Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Two Puerto Ricans In The NY Knicks?

I normally writed about the politics of my community, city, nation, or anything that might affect us a people. But today I have to dedicate this page to the big blockbuster trade that the NY Knicks basketball team made with the Denver Nuggets. Bringing Brooklyn native, Carmelo Anthony back home to New York City is in a way a bit political in that Carmelo recognizes that he is of Puerto Rican descent.

Now you may ask, where is the political connection? Well, right here on this Blog I have written about the recent study that showed the terrible conditions that the Puerto Rican youth are going through in this city. The report stated that the Puerto Rican youth were in fact the worst off of all ethnic groups in the city. YES, the worst.

The Knicks by bringing Carmelo, or Melo as he likes to be called back to the city have also helped to bring a positive role model that perhaps many Puerto Rican youth can learn about, relate to as he too was raised by a single parent, his mom and is bi-racial. Melo is a role model and he comes to New York at no better time when the youth of this city need more of them, especially the Puerto Rican youth. Perhaps now when they see his tattoo of the Puerto Rican flag he has on his arm, many more Puerto Rican youth can raise their heads a little higher as Melo raises his hands to dunk on an opposition player.

Yes, Carmelo identifies with his Puerto Rican heritage.

Also in this trade the Knicks received, Renaldo Balkman, another player that identifies himself as a Rican. Those of you who follow international basketball know that Balkman also plays for the Puerto Rican national team.

So you see, sports and politics do mix; well at least I think so.

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