T.P.C (3 Words to unlock your Destiny)

Proverbs 18:31 "Death & Life are in the power of the tongue"

Translation words that are spoken, written and received are powerful . As a coach no one understands the impact of words more than I. I have personally witnessed the impact words (positive & negative) can have, particularly on young people. All across the world coaches are either lifting up or tearing down someones dream, this is a great responsibility that should not be taken lightly. It should be noted that coaches are not just athletic personnel, they can be parents, teachers, supervisors, mentors, and older siblings. Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing from a series I've put together over the years titled "A Coaches Words" this is a collection of motivational affirmations that I've come up with based on my own personal experiences, sermons, casual conversations and literature. I often share these with athletes, youth groups, ministries and others when invited to speak at events. Let me start off by saying that TPC doesn't stand for Tony Price is Cool or TP's Chill as the youngsters say.


Talent- These are the gifts you were born with(you did nothing special to obtain them) you came pre-wired with them interwoven into your fabric. Your talent often lies within things that come naturally to you, things that others admire or have to practice for hours to become competent. i.e singing, organization and athletic ability. Your talents are often discovered when you engage in activities you have a passion for.


Purpose- This is the reason why you have the talent(s), they were meant for you to fulfill a plan and to share with the world. For instance let's take the talent of singing, there are lots of people who call themselves singers(some really can carry a tune, while others?). Once people discover they have the gift of singing, they must then decide what type of music they are led to sing (R & B, Soul, Country, Classical, Opera). It is here that they must ponder the impact they'd like for their musical gifts to have on those who hear, gospel singers realize their voices are instruments designed to create an atmosphere of praise and worship.


Calling- This is the place or physical location where you exercise and display your gifts for the reasons you have discovered. Your calling could be your place of employment, neighborhood, church, city, on a team, etc Someone who is gifted in teaching, realizes their purpose is to educate, enlighten and empower others in their specific area of expertise, the place where they display their talent for its purpose could be a classroom, board room, football field or a recreation center.


I conclude by explaining that the first 2 letters (T & P ) will never change, you will take them with you when you pass away, but the "C" calling is the area that requires the most flexibility, often times the place where you currently are may be temporary or not the location where you can be most effective. As you develop your talents and mature into the understanding of your purpose, you will experience a series of callings(places) Keep an open mind!

Basketball Courts: The great problem solver!

This topic is nothing new, the conversation around why it is that whenever a city or town perceives there is a major problem with the youths in their locations (code words for too many black youths are hanging out), the most often mentioned and accomplished solution is to build a basketball court? In fact the town that I reside in has just built a number of outdoor basketball courts, albeit with no programming, it's a simple case of "If you build it they will come" The intentions are noble, but the risk of failure is also high. Because all it will take is for one terrible incident to happen and the courts will be closed down. Yet with no programming in place we leave it up to the young people to police themselves and keep everything in check (risky) The proponents of this strategy for building basketball courts to address youth problems will argue that its a healthy way for these young people to channel their excessive energy in a positive manner, and law enforcement officials although many won't say publicly like the idea , because they can keep an eye on a large number of potential suspects especially if they are at one central location. On the flip side the opponents of such strategy will argue that not everyone wants to play basketball as a way to keep busy, and in some cases these courts can become trouble spots for all type of illegal transactions, and violence. Whose right whose wrong? As a basketball coach I know all of the benefits that are associated with playing the game, however as I wrote in a previous story (Sports Addiction) I also am very aware of the negative impacts of sports, particularly in the black community. I hear this statement all the time "The kids love basketball" no kidding, if you were bombarded with thousands of images and constantly brow beat with one option for success, would it be any surprise that you would have a passion for that field.

In my honest opinion I never saw building more basketball courts as a long term viable solution to address the issues and challenges our young people face today. In fact I think it furthers perpetuates the carefully crafted myth of blacks getting out of the ghetto by one of 2 means entertainment or sports. Yes I know its a popular game, amongst our youths, because its inexpensive to play, and kids really gravitate to it, but the focus on basketball is just a temporary fix, it does nothing in the long run to help them solve their problems of completing their education, obtaining marketable skills for employment, parenting, or learning to be wiser consumers.

Side Note:(Free of Charge)

I think its no coincidence that the leading recreational activity in the prison system is basketball, a system that's over populated by young Blacks and Hispanics; why because these individuals come from the same communities where they've been inundated with the idea of basketball being their only way to stay busy or handle their business. Its a viscous cycle!

When affluent communities feel the need to address a youth problem, they seek to build community centers, a place that offers a variety of options that will help their kids prepare for the future, there are job training courses, computer workshops, mentoring , college prep, financial education, etc. Yes they too offer sports and recreational activities, but they don't limit it to basketball, you'll find swimming, rock climbing, tennis, game rooms (for board games like chess) etc. You see they understand that what they are providing is what Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu calls a "Safety net" I know you're saying but they have the money to accomplish this task, and you are correct ,but I would argue that often times when a city or town builds a basketball court its usually more than one and they pay contractors from outside of the community a hefty price tag, I think if you must build multiple courts(maybe fear of gangs crossing other territories) why not build a simple enclosed structure or at least a structure with a roof and a few sections that can be drywalled or set up like cubicles. Areas that can be designated for classroom sessions around the basketball courts, it doesn't have to be elaborate, just something with a roof over top, rest room facilities , and the likes. You could include a clause in the contractors agreement to donate building supplies and or labor to set up the classroom sections . This would attract a larger population that has no interest in sports to the building seeking activities that will benefit them. If money is an issue then have the facility open for limited hours, I find it hard to believe that there is no money (grants, donations) available that won't support this type of effort. There are enough qualified and committed individuals in the community that truly care about the next generation who would gladly man the facility or volunteer their time, parents, teachers during the summer vacation, the elderly during the afternoons(we need to do a better job of connecting our youth with the wisdom of previous generations), off duty police, and so forth.

The suggestion I offered won't solve all of the issues, but it would be far reaching and have a longer lasting effect as we attempt to influence the whole person not just enhance their physical skills through sports this way our youths can keep pace with other young people from well off communities as we create our own safety nets to keep them out of the wrong GAME!

The $723 Billion Dollar Question : Poverty in the black community?

Damn, not again I silently thought to myself as I watched this young black boy approach my truck with a can in his hand while stopped at a red light on my way home from work. Now I know what you're thinking times are hard these days and how sad it is for this child to be out begging to help his family make ends meet and I would agree except he wasn't collecting money to help his family, he was "Canning" to raise money for his track team , a common practice amongst many youth programs, one of my problems with this practice beside the safety factor of watching these youths dart in and out of traffic with little to no visible adult presence, and the increase in child abductions; is that I see the same teams on a regular basis. It got me to thinking is the community in which these kids live really that poor? the answer is HELL NO! Not when according to the University of Georgia Selig Center for economic growth blacks in this country had $723 Billion buying power in 2004 (the figure has grown since then) but adding a LARGER number will only illuminate the problem. In fact the numbers(billions) are too much for most of us to comprehend. So why then are our youth programs , educational systems, and other social services struggling for survival?

This is sure to offend a few people ,I think part of the reason is because like the rich history filled legacies, traditions, heirlooms and other recollections of circumstances that help us link to the past and appreciate where we've been and how we've overcome horrific situations , yet still managed to survive and excel, on the flip side we've also pass down a "Poverty Mentality". Hear me out , too many of our young people grow up in homes hearing these words "we can't afford it" or see if they have a sliding scale or a scholarship ; get it free or at a reduce cost (hook up & bootleg) Our young people are like sponges and they absorb whatever is around them and if they keep taking in the verbal assault of how poor the black community is, they grow up confused and with a distorted view of the resources we possess within the community, particularly when they see evidence to the contrary(play station, X-box, Benz) The sad fact is the adoption of this train of thought and how its continually passed on generation after generation. This mentality is detrimental and as a former Director of Youth and Recreation I was guilty of promoting it, when I ran programs I would never charge the parents enough to cover the true expenses of conducting a quality program, because I fell into the assumption of thinking their families couldn't afford it (I witness many programs today operating with this philosophy) ,so I would come out of my own pocket often time to make sure the youths didn't miss out on an opportunity. One day I came to the realization that I was doing these kids a disservice, I set up an imaginary world where they thought things were either free or everyone loves and is concerned about their welfare so they gave unconditionally(funders) or money just appeared magically , so they had no worry or real appreciation for that matter, often times when you offer something or a service for free the recipient doesn't take vested interest; nothing will make a person value something more than when their money is on the line. Don't get me wrong we must help those who truly need the assistance, and I have no problem with that, but often time we paint the entire community with the same brush stroke, and each case is different. These youths that I served came from some of the toughest neighborhoods and housing projects imaginable yet many of them had TVs (with cable) in their room, cell phones, computers with Internet, dressed in the latest gear, ate out at the local sub/pizza shop 2x a week, were bussed to suburban schools or attended private schools(where they paid full tuition or their parents had to volunteer to receive a reduction in costs) got dropped off and picked up by parents who had top of the line cars, etc.. How did the assumption they can't afford it come to life? it didn't make sense.

There is no way our youth programs should operate on a year to year basis due to lack of funding. Some of its poor management and planning on behalf of the leadership (make sure to charge enough and don't spend every dime you raised) let me park here for a moment; here's a free tip to the local Pop Warner teams in my community(if your team won the state title for their division last year and had to raise money to travel to the nationals,) plan for success(raise money) throughout the year this will cut down or eliminate undue stress in trying to raise the money at the final hour via the local radio stations and newspapers . I don't want to see any more newspaper pictures of our youths in their uniform posing for a picture asking(begging) for help(this is akin to those TV infomercials where they show starving kids from Africa) playing on emotions to make you feel guilty that you have so much and these poor little black kids don't, PLEASE! What a terrible ordeal to put those young people through, they've earned the right to compete for nationals, but may not be able to attend, because the program they play for didn't adequately plan and don't have the resources so they have to be paraded in front of the camera like show ponies. If the same community will come through for you at the midnight hour, why not approach them earlier? (my two cents take it or leave it)

How can a community that obviously has so much material wealth cars, jewelry, clothing , fast food restaurants along with other black community mainstays (liquor stores & taverns, law offices, hair & nail salons) that are profitable and often ran by people outside of the community claim to be poor? Maybe we need to look at our thinking and where we place our priorities after all its on the backs (finances of hard-working black folks)that have produced some of the largest churches(Mega church) in the world. I discovered long ago that people will find a way to afford things they really DESIRE, and for those who don't they find an excuse. I stopped seeing lack and what I noticed instead was the ignorance of the resources we held in our hands that we weren't taught how to manage. Remember it hasn't been that long since blacks had real access to wealth(I'd say the 60's) with a few exceptions. I also discovered that people will rise or bend to the level of expectation. When the bar is raised(no discount or scholarships) people will find a way to meet the challenge, especially if it means a better chance for their children, however when the bar is lowered they will stoop low enough to get by. I could go on , but space and time won't permit, besides I have to save energy to respond to the feedback I'll surely receive for this article, but my challenge to everyone who reads this post, find a youth organization in your community and write a check(any amount) YOU CAN AFFORD IT! and work on changing your thinking through the words you speak(sliding scale, hook me up, cost too much, is it FREE ?) We have the resources needed within the community to support all of these youth programs, besides it will go to a worthy cause and it will keep these kids off, oops I mean out of the street , BEEP BEEP!

Sports: The unspoken drug of the black community

Well here we go again, Don Imus has put his foot in his mouth again concerning black people(athletes) and we also have Shaq displaying mediocre at best free style rap skills, dissing a few people notably Kobe. As I was driving to return a rental from a long weekend trip, I listened to hours of talk radio sounding off on both and people were calling in to offer their views. A lot of comments made sense , while other callers just wanted to hear themselves on the air. However, the one thing know one seemed to mention was the issue beneath the surface of both of these events. A comment or two about the harmful effects sports has on the black community. In my opinion it's right up there with illicit drugs, and alcohol. I was reminded of a conversation I had about 15 years ago with a fellow parent at a pop warner football game, my sons participated in. Both my sons played on a inner city team and we were playing a suburban team, at their very nice field. We engaged in a serious conversation about sports, and the opposing views of our parent base versus the white faces staring directly at us from across the field.

We talked about the role of sports in the respective communities (White/Black) as we watched the pint size gladiators clash, as we concluded, the brother I was speaking with summarized what we spent the whole time verbalizing in one short profound statement " in the white community they raise their kids to use sports as a vehicle to access higher educational opportunities, learn team work, run an organization, network , etc, but in the black community we try to raise pros". I never forgot that statement.

So playing the role of an attorney I will present my case as to why I say sports should be classified in the same category as drugs and alcohol for the damage its done to the black community.

When you look at the impact of sports on the black community and the tight strangle hold it has on the community, tell me what have been the overwhelming positive effects? Yes it has provided a few opportunities for employment , chance to attend certain colleges and universities, others would argue it's a healthy activity, kids are learning character( I don't agree with that philosophy) I think sports reveals your character, but that's for another time. A few of our athletes have made it out of the ghetto and financially can help their family and friends, sports can take you around the world, sports does brings people from different racial , social and political backgrounds together for a common purpose(root for the home team) and these are all true statements, but do the positives outweigh the side effects? consider if you will too many of our young people think the only way to make it in life is through sports( insert entertainment) , many of the athletes that do go on to college, never finish their degree requirements, despite using up all 4 years of athletic eligibility, we spend an absurd amount on clothing(sneakers, shorts, etc), church attendance is down on game days, thousands of young men put all of their stock in making it to the league, and once the dream ends, they often suffer from depression, shock, guilt, and withdrawal. Many of these young men if they had the opportunity to play major college ball lived in a world (illusion) created by the universities, one in which they lacked for nothing, they stayed at the best hotels, traveled first class, ate at the finest restaurants, access to high powered people, groupies, tv exposure, and the best medical attention that money could buy. But once they exit those doors and leave the friendly confines of the school they gave their hearts and souls to what happens to them next? Many will end up right back to the place they started, broken, demoralized, sometimes chemical dependent ; how else will they get the same pain meds that helped them run for a touchdown or make the big hit at the Sugar Bowl, when they are back on mama's couch with no medical insurance these are just some of the ill effects of sports dependency.

Additional arguments to support my case,

Exhibit A: go to any basketball court or playing fields and you will see hundreds of guys out there playing not just for the love of the game or to stay in shape(health conscious) many are there trying to recapture past glory, or play in countless semi-pro / recreational league in hopes of maybe catching someones eye or receiving one more invitation to a free agent camp. Ive witnessed this vicious cycle first hand, when I dreamt of playing pro-ball NBA, CBA, USBL, Europe anywhere, (coming from a small college, I knew the odds were stacked against me) I attended quite a few free agent camps of semi-pro and start up leagues in hopes of catching on. While at one free agent camp in Atlanta, I saw something that became a sobering reality for me as to how powerful the world of sports had become, first off there was a long line of people registering more people than I ever saw before, there were 2 ex NBA players trying out. One of them was an NBA scoring legend( he was playing when I was a small kid) and the other was just a year or two removed from winning a NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, yet here they were in a camp with the rest of us, trying to live that dream. Something else profound also happened during this camp experience, myself and a couple of friends who traveled down to the camp for the experience were at the motel, it was here that we had a chance encounter with the wife of a young man who had just come from a basketball camp in Indiana and had at least 6 more lined up after the Atlanta camp all to chase the dream of becoming a pro ballplayer. This young sister needed to vent and we were the unsuspecting audience, she shared her frustrations and it was visible how much she had become worn down, she wanted to support her husbands dream, yet she was getting sick and tired of the traveling and staying in motels and small no where towns for days on end. The picture of the powerful addiction of sports was starting to become clearer.

Drugs, alcohol and sports have a lot in common they are there to take your mind off daily pressures, there are dealers and pushers (for sports its the media and the carefully crafted images of black athletes who appear to have made it) they make you feel good for a moment, but you eventually come crashing down from the high, they are addictive, they are used for entertainment purposes and its no coincidence that when you have a large number of people living within or below poverty, the one thing you can count on is that they will spend just about every dollar on entertainment . The people on Madison ave know this(check out the type of commercials that air during sporting events), so don't all of the so-called shot callers, the poor are preyed on, look around your community what type of businesses do you see? most of them have something to do with entertainment: hair and nail salons, fast food, Liquor stores, easy access to check cashing, pay day loans, furniture rental companies, (because you just have to have the Big screen HD TV to watch the games)etc. Sports is interwoven into our daily lives, especially in this country but it must be kept within the proper context, too many lives have been ruined by its pursuit. The prosecution rests!

Brotha's Gonna Work it out (The rise of an endangered species)

As I awoke this morning a huge sense of pride greeted me along with the arrival of the bright morning sun. The Boston Celtics are the 2008 NBA Champions. However this pride had nothing to do with the fact that I live in Boston, its much deeper than that. The sense of overcoming and heart felt jubilation stems from the recent success of Black men demonstrating to the world what many of black Americans knew far too long. That if given an equal chance and with the proper resources and support, we can be successful. This country has never witness such a time as this, with the recent victories of men like Tony Dungy, Doc Rivers and Barack.

Yes, there have been other brilliant black leaders in the past in a vast number of industries and organization's, however this is a special time in history, particularly because of the role sports serves as a microcosm of the country. We have seen in the past few years, 2 black men make history by leading their teams to the Superbowl, and a coach (Doc) do what hasn't been done in 22 years in a league made up of over 95% of black males. And the icing on the cake , we have a black man who is months away from becoming the president of the United States. People are learning that there is nothing inferior about black leadership. These brothers are flying in the face of perpetual stereotypes and myths that black people(particulalry black men) can't perform under pressure or somehow less capable of leading large organizations, sports franchises, political establishments and the country.

These brothers have met the challenge of dispelling the negative images of black male intelligence, fatherhood, leadership etc, they have inspired a new generation of believers and they have done so with class, dignity and honor. The time is now for all of us to shout with joy, while at the same time keeping our eyes and ears open, for we know that the majority(white America) will not relinquish power and control that easily, expect the unexpected as there will be calculated attempts to discredit the recent successes of these men, after all if these men and others continue to rise and shine on the biggest stages and platforms of their respective industries, they will inspire the next generation of young black males to become positive and productive citizens and assume the rightful role as protector and leaders of their families and communities, who then will be left to fill the jails, do countless studies on, or discourage from seeking higher education and better employment opportunities. The success of these 3 brothers will have a larger impact than the million man march(no offense). Well done my brotha's , well done !