Minor Setbacks to Major Comebacks: Amanda Nunes is the Face that the UFC Needs

August 15, 2019 by Soul On Ice

Amanda Nunes occupies an interesting space not only in the UFC but also in the realm of sports in general. She is the current UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion and is regarded as the greatest women's fighter of all-time. However, the general public does not know much about her, an aspect that has been explored at length. People have spent time pointing fingers at the UFC, something that UFC President Dana White feels a certain way about. While Dana White is an easy target, blaming him would not only be convenient, it would be inaccurate.

As much as fans love winners, fans also love feeling like they have been along for the ride with their favorite athletes, especially when said athletes have faced adversity on their way to the top. To quote Eddie Maisonet, "We (the fans) need a reason to give a damn." What Amanda Nunes lacks in star power is through no fault of her own. Instead, it's on the people who want to see her be a star to tell her story. It’s on the people to give fans the chance to invest in her. It’s on the people to make people give a damn.

The Greatest Man I Knew

November 26, 2018 by Soul On Ice

Ever since I knew my dad, he was old. That's what my aunts say, my uncles say; pretty much anyone who knew him would concur that Solomon Masenda was old. However, they would also say he had the most youthful spirit of anyone they ever met. Whether it was breaking into an impromptu song during a lecture, or dancing in any place that music was present, his energy was contagious.

On car rides from the time I was a little kid to around 17 years old, he would tell me to get in the car, that we were heading to Fort Worth or Tulsa or Shawnee or Marshall or wherever we needed or wanted to be. He would drive, and I would ride along. Most of the time, I'd stay up and make conversation. Other times, I would sleep. It's as if he made a mental note of all the times I slept and he made sure to return the favor once I got my driver's license.

The Revolution Will Be Live: LeBron James and The I Promise School

August 07, 2018 by Soul On Ice

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

Malcolm X

From the moment LeBron James was thrust into the national spotlight, talks of his greatness were primarily centered on the game of basketball. Through no fault of his own or anyone else’s, he was framed through the lens of the game that was introduced to the masses by James Naismith in 1891. People compared him to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, two of the greatest basketball players who ever lived. They did not compare him to past humanitarians, or past individuals who used their platforms as athletes to make the world a better place for children and families in their communities through the vehicle of formal education. As long as he lived up to the hype as a basketball star, all of the attention would be worthwhile.

But July 30, 2018 turned the narrative of LeBron James on its head. It was the day that LeBron James redefined what it meant to not only live up to the hype, but also what it meant for people covering the game and its athletes to look beyond their exploits as athletes and at what made them who they were. As of July 30, 2018, he found a way for this part of his story to be told. One that, had people paid closer attention, could have, and should have, been told years ago. July 30, 2018 is the day LeBron James opened his I Promise School (1), a public school in conjunction with the Akron School District and his foundation (2). The man has officially changed the game, but in ways one would least expect given his backstory.

No Kap, No NFL: A Year without Football

February 01, 2018 by Soul On Ice

In March of 2017, I wrote some words about Colin Kaepernick and making adjustments (1). The sentiment was that Kaepernick took a knee to protest police brutality in the United States, and after doing so for the entire 2016 NFL season, his contribution to the movement would likely need to be modified after the season was over in order for the movement to take the next step, whatever that step was, also give me, a fan of the NFL since I was 9 years old, who became a rabid fan as I got older, an opportunity to make an adjustment of my own and show solidarity to his sacrifice. It was an adjustment that would have been inconceivable years ago: sitting out the 2017 NFL season. Don’t get it twisted; this decision did not come right away. There were people who made the decision long before I did (2). As a matter of fact, it took a good friend of mine, one who has traveled the roads with me to countless Dallas Cowboys games and training camps, to plant the seed.