More Themes for 2008–This one courtesy of Dave Zirin

And, of course, it was all brought to us 24 hours a day by a sports media quick to draw broad assumptions, as the push to put out opinions in the absence of facts has become an accepted hallmark of today’s information-first age. This was a particular catastrophe after the tragic slaying of Taylor and the irresponsible assumption that his death in a botched robbery was the result of a thug life gone awry.

Yes, my own theme for ‘08 is to Write-Write-Write, but Zirin’s message is an important one to consider. I think it is vital that the sports media starts to include more critical voices. My hat goes off to Zirin, William C. Rhoden, and Stephen Brunt, but I think that it is important to get some critical academic voices to join this choir. And I don’t mean in the “soundbite” kind of way that many academics make newsprint, but in comprehensive, thoughtful, reflective, and engaged ways–but still timely.

Dig it!

Themes for 2008:

It is almost impossible to narrow down the most important theme for me and apandanhandad in 2008. Generally, it could easily be assigned to Do. Dammit, but the Nike slogan rings so true for me right now–Just Do It. Period. For all of the things that I want to get done, that slogan is what needs to drive me this year. In all reality, 2008 could be the year that apandanhandad comes to fruition. The harvest is revealed. In order for me to do that, however, means that there is another important single action word–WRITE! Write, dammit, write!

To Write–To Act–To Do

And this goes for all other things too: through my personal life, professional, spiritual, corporeal, economic, philosophical, activist, pedagogical, familial, right down through the menial. Just Act. 

Action is just, when it is “correct action”–buddhist-style. When an act is wise, it is a just act. Thoughtful. Generous. Peaceful. Resolute. Responsible.

That action can be to write, and to write critically and fair. And there are many things I need to write about in this way. Some of those things are:

New Racism in Sport–my dissertation topic. It’s a history lesson as much as it is a theorization and application. I’m finding flashpoint events in the media and using them for their pedagogical moments. Moments to pause and reflect on what’s just happened. And moments to prospect for different ways to negotiate the moments to come, and events yet to unfold. We remember the past, assess the contemporary, and envision the future. I need to write about this. From that, I can teach about this.

An Historical Sense (wirkliche historie)–Searching for Jimmy Brown. Racial Integration in Canadian Football (compared and contrasted with the AFL/NFL). Can-Am Relations post-Second World War. 1946 is a pivotal year in many ways, for many reasons. There are ways that sport reflects broader social and political movements–shifts. American import rules. Places like Syracuse and strict non-integrationist practices. The segue here is to the context in which this all occurred. Post-War milieux.

Speaking of War–The Militarization of Canadian Society. Sport as the “Long Bomb” into individual lives. Asking hard questions. Finding accountability. Deconstructing military logics. Reading Empire. Reading Zygmunt Bauman. Arendt. Frantz Fanon. Man, I’m so ready to write about this–invoking the Multitude.

Canadian Football: The Game, The Issues, The Fans–From a concerted effort to become an historian of the game itself, or more accurately, a social historian–to an ethicist exploring several issues confronting the league (e.g., CFLPA Disability Pensions, Retirement & Injury; The No-Drug-Testing Policy and its relation to an inferiority complex; Officiating)–to an honest-to-goodness “Superfan” of the game interested in capturing other fan experiences of the CFL, the Grey Cup especially. There is a LOT to be written about the CFL, from a variety of perspectives. 

In close, for the time being, the theme of ‘08 is WRITE! Write everything that needs to be written. My dissertation. My passions. My life. Writing is my life. And a good life it is!

*since there’s so much more to say and do, I must leave it at this for the moment …

Hello, 2008 … We’re gonna get along just great … 

Dig it!

   

I’ve got to work this out …

Okay, so I haven’t been blogging as promised. I’ve got a lot on the go at the moment. Unfortunately, that means my own writing has been taking a bit of a back seat. But there’s something that I have to get written ASAP, and that’s my NASSH abstract. I’ve been working on this for a long time. But now it’s time to work it out.

From the NASSH website:

Guidelines for Individual Papers:

1. Include author’s name, phone and fax number, and postal and email addresses.
2. Include title and abstract of the paper. The abstract should include the question(s) addressed in the paper, the evidence to be used, a precise statement of the argument and conclusions, and what significance the paper has to our understanding of sport history (500 words).
3. Suggest the type of NASSH conference session for which this paper might be appropriate.
4. Submit copies of the complete proposal by November 15, 2007 to ALL members of the program committee. E-mail addresses of the Program Committee members appear below. Early proposals are appreciated. E-mail attachment is one of the two preferred forms of submission. The second preferred method is sending the proposal via the NASSH website (www.nassh.org). People wishing to submit via the NASSH website will find instructions posted there as the deadline approaches.

So now, what I’ve gotta do is: ask the questions, find my evidence through research, clearly articulate the argument and the conclusions. Simple, right? So what about this?

To fully contextualize the current state of affairs in the Canadian Football League (CFL), a different kind of story line needs to be explored. Magnified by the overall lack of scholarship on the CFL, the histories of minority players has gone relatively unexplored. A few recent books on the subject have made me turn my eye in that direction. Third and a Mile: The trials and triumphs of the black quarterback by William C. Rhoden, and The Slave Side of Sunday by Anthony Prior, each tell similar stories. They draw comparisons between the Canadian and American (National) football leagues. And all share the kinds of stories told about life in football during the fifties and sixties. Out of Their League by Dave Meggeyesy and Canada’s own The Plastic Orgasm are rich with similar stories. But little effort has been made to connect them all.

My argument comes from a guy who really wants to know what life was like back then. The call has been loud for this kind of work. Rinaldo Walcott resonates the loudest, but also Abdel-Shehid, hooks, Anzaldua, and Shogan. It’s a call for a different kind of cultural studies. One that floats freely, not mired, in academese. One that roams smoothly back and forth between academic and less critical worlds. And I think people are really diggin’ critical histories these days. They move off the bookshelves. The grit and grime of real life need to be felt when reading or hearing the history. The texture of lives lived revealed. This goes for both my dissertation chapter/NASSH paper (the history of racial integration in the CFL) and the Jim Brown chapter. Yes, that totally needs to be next. From Ray Emery to Jim Brown, I’ll be able to easily jump to more ambitious projects. The dissertation project, to be precise. But I’ve digressed … my argument is that we need to have the historical sense of the people and the time. That’s the gritty feel. To really know what life was like, or the closest thing to it possible. So I read. I listen to people. I learn the stories. And then, I tell them the way I feel them. Like Dionne Brand on a mission. Like W.O. Mitchell on the prairies. Who has seen the wind? No, we know it’s who has felt the wind.

So now, in the true Murray style of making a short story long, the NASSH abstract idea:

On the heels of a revival movement around Black history, or rather, histories of blackness–the black experience–I am suggesting that one of the most fecund sites for historical analysis is the Canadian Football League. I can’t think of another perspective from which to better capture the racial climate across the nation, than through the eyes of the “pioneers.” What really happened in the wake of Jackie Robinson in Canada? How has the African-American experience informed, or been transformed by, life in Canada. My contemporary interest is in the Ricky Williams saga. My historical interest is from Herb Trawick (or not long before) through Johnny Bright to Warren Moon and Tracy Ham. I recognize, for brevity sake at a conference, I must limit this to a more narrow scope, but this contextualizes whatever period or figures I choose in the broader view of the research project overall. I think it is shameful that the public isn’t more aware of this fascinating thread of Canadian history, or the story that’s presently being told. Some writers have their finger on the pulse. Dionne Brand. Dave Zirin. Spike Lee. Sean Penn. Paul Haggis. Stephen Brunt. William Rhoden. And I’d love to join that club. Clearly, not in that same league right away, but always striving for it, and in time–who knows? But back to the punchline. I argue that by examining the stories of racialized athletes in certain parts of the country, at certain times in the past, we can get a better view of what social and cultural life were like in those places at those times. And while it feels like I’m stating the obvious, it’s one of those things that still needs to be restated. The CFL is largely unexplored, especially in light of the wealth and breadth of scholarly and literary work on hockey in Canada. Racial histories are only recently being added. A Fly in a Pail of Milk was quickly forgotten, Breaking the Ice was relatively cursory. But the cry sounds loud and clear in Black Like Who? and Bread Out of Stone. And even Linda Hutcheon. That’s right, I invoke an admitted postmodernist. Postmodernism is not the death of history, but a warm embrace of multiple histories. Just like when TV went from black & white to color. Life–in living color–the way it’s meant to be lived and remembered and re-told.

But more on this later … like I said, it something I have to work out. To be continued …       

George Carlin on white people

Both this Carlin clip and the Cucchiella clip below are intended for “serious” viewing only. They are relevant to a forthcoming discussion about the conflation of race and culture, sport and culture, and the racialization of whiteness. Note the shared references to “country line dancing” for starters, as well as Cucchiella’s highlighting of the import of big-money-pro-sport for both “races”/cultures–NASCAR and the NFL.  

Stay tuned for the full write-up … Dig it!

Mickey Cucchiella on how to “fix” race relations

*Note: the last 1:03 is the “must-see” for relevance of this clip to my work. It’s almost like a public plea to let racism back out of the box, so to speak. There’s a reason why he chooses to make this request through the medium of sport. There’s a reason why he uses a “monkey dance” to represent the foul call for “acting like a N-word”, ‘cept he’s got it pronounced fully. His cliche-filled mock interview with a black driver after a NASCAR event is taken explicitly from sport interviews and entertainment awards. Blatantly stereotyping. So what makes this any different than Michael Richards’ tirade? Only Sean Brayton could explain it to me. What is “the color of funny”?

PERLS 613: “Identity”

Over the next dozen weeks or so, apandanhandad will be the forum for summary and discussion notes for the assigned readings for PERLS 613, a doctoral seminar on “identity.”  Now, it must be said at the onset, that “identity” is a very complicated term.  What could possibly be so complicated about identity you might ask?  Well, that is just one of the many questions that I will try to unpack/answer in the following posts.  For now, an introduction is all I can afford time-wise at the moment.  However, as the reading summaries are posted, please feel free to comment and join the discussion. 

The other thing I should do here at the beginning is to “come clean” about a couple of things.  First, this is a very academic pursuit.  Thus, the layperson need not feel compelled to follow along too closely, unless of course ze wants to.  Secondly, that does not necessarily mean that the “non-academic” parts of my identity won’t get wrapped up in these posts.  In fact, the non-academic parts of my identity have been put to task in incredibly intense ways as of late.  Asking metaphysical questions about who I am and why I am here is something that should be expected after the loss of my mother.  She died on January 28th, very suddenly, after a battle with cancer.  Relatedly, I’ve also recently ended a two-year relationship/engagement.  Who I am (what constitutes my identity) has changed radically in a very short span of time.  Or has it?  Ah, such difficult questions.  Hopefully the next dozen weeks or so will help reveal an answer or two.  Or not.  Either way, it should be a productive path.

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Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Like prehistoric men back from the hunt, they display their shimmering prize, passing it from outstretched arms to outstretched arms, sharing it happily, generously, with each other and with their fans. (137)

This passage recalls the Edmonton Oilers as they celebrated their 1988 Stanley Cup win.  However, the literary craftwork is evident in the imagery it conjures beyond this single celebration.  How many times has this same scene played out over the years?  How similar are the Cup celebrations at all of the other levels of hockey?  To other sports?  My point?  There is something almost timeless and universal about the sporting victory.  Like the Dryden passage suggests, there is something almost primal about it—right through the ensuing celebration.  But there are also lessons to be learned.  Lessons about how to win and lessons on how (not) to lose.

This past week it was made public that the University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey team lost the University Cup that they had just won.  No, they didn't lose it because of sanctions for doping or gambling or any other of the many reasons why championships and medals have been taken from other teams and athletes.  They lost it to a mischievous prankster who walked away with the trophy while the Bears were reveling in their victory at an off-campus bar.  While the trophy has successfully been found and returned to its rightful possessors, it got me thinking about some of the other times a situation like this has occurred. 

The Holy Grail of hockey is still undoubtedly the Stanley Cup.  And while there are a host of other national and international championships worth vying for, none have the symbolism of the Stanley Cup.  Despite that fact, it too has gone missing, been left unattended, or put to a use other than as a champagne chalice. 

Whether it was the Ottawa Silver Seven punting it into the Rideau Canal for an overnight bath, or the 1924 Canadiens leaving it on the side of the road after changing a tire on the car they were traveling in, the 2006 Golden Bears need not be singled out for failing to dutifully attend to their championship cup.

The Stanley Cup has served as everything from a flower pot to a baptismal font.  While only circulating at the levels of local gossip or urban legend, the '80s, in which the Edmonton Oilers held the Cup for their dynastic reign, were also rumored to be a "high time" of rampant cocaine use among the highly paid, young professional athletes.  You can only imagine that it was used for far more intoxicating substances than champagne.             

But the athletes aren't the only ones who gleam in the shimmering light of championship hardware. Fans cherish them too. Countless fans flock for opportunities to have their picture taken with the Cup. Much to the delight of many fans, Guy Lafleur stole the Cup in '79 and put it on display in his parents' front yard. Heck, fans even try to steal it themselves. In 1962, Ken Kilander opened the display case in the Chicago Stadium lobby and almost made it out the door with Stanley's Cup in tow. When asked, he said he was just taking it back to Montreal, "where it belongs." A more organized heist was foiled in '77 when seven men schemed to lift it from the Hall of Fame.
To show that this is not a phenomenon limited to hockey, the Grey Cup has also gone missing.

On Dec. 20, 1969, it was stolen from its showcase at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, home of the Rough Riders.  Police, acting on a tip, recovered it intact in a locker in the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on Feb. 16, 1970. (18-19)

In response to this theft of the league's treasure, then-CFL Commissioner Jake Gaudaur stated, 

At that time I decided we shouldn't lose the symbol of what we were supposed to be all about and decided to protect it along the way. (331)

Thus, the trophy was placed securely in the Hall of Fame and a replica cup was made for the more public appearances as had become customary. 

So you see, the theft of the University Cup from under the noses of the back-to-back CIS champion Bears isn't really all that unusual or out of the ordinary.  While the thief's motivation to walk off with the Cup can't be known, it could range anywhere from the die-hard fan's adoration of championship hardware, as we saw with several fans of the Stanley and Grey Cups, to a prankish college student up to nothing more than shenanigans much like stealing an opposing team's mascot.  Despite the situation, the Cup always seems to find its way back home, with an anonymous tipster usually responsible for leading authorities to its ultimate whereabouts.

In hindsight, should have the Bears players been more careful with a valuable and prized possession?  Sure.  But perhaps that isn't the most valuable lesson that can be learned from this incident.  For me, it was a meditation on attachment and mindfulness.  If something is so important that we will make countless sacrifices in pursuit of it, then perhaps we should give it the attention and respect it deserves.  This could go for the quest for a sporting cup, or for fostering healthy relationships with other people (not that people are "things" like a Cup).  It is also a reminder that even when the prize is won, or the mission accomplished, there is still work to be done.  Did back-to-back championships breed a bit of comfortability and carelessness in the Bears?  Perhaps.  But does that make the Bears guilty of anything that most of us couldn't also be accused of?  I don't think so.  This was a classic example that even champions are flawed and make silly mistakes from time to time.  As odd as this may sound, the unknown thief of the Cup might have been motivated by something unknown to even him.  Knowingly or not, he has served to provide the gentle "nudge" to remind us that even when the battle is won, we must stay ever ready for the next one.  One can't be sure when the next challenge will present itself.  

Moral of the story:  ALWAYS keep your eye on the prize … even after it's won!!!

Dig it!         

So I’m talking with Angela Davis last night …

Well, not really … she was actually talking to me and a packed Myer Horowitz Theatre as part of the Revolutionary Speaker Series hosted by the U of A Students' Union.  In a word:  STIMULATING.

I would love nothing more than to say it was powerful, awe-inspiring, inspirational, etc.–all of those buzz words one might expect to be used after hearing one of the most important social activists of our time (historical and contemporary).  It was all of those things.  It was all of those things to some extent.  However, the word that captures my feelings best is "stimulating".  Dammit … that might not even be the best word.  Engaging?  Validating?  Hmm … maybe if I work it out a bit here I'll be better able to pick one word.

As part of a "revolutionary" speaker series, one cannot ignore Davis's words, thoughts, and actions that have worked towards radical change.  Women, Race & Class.  Who better than Davis to serve as the signpost for addressing intersectionality across the many axes of difference?  Without question, she is a very important figure to many communities as a result. 

But what did she have to say last night?  Here are a few things that I took away:

1.  On Historical Amnesia

It was so good to hear this idea in this forum.  It was actually Sean Brayton who invoked this term in an email to me just the other day.  It is an idea that is central to my work.  To put the contemporary in context means to remember the traces that history has marked upon us.  We do, far too easily, forget.  The other blog I got on the go at the moment about the Caledonia Standoff is a prime example.  Although, I'm not sure at this point if it is a memory of Oka that actually does shape this contemporary event.  Racism in Canada.  We forget our colonial past.  We forget battles fought less than a decade ago (see Ted Nolan incident to compare).  I'm no expert.  I have a hard time calling myself an historian.  I don't think we should live in the past (another point Davis brought up in her talk).  However, we cannot forget the past.  We cannot ignore the traces that history has marked upon us.  We cannot know where we are today without tracing our path to get here.  Cultural Studies as ahistorical???  I think not!  Overcoming historical amnesia is central to the (read my) Cultural Studies project. 

2.  On Global Consciousness

With no less than a dozen references during her talk that I had absolutely no familiarity with, it became clear to me that I can always be more aware of global events.  I'm in a class with a guy from South America.  I keep hearing all of these great stories about the way things are in certain South American countries.  I'm fascinated by some of these stories, by some of the events that are taking place.  I've always said that South America was the first or second stop on my world travel "wish list".  However, I really don't know jack squat about things in South or Central America.  Canada's role in the coup d'etat of the democratic government in Haiti is something that was absolutely new news to me!?!?  Activist communities are often the most aware of the more covert dealings of our own government.  Illegal imprisonment, coups d'etat, back room politics, etc.  I try to be a bit of an activist (primarily in the classroom and in personal interactions), but a talk like this, with so many "important" global and local events so foreign to me, I was reminded that there is always so much more I "could" know.  However, I don't feel too much anxiety … because even what I do know I fail to act upon as fully as I could.  The guilt is in the inaction, not in the ignorance.  Knowing more is good … doing more would be better.  However, on that note:

3.  On Violent Revolution

Ironic that Davis's visit coincides with my re-reading of Black Skin, White Masks.  Davis had some very strong and insightful words when asked about violence used towards initiating change.  From someone who was told during the Q&A period that she had lost a lot of her "fire" from her early days as an activist, Davis's response was heartfelt.  She said that the decision to enact violence, even for progressive ends, should be the most thought about decision one ever makes.  The victims of oppressive violence feel the effects for a long time, but so too do those who enact violence in response.  There has to be another way if we think about it.  In the end, that may be what is required.  But let's not go there unless we know what we're getting ourselves into and prepared to deal with the aftermath for everyone.  I like that.  Find the peaceful path if at all possible. 

4.  On the Media

I liked how Davis linked the media (also how she talked about the industrial-military-media complex) to all of the points I've listed above.  She talked about the power of the media.  She talked about how the new forms of media should be embraced.  She talked about how there are alternative media sources that can help us to become more globally aware.  She talked about using the media for progressive purposes.  But she also talked about how the media actually facilitates the historical amnesia from which we all seem to suffer.  We need to continually press the media to be responsible.  We need to use the media to help us create awareness and remember our pasts.  As Foucault might suggest, it's not that the media is bad … it's that the media is dangerous. 

5.  On Looking to Angela Davis as a Role Model or Icon

There is a humility that seems to be coming more and more commonplace among profound individuals.  Davis encouraged us to look to the young–to look to the next generation full of new ideas and who carry a flame for initiating change.  Do I think that Davis tried to downplay the important role she has played in being that individual who has initiated very important change in the world?  Yes, I do.  But do I agree with her when she says that we should not look to a select few to tell us what to do?  Yes, I do.  It's not "fuck Davis" or "fuck Foucault" (if I am to take a theoretical turn).  It's thanks for all you've done … for the way you've helped me to see the world in a new light.  But it is up to ME to decide how I go forward in this new light.  And, as doom-and-gloom as it may appear from the foot of the mountain one must inevitably climb to see (radical) social change … it can be done.  We can change the world! 

So, after all of that, what word do I use to describe what I took away from the talk last night?  STIMULATING.  Yep, it still works.  Albeit peppered with inspiration and education and a host of other things … it was a stimulating talk.  Apparently you can enjoy it for yourselves <here>. 

Dig it!  

Gordon Stanley Ness (1930 – 2006)

Thank you, Gordie … for all that you gave in this life. 

OMFG! Suck it up already!

So, apparently the athletes’ village at Turin is a little below the standards of some of the higher profile athletes.  As my comment on SportsFilter suggests, I’m not a huge fan of how “soft” we (I say we ’cause I’m pretty much talkin’ about society-at-large) have become in the last few decades.

I think about the many times I’ve had to “perform” at my best and some of the conditions I’ve endured the night(s) before.  Here are some that come to mind:

1.  PR in Olympic distance triathlon.  I set my own PR by a whopping four minutes the week before.  The night before the Carma Performance Triathlon in Calgary, I go out and get absolutely hammered.  Nonetheless, I was able to get up early, get my “game on”, and race to a new PR (albeit only seconds faster than the week before).  The 3 hour drive home after wasn’t even that bad

2.  CABO Camp - Montreal.  Thirteen games in three days in 30+ degree heat and unbelievable humidity.  Four guys sharing a room.  Sleepin’ on single bunkbeds.  Did I mention bein’ out drinkin’ every night?  Keeping the fluids up was hard enough, let alone trying to find something good to eat, and the time to do it between games. 

3.  Try being on tour with a rock band!  The job description for a road manager reads something like: last one to bed at night, first one up in the morning; babysit a group of grown men all day and night; drive long hard hours between gigs; set up and tear down; run for beer and smokes on a moment’s notice; have a cell phone glued to your ear; oh yeah … and try to have some fun out there … it is rock’n'roll!  Did I mention the pullout or the cot conditions of most hotels?  

That’s just three off the top of my head.  Did I win any gold medals?  No, I did not.  So maybe it’s just me?  Maybe I have no place to criticize the high calibre athletes who need comfortable conditions in order to perform at their best?  However, when I think about how hard life used to be for so many for so long, I think perspective needs to be provided for this situation.  I’m only one generation removed from having to be up in the middle of the night to stoke the fire or freeze–from having to piss and shit in a “honey pot” or brave the cold and the dark to get to the outhouse–from having to do far more than stop at Sobey’s for groceries. 

In the end, I guess my only motivation for this entry is that I often find myself griping or complaining about how hard my life has become.  Fuck, I don’t work “that” hard.  I’m a softy myself.  So … to anyone who may read this and feel offended that I’ve dared to criticize world-class athletes for seeking comfort in the pursuit of excellence … maybe I’m not criticizing you.  Maybe I’m envious of you.  Maybe I’m saying, “good on ya” for having your cake and eating it too. 

Anyway … I gotta go make myself somethin’ to eat now … see what lies inside that electric root cellar in my kitchen