As the cliche goes, 'Denial aint just a river in Egypt.' And for
the past week, the former baseball slugger Sammy Sosa has
become the prime example of that phrase. By now, you've more
than likely seen the 'new' Sosa as he arrived at the Latin
Grammy Awards. If not, see the picture below at your own
risk.
When I first saw the picture above, my heart sank lower than Ryan O'Neal's
morals. I almost thought this was a Photoshop job being sold around the world
as a prime hoax. Sadly, it isn't. Sosa has come under major scrutiny for his
appearance, and when grilled on a leading Latin news program 'Primer Impacto'
about it, he claimed that it was the effects of a skin rejuvenating cream he had
been applying daily combined with the fact that as a Chicago Cub, he played a
lot of games at 1:00 P.M in direct sunlight. The interviewer even tried to
help him out by asking if he had vitiligo like Michael Jackson. We can all
laugh at this, but there's something darker(no pun intended)at work here...
Sammy Sosa has always been friendly, outgoing, someone who enjoys himself
and enjoys people throughout his days as a ballplayer. We all remember him in
that one seemingly magical summer when he and Mark McGwire went head to
head in the quest to become Major League Baseball's home run king. With his
slugging and fielding, he became the face of the Chicago Cubs, and even helped
them in a few winning seasons. Since his last season in 2007 with the Texas
Rangers however, Sammy has dealt with mounting controversy that could lay
waste to his legacy. A corked-bat scandal along with being suspected of steroid
usage led to an uncomfortable appearance before Congress in 2005. This issue
of his skin color may not just hurt his Hall of Fame chances in addition to the
other scandals, but hurt his public standing. Race is still a hot-button topic in
this country as well as the Caribbean and among Latinos no matter the island.
Sammy, I don't believe you're 'not trying to be superficial'. I call BS on that.
I know that there are some Latinos who have an issue with the idea that
they possess African ancestry. Depending on the country you come from,
it's either out in the open or spoken of in low whispers and disapproving
looks. If you weren't trying to be superficial, why would you decide to sport
GREEN CONTACT LENSES in addition to your 'rejuvenated' skin? Didn't you
think the timing would be a little tactless? But then again, you did claim to
not speak English in one interview when pressed about steroids. Sammy,
you should be ashamed of yourself. This isn't about a new look or trying
something new. You want to try something new? How about kayaking or
fencing or sculpture? Changing your skin is not a hobby and it speaks to
how you may truly look at yourself. Do you think that Felipe and Mattie
Alou, your fellow countrymen wanted to change their skin after being
persecuted for being Latinos which to some bigots meant nothing more
than 'Spanish speaking n-----s'? What you've done carries a great weight
of hurt and in some ways, turns away from the sacrifices of other Latino
baseball greats such as Juan Marichal, Vic Power and Roberto Clemente
to name a few. I look at that photo of you and ask myself, 'Sammy...do
we know you? Or do you even know yourself?