Curtis Martin, former Jet and Patriots all-pro running back, is planning on purchasing a part of an NFL team next year. Martin retired before the start of this season, ending his 12 year professional career due to a bone on bone knee injury. Right now, its not looking like its the NY Jets he’s planning on buying into…so that leaves 31 other teams he could have a shot at part-owning. That’s news, but the real news is his reasons for doing this near unprecedented purchase:
“I want to become a new image of what a professional athlete is,” Martin said. “I think presently in sports, you have the whole bravado, bling-bling, and it seems that that’s the image that most of us look up to, and I don’t know who set that image. I want to be a different image. I want to be an image that’s positive for you long-term. … That’s one of my true motivations, is to be a different goal to reach versus just having a million homes and a million cars and all the jewelry in the world.”
Um…what? Tell me, whats the difference in purchasing a million cars and jewelry and buying into a professional sports team? Is one huge self indulgence better than the other? How is he any different than the other athletes he is putting down while making himself out to be the ultimate role model?
“[It’s] a chance to be a businessman, a leader, an innovator and a role model.”
Man, Curtis is trying to make himself a saint for buying into a football team! Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with an athlete becoming an owner, I think its a great thing. Its his holier than thou reasons that get to me.
He says he wants to have a different image than the “bling bling” generation of role-models, but why is this any different from a gangsta rapper now getting his own glamour label through a big record company after he’s “made it”?
It is good that Curtis wants to present a positive image to the kids, but surely there must be a better way than owning part of a football team. If he really wanted to reach people, he’d take that money and give it all to charity instead of indulging himself in a different way than all the other athletes he speaks of. Yes, I realize Curtis does a TON of charity work already…that isn’t the point. The point is, he wants to help people by buying a football team, while pretending it is not a massive indulgence on his part and none of that makes sense.
In truth, if he wanted to help people he could take that football team purchasing money and give to the homeless more, build a shelter, buy a school more books, give more scholarships, start a business he can run that can help people, something, because indulging himself in sports entertainment while pretending he is better than his soon to be employees doesn’t help anyone but himself. By owning a team, Curtis doesn’t create a new role model for people to look up to, he will be nothing more than the sports world’s Jay-Z.
From NY Daily News & Canadian Free Press
Now that’s a Marlboro Woman.
Deuce of Davenport 