Here we Go Again, Lebron edition

Im going to take a moment and get into this Lebron Gisele Vogue cover. Initially i saw it on ESPN's First Take and thought nothing of it. About a week or so later i still think nothing of it.

People have been taking the position that it looks like King Kong holding the white actress (i don't know her name and don't care what it is). After hearing this, i was able to look at the cover and say, ok, i can see where they get that from. There are rumblings that black athletes are always portrayed in an aggressive manner on magazine covers and other photo ops, but to be honest I have never payed attention to that. I know the philosopher will say that it is in my subconscious, but to be honest i think that most athletes are portrayed in an aggressive manner. Some people look at Tom Brady in GQ and say, "well he isn't viewed in an aggressive manner, he looks like the model next door". Ok I dig that, but i have had GQ magazines where they have done spreads and young black football athletes were in the spread in the latest fashions and in subtle poses and positions. I think this boils down to one of those, why are there so many jeeps on the road after you just got a jeep issue. Its because now that is what you are looking for.

Sometimes i think black folk are looking for something to get revved up over. If Lebron saw the pics and said, "yeah that's me" or " i think thats accurate", then why should I have a problem with it. He is not complaining and saying that he feels improperly depicted or misrepresented. Maybe Lebron says to himself, i am a big aggressive guy and that's how i play.

I think that maybe black people need to take some pride in who they are, and no i am not saying that Lebron should take pride in himself because he looks like king kong. However i am saying that if he is an aggressive person then maybe he should embrace that and the same goes for any other person. Don't let people tell you who you should be or who you are. Honestly, some black folk are aggressive and that's just the way they are, its not right and its not wrong. Perhaps he wanted to represent his basketball side anyway, since that is all most of us know anyway. I am saying this because i do not think that all the black athletes are depicted this way, so therefore its ok for him to look like Lebron on the cover.

Also black folks always talk about how strong they have to be or are, or how much they have endured, and i agree they have. I could not imagine going through most of things that some of the generations before me battled. But get this, when we are viewed as strong or aggressive we want to change it up and say, no im passive and mild mannered. Or do we just want a different approach for the athletes, because i can remember quite a few other black people on magazine covers and they looked extremely civil and peaceful. Look at Pharrell on the cover of Esquire and actually look at Rip Hamilton on the cover of GQ (just remembered that one). My man Kanye has been on the cover of GQ.

I say that to say this ( i love that line), I think we should chill on this one. No harm, no foul. Lebron did the shoot and said, hey this is the me im cool with and don't have a problem portraying.