My Italy Experience: Entry 4

Welcome to the fourth entry of my blog entitled, “My Italy Experience” here on facebook (It was on facebook and myspace). You been following the good, the bad, the weird, the unexpected, the informative, the funny and whatever other descriptions I forgot to mention thus far. And when I think I encountered every condition, I get surprised once again.

It’s been about a month since I made the big move here and it feels like I been here two months already. Things are moving too slow for me because my routine I establish here is already getting played out. I’m so organized now it is ridiculous. My computer documents, flies and pictures are organized perfectly. I deleted a bunch of stuff I don’t need on my computer anymore and looked up and down everything my computer (MacBook Pro by the way if you was curious) can do for me, which is a lot I realized. My email account has every folder you can think of to handle whatever email may come my way. I have a back up option to my back up option just in case if I ever lose my phone (which I have already), computer or even physical, important documents. I’m at the point where I’m making list of random things I enjoy or dislike in my life. I have almost 4,000 songs on my iTunes and I have almost labeled every song, album, and genre. I spelled every artist name correctly and made sure if somebody featured on the song too. I wonder what else I can do to coordinate my life now? When I think I have done everything so far, I always think of something else to do. We will see what else I can systematize.

I been asking people around Teramo about barbershops in the area, thinking I might try one of them out. At the end of the day, I was reluctant to go because they probably wouldn’t know what to do with my hair in the first place. I made sure I brought my clippers though. So worse case scenario I would cut it myself but I never cut my hair before. I have lined myself up many times but not actually cut it so I was nervous when it was time to get to business. The procedure went exceptionally long, it took bout an hour before I was finally satisfied with the outcome. Once it was all said and done, I did a better than I thought. Plus even if I do mess up, I really don’t care because I could care less if the people see it or talk about it. It’s not as hard as I thought and I know I’m only going to get better over the months to come.

On a serious note, I wanted people to know (especially if you never been an athlete before) what is it like to be an athlete on many different levels. I was lying in bed and lately I haven’t been able to go straight to sleep like I’m used too, so I just think about all kind of random issues going on and this was one of them. Now, for the most part people see athletes in one these words or phrases: having it easy, conceited, cocky, selfish, stupid when it comes to dealing with anything outside of sports, arrogant, players, cheaters, think their above the law at times. I hate this one, “Your lucky you’re an athlete you got it made”. We can go on forever, but you get my point right? Some of that can be true but where people don’t understand or fail to realize is a couple things. Lets go down the list! This was a list too if you wondering.

Can you imagined working on becoming a doctor or a lawyer at the age of 10? And you just know your going to become one so all you do is put all your time into that craft? Because the sooner you start working on it the better off you are usually. Trust me, it’s that intense if you allow it to be. If that isn’t enough for you I got more.

Lets say you’re lucky enough to use that craft you been working on to get a free education and go to college. You should be thankful right? You should, but at the same time what you sign up for is having other people telling you what you going to do from the moment you wake up till about 6-7pm at night (which is the whole day). If you’re lucky, for four years you are going to deal with this. If for some reason you don’t perform like our coaches think you should or capable of or even worse, they just want to get rid of you. Your scholarship will not get renewed for the following year and they will send you on your way. Sounds like modern-day slavery if you ask me. It also sounds like a job but you don’t get paid for it even though you’re making the institution a shit load of money (depends what sport you play as well). If it isn’t a business then why do coaches get fired if the team loses? Why do they get hired for millions of dollars to help a team win? Winning brings in money for the colleges. From television contracts, to the selling of school apparel, ticket sales, and concession stands revenue, its about money. The big “pay day” for the colleges comes if you make the NCAA tournament or a bowl game. They say you’re an amateur athletes but that’s only because you aren’t getting the money you generate from it, I can’t help but think of the word “slavery” again. Free education your saying again right? Some colleges don’t even care if you graduate, just as long as you can stay eligible to play for the upcoming season, sad but true. I see it this way, no person should tell another human being they shouldn’t get paid for the work they put in (which is definitely a lot in college, they will make sure of that). Not one person life is the same and that person might have a family to take care of but somebody decided its illegal for you to help your family or just even yourself by making money in college. Oh I’m not done people, not by a long shot.

Lets say your fortunate to become a professional athlete in your sport. Check out these statistics just for the average NBA player:

1. 3 of 5 retired NBA players have no prior work experience, which means they will struggle to find a post-playing career.

2. 4 out of 5 don’t have a college degree. (There goes that free education they didn’t take advantage of)

3. 80% of NBA players end up divorced.

This is just for basketball; every major sport is just as bad if not even worse. Lastly, I’m tired for women saying all athletes are players or cheaters, like were all in a category all by ourselves from the rest of the race of men. First of all, it doesn’t matter what you do for a living. A teacher can cheat, doctor, garbage man, politician, preacher, whoever for that matter. So don’t just throw us in a group like people don’t cheat besides athletes.

So women don’t cheat now? You don’t hear me saying all housewives cheat, or women who don’t go to college cheat that just sounds stupid. I’m not even satisfied with the comment that all “men cheat” which I had women tell me before. Don’t say something ignorant because you had your hopes up and were disappointed or bitter because it didn’t work out how you wanted it too and now you badmouth athletes as a whole. Even if your tried more than once with an athlete too. I can keep going on but I’m going to stop though because I don’t want to get too deep on you all. I wouldn’t trade being athlete at all, but people have to realize we go through a lot of stuff if not more than the normal person at times so don’t think we got it “made” our wholes lives because we don’t. We have opportunities to better our lives just like everybody else so don’t criticized because you wasn’t or didn’t become one, that is your fault not anybody else’s. Just needed to drop some knowledge this week.

I can say my week was definitely better than last week so that is a plus so we will see how this upcoming week goes for me. I need to go download some more music so I’m going to end it here. Signing off, until next time people.