It's been really difficult for me—and I'm guessing, many others—to sign on to Facebook this week. It seems like everyone has an opinion on what's been taking place in Baltimore and, unfortunately, a lot of those opinions sound like they're based off people watching bits and pieces of the news coverage that's coming out of the city. And because a lot of that news coverage has revolved around some of the more violent stuff that has happened in Baltimore, I've seen way too many people (people of all races, I should add) jumping to conclusions that they shouldn't necessarily be jumping to this week.
If you're one of those people, I'd first suggest checking out some of Complex's coverage of what's really taking place in Baltimore. Watch this:
And this:
But I'd also suggest watching what Orioles manager Buck Showalter had to say after his team took on the White Sox in a game that was played in front of zero fans yesterday because of the Baltimore riots. Showalter was asked what advice he would give to young African-American men in the city, and he provided reporters with a very solid take on the situation.
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"You hear people try to weigh in on things that they really don't know anything about," he said. "I tell guys all the time when they talk about…I've never been black, OK? So I don't know. I can't put myself there. I've never been faced with the challenges that they face. So I understand the emotion, but I can't…It's a pet peeve of mine when somebody says, 'Well, I know what they're feeling. Why don't they do this? Why doesn't somebody do that?' You have never been black, OK, so just slow down a little bit."
Showalter went on to say that he just hopes the Orioles can do their part to help Baltimore.
"I try not to get involved in something that I don't know about," he said, "but I do know that it's something that's very passionate…We've made quite a statement as a city, some good and some bad. Now, let's get on with taking the statements we've made to create a positive. We talk to players, and I want to be a rallying force for our city. It doesn't mean necessarily playing good baseball. It just means everything we can do…There are some things I don't want to be normal [in Baltimore again]. You know what I mean? I don't. I want us to learn from some stuff that's gone on on both sides of it. I could talk about it for hours, but that's how I feel about it."
Think about everything Showalter said the next time you decide to pass judgment on what's taking place in Baltimore. Or hell, on what's taking place anywhere. It shouldn't take some wise words from a 58-year-old white man to remind us all of that. But we're sure glad Showalter decided to speak up on this particular issue.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
[via Mic]
