideline reporter for the Conference Finals. Nichols was replaced by Maria Taylor on the NBA pre-game show. 

In the intro of this episode, I had to pick back up on my "cycling thing." I rode in my first event this weekend, completed a metric century (100k or 62 miles) with some member of Dayton's Major Taylor Cycling Club chapter. After the event and the next day's "recovery ride" a few of the some interesting sharing ensued regarding participating in the cycling event, the fellowship the brothers have enjoyed as members of the cycling club and the benefit of being around other black men with mutual interests above "the streets."

In closing, while we're doing what we've been doing, Fredrick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" speech should be developed into a movie. FD spat some bars (to the Founding Fathers) in July 1852 at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York!   

Naomi Osaka vs The French Open 2021 (the hell is Will Smith talking about) and the media. Brandon Bellamy, a 49-year real estate and development CEO, becomes only black majority owner of a professional baseball team in Gastonia, NC. J. Cole's The Off-Season slaps. Are TV series like (Amazon) Prime Video's THEM and The Underground Railroad serving in purpose? Long-time hip hop producer Apollo Brown lays down some tracks for Raheem Devaughn to drop a pretty amazing RnB album in their 12-track collabo Lovesick. No secret here, but black men aren't fans of marriage, and maybe black women... This episode's topic order is social topic, entertainment and (black) sports. 

Starting around the 17:00 mark, IAP had to circle back on the vile nature of boxing talk or coverage on various YouTube channels that promote themselves as "new media." IAP interviews are often live streamed on the Pay Me No Mind YouTube channel, where boxing coverage is regularly featured to support the Bite Down Boxing (BDB) website. Over the past four years growth for BDB has been slow because larger, louder boxing channels dominate what's know as the segmented "YouTube boxing community." In terms of the boxing talk, one can find whatever they're into regarding the sport. Most of the commentary often far exceeds inappropriate on any given headline in the sport, but what happens when a story breaks like the ongoing situation with 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian and 9-year pro Felix Verdejo who has been charged in the killing of his pregnant mistress. Keishla Rodriguez Ortiz went missing April 29, and an investigation backed by information from a cooperating witness quickly led to Verdejo surrendering to the FBI on May 2. The details of Ms. Ortiz's murder, and the fact she was pregnant, made this a matter that should've been discussed with the utmost degree of sensitivity - or just be avoided by most YouTube channels. An extremely popular channel did their usual 3-person (or co-host) live stream Monday to cover the developing story, and there are literally no words to describe the lack of humanity or good sense displayed. Looking at the stream's total views, after just 24 hours, speaks volumes about where we are as a community. People don't have to be great to start, but it would help if those who start are good people...        

We aren't all going to make it in the digital or content space. And, for a number of different reasons. DAZN Boxing's Akin "Ak" Reyes was invited onto IAP to talk about boxing, as well as to discuss how him, and his partner Barak Bess, have solidified themselves as part of boxing media. In the intro, we continue our examination of popular Black culture - or "the streets" - through the lens of (the death of) Daunte Wright and the experiences of Wood's first two bikes rides with the local Major Taylor Cycling Club. 

The biggest moment of the week of April 18-24 was expected to be the conclusion of the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for his role in the killing of George Floyd. America learned some new names in Daunte Wright, also of Minneapolis, as well as Columbus, Ohio teenager Ma'Khia Bryant and Elizabeth City, North Carolina's Andrew Brown Jr. All were fatally shot by police officers in situations that prompted subsequent investigations. We're just trying to make heads or tails of these incidents, and the other headlines these situations create in the real world and online. Some public figures and media personalities make their bones chopping up it about these matters. 

It's Spring folks, and we've all been locked up for over a year. There appears to still be time to come out of the pandemic either the way some us entered it (maybe you were 10-15 pounds pre-March 2021), or improved in some kind of way. Yes, we can actually be what some people may be suggesting they are Instagram. Long story short, there's a really fun way to go about improving your wellness/fitness, and you've likely known about it for anywhere from 20-30 years: riding a bike. The fitness industry might refer to it as its adult name in cycling. Nevertheless, this episode's guest, Shequaya Bailey, recently completed a well-known 330-plus mile "bike pack" from her hometown of Pittsburgh, Penn. to Washington, D.C. Bailey is also currently the president of the Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club. We figured that Bailey could provide some great information, or stories, to help others truly consider cycling as a means to working on their wellness or fitness this upcoming riding season. As usual, this interview was also a live stream on the Pay Me No Mind channel earlier this week that can be viewed HERE.  

It's just one voice here on It's Always Personal, and not a ton of popular stuff, as a black man, is being said on this podcast. "We've gotta do better", is and continues to be an understatement. Over on IAP companion, the Pay Me No Mind YouTube channel where interviews are often live streamed, we just dealt with the (disheartening) adulation of "Franklin Saint" by many in the black community. Set in the 1980s, "Saint" (Damson Idris) purchases high grade cocaine in bulk from a Los Angeles-based CIA operative. As a result of his reliable supplier, and the purity of his product, Saint rises to dominate LA drug selling after he learns the "recipe" to turn cocaine into potent crack rock. Crack has long been rumored to be the drug of choice by DMX ne Earl Simmons. Again, IAP is small-time, but do yourself a favor and check out Talib Kweli's People's Party podcast to hear DMX talk about being introduced to crack at 14 years old by... another man.   

This week's guest, Jason Harrison, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist who co-owns Present Tense Fitness (PTF). Harrison, his wife Susan, and yoga instructor Anna Shearer train clients out of their fitness studio that located in Dayton, Ohio's Oregon District. The Oregon District (OD) - a small stretch of boutiques, restaurants and bars - made national headlines in August 2019 after becoming a target of an active shooter. Dayton Police officers responded within moments, but nine Daytonians lost their lives before the shooter was fatally shot. Part of Dayton moving forward included a concert organized by Dave Chappelle that featured performances by Stevie Wonder, Kanye West and his Sunday Service Choir and (I believe) nearby Springfield native John Legend. Harrison actually addressed a crowd at a vigil, and eventually started writing op-eds about local race relations, policy-making and politicians for the local paper. Harrison was invited onto IAP to get his opinion on how him and his OD neighbors are getting along 1 1/2 years later. For the opening topics... IAP had to ask about how some find themselves rooting for Snowfall's lead character "Franklin Saint" (Damson Idris). Saint, a creation of late director John Singleton, is loosely based on legendary Los Angeles cocaine trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross. Also, a bit of a related matter had to be discussed in Poor Righteous Teachers' rapper Wise Intelligent actually having to defend his Instagram post about his day-to-day business dealings classifying him as a "man" versus the streets-accepted "hustler."