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12/17/2006: "5 REASONS TO HATE TIKI BARBER"
5 REASONS TO HATE TIKI BARBER
Written Robert Littal
Email Robert Littal 
As I do every week on Thursday, I am reading my Sports Illustrated magazine (the one with Vince Young on the cover) and there is a featured article in the back about Tiki Barber. I used to like Tiki Barber— I told people all the time he was one of the most underrated RBs in the league, but every since his pending (and self-induced) retirement has become public, I have come to dislike him greatly. I am not one of those sportswriters who will tell you it is not a personal, because it is. I have no problem with him the player, but personally I think he is a self-centered arrogant jerk. I never met the man, if I met him maybe I would have a different opinion (probably not), but after reading this SI story (which was obviously slanted to put him in a positive light) it has only confirmed my original thoughts. My friends let me tell you why.
1-He obviously has an issue with being black.
Take this passage from the story where he is talking about his upbringing.
“Tiki Barber: nonthreatening, articulate, funny, intelligent, self aware and hugely confident without seeming like an ego-maniac. And then there is his diction, which is ethnically and geographically neutral, perfect for a news anchor.
“We grew up in a white middle-class community and had a mom who emphasized education and lived that neutrality”, Tiki says. “She didn’t speak that typical African-American diction”.
First off this SI Writer Karl Taro Greenfield should be suspended for writing this piece of garbage. Is he describing Tiki Barber or Jesus? Mr. Greenfield makes sure to go into great length to make sure everyone knows that Tiki doesn’t fit into any typical black stereotypes. While Tiki makes it clear that he grew in his white middle class community they emphasized education and not talking slang. I hate to break this to Tiki, but I grew up in a black low-class community and you know what my mom also emphasized education and being able to relate to all types of people regardless of race. Tiki also makes a huge point to make sure that everyone knows he doesn’t speak “That typical African-American diction”. One problem with our society is that we care too much about how someone speaks or looks as opposed to the person they are. Just because you speak like Dan Rather Tiki, doesn’t make you any better or worse than Chad Johnson. There is nothing worse than a person who is trying to run away from who he is. Tiki is black and no matter his diction, education or neutrality it is never going to make him white no matter how hard he tries.
2-He is a liar.
This article claims two things that are boldface lies:
1-That he didn’t want his retirement to become public.
2-He criticizes the coach to protect Eli Manning.
While doing a story on Tiki and his twin brother Ronde for the New York Times, a reporter allegedly overheard Tiki talking about retirement. According to Tiki the information was ran without his permission, which is a lie. Tiki could have easily told the reporter if he ran the information he wouldn’t complete the story or could have simply denied the story if he really wanted to wait until the end of the season as he claims. The more compelling evidence is what happens after the news was release. Tiki was in full P.R. and his agent immediately started to have meetings with companies about Tiki’s post-football career. Don’t insult our intelligence Tiki, you claim you are so smart and every move is calculated, but then want us to believe you didn’t want this to happen and this was a fluke of nature? Only a fool would believe you.
Even more outlandish than him saying he didn’t want the story about his retirement to come out is the notion he criticized the coaching staff to take heat of Eli Manning. To quote Tiki:
“Yeah it was more to it,” he said when asked if he had been deflecting attention from Manning, “When I do something, there is more than one reason. There is a philharmonic in my head”.
Give me a break, you are a running back who only got 10 carries and was bitching about the same way every other player does in the league. You could care less about Eli Manning’s well being, but when a reporter gave you an out, you took it and made it seem like your idea. Stop the lies Tiki, stop the lies! Oh the humanity!
3-He thinks he is smarter and better than you.
One way you can always tell if someone believes they are smarter than you is when they use big words in general conversation. It is a way of looking down on people who may not have had the opportunity to get a liberal arts education or read a new word in the dictionary. Another way people will try to point out how intelligent they are is by pointing out all the cultural things they do that the common man just couldn’t comprehend. This article makes sure you know that Tiki is way smarter than you and I.
Tiki uses words like: Pontificate, Replevin and Apotheosized. Make sure he lets you know that he talks about the North Korean nuclear weapons during lunchtime and has interviewed the Prime Minister of Iraq. Which are all lovely things, but it doesn’t make you any smarter.
A wise man once told me it isn’t what you say, it is how you live. It is obvious that Tiki is intelligent, but he is no better than you or I, not matter how many times he tries pontificating it.
4-He has mentally checked out on the season.
According to Tiki “the passion is gone”, of course in true Tiki fashion he also claims that he is so good it doesn’t matter. I cannot deny the fact he is having a good season, but if any other player in the league publicly said I have no passion to play I am already thinking about hanging out with Matt Lauer I wonder what the reaction would be? What would the reaction be if say Shaun Alexander made these comments:
“Quite honestly, I don’t have the passion to do it anymore. I’ll sit in meetings and I’m bored, or my mind is drifting or I’ll go out on Sunday on the football field and the blood isn’t flowing like it used to.”
Now that is a teammate you can count on.
5-He is too good to be a New Yorker.
He admits not being a “Giants guy” which once again goes back to the fact that he is too good for the rest of us average human beings on the rest of the world. This is just becoming a broken record at this point.
I want to make it clear that I am not the type person who tells an athlete when they should retire, that is their choice but Tiki Barber is the perfect example of a person who thinks that because he can pronounce some 15 letter words that he can pull the wool over everyone eyes. He hasn’t fooled me and I hope he hasn’t fooled you.
