Be the CHANGE you wish to see in the world

I am a hippie, a radical, an artist and a thinker in my own way. So many people see me as mainstream and shallow, but I see myself quite differently and those closest to me know that I am so much more than what is simply perceived.
It annoys me when people talk about sports not being important. Not just because I am a lover of sports, but because sports is one of them most diverse factions of life. It pisses me off even more when people do not see how sports has changed the world and how so much is left to be changed in the sports world. I majored in sport management, because I too want to make a difference. I want to help change the face of the front office of sports. I want to show that blacks don't have to be the Forty Million dollar slaves...they can be the ones creating opportunity, opening doors and changing the way that people view blacks in relation to sports.
Let us not forget that baseball was one of the first areas to become integrated thanks to Jackie Robinson and so many others, lets not forget the powerful image of United States athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos holding their fists in the air as they received their metals for track and field in the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, in a sign of protest for Civil Rights in the United States, or how through the years athletes like Muhammed Ali have used their fame to fight against social injustices and issues facing blacks and people of all races alike.
So much is left to be done though, especially in the institutionalized framework of sports. African American coaches on all levels are still fighting for recognition, especially in Division 1-A college football and black athletes at colleges and universities around the country are still being failed and lead astray. Someone must be the voice and call out the injustices in sports.
It is these injustices that still need to be worked out that have caused me to take the path in life that I have chosen in order to make a difference. I love sports and believe that so much good comes from them, but so much is left to be done. It is why I have chosen to be the change I wish to see in sports.

The Friends that Turn into Family

I was blessed to be born into a wonderful family, but even more blessed for the family friends we have. Since I can remember my mom always stressed the importance of family and that there are people that may not be blood, but they too are family all the same. As I've gotten older and have began building my own life I have come to realize the importance and joy that friends that become family can be. When I met my friend Jason just over 2 years ago I never imagined he'd become one of my best friends and that his family would become some of my favorite people. It wasn't until this past Saturday that I had the chance to complete my new family, I finally got to meet the women closest to him...his mom and sister. I had met his brother on several occasions and even spent a great deal of time with him and I had the opportunity to meet his dad last year. When I met his mom and sister it was if my new family was complete. It was when his dad asked my brother and I to join their family in a celebration dinner of UW winning the Pac-10 Championship I knew I had completed a new family.
I love that I am creating my own extended family through friendships and I love and protect them just as if they were blood, nothing could make us closer. With our parting embraces and words Saturday night I knew in my heart that I would love the Pondexter's forever, just as if they were my own family!

I was made for this life

Sometimes I wonder why certain people are put into certain situations. Why we encounter those that we do along life's path. Why certain things happen to people. Why people are the way they are. This weekend I had the chance to reflect on some of those questions. Granted we along with God are the controllers of our destiny...I am intrigued at how sometimes people and situations just seem to fall into our laps.
I feel as if I was made for the life that I have chosen for myself, it's not always the most simple, the most glamorous, but none the less it is my life and I love it. I have access to people, places, things and information that few others have and that some would kill for. There are secrets that I have been forced to keep and things I have witnessed that I plan to take to my grave. It may not always be easy or fun, but I enjoy it. I was made for this. I have learned to put on many faces, get people to confide in me, and many times turn a blind eye to things. It is a challenging and at times tiring life, but I wouldn't trade it, the people or experiences for anything in the world. I look forward to retiring and writing my book so that I can share with you someday why I was made for this life.
It may not always be easy but I was made for this life!