This is a bit overdue, but I wanted to talk about it anyways. In a time when we look to our athletes to be role models for kids and for ourselves, only to have many of them fall short on a regular basis (just look at Michael Vick, A-Rod, and Plaxico only to name a few), it's sad to see Dikembe Mutumbo call it quits. For those that don't know, Dikembe Mutumbo was a 42 year old center for the Houston Rockets who injured his knee during a playoff game and decided that it was his time to call it quit amid tears. He was in the league for like ever. He played for the Hawks (a team I grew up watching) and the Sixers (a team that ended up making me fall in love with Philly sports). While he played, everytime you would hear him talk, you'd start laughing. He had this unmistakable deep, gravely voice. Check out his Houston teammates making fun of him. Hilarious!!!
I remember that he used to do a commercial in Atlanta when I was younger. My friends and I heard it and it made us laugh. More importantly though, Mutumbo never failed as a role model. He has built hospitals in his native country of Congo. He started the Dikembe Mutumbo Foundation. He has given back to his community and the world. Like I said, in a time when we shower athletes, who inevitably let us down, with our love and admiration, it's sad to see an athlete like Mutumbo not be able to retire on his own terms. One thing is for certain though. When most athletes retire, their glory days are in the distant past. I'm sure that Mutumbo's greatest achievements are yet to come. Go wag your finger at someone big dawg. The paint was your house Dikembe.
I guess you weren't on Planet Earth when this happened, but Mutumbo got busted for dropping 1000's of dollars at a strip club in Atlanta (I think the Gold Club was involved). Needless to say, the girls in the VIP room were doing more than stripping. He was known as a regular there.
ReplyDeleteIt was a big scandal, all over the news and whatnot. I think the Gold Club was in trouble for other stuff and ended up getting shut down.
You wanna know why so many athletes let down the public as role models? Because they're human beings! Take a sample of the general pop. and see how many people are perfect examples of propriety. It's just not realistic. People are people. I prefer the old days when certain scandalous activity done by people in the public light was kept private.