by Ayvaunn Penn, Your Black World
After ruining her image on the track, it appeared former Olympic gold-medalist Marion Jones was trying to make a new image and name for herself on the basketball court. Contrary to this goal, however, theAssociated Press reports that Jones “has been cut by the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock, bringing her future in basketball into question. The Shock announced Thursday they had waived Jones to make room for former Oklahoma center Abi Olajuwon.”
For those who do not recall, Jones used to be a track star in her day. In the year 2000, she won three gold and two bronze medals at the Sydney Olympics. Yet, her achievements were called into question when there was talk of her using steroids. As if using the prohibited substance was not bad enough, Jones acknowledged that she lied to federal investigators concerning her steroid usage. Not only did this land her in behind bars for approximately six months, her actions required that she give up her medals.
As bad as it may sound, perhaps it is simply that Jones just is not able to perform without her illegal help. According to the Associated Press, “Jones was averaging less than a point per game in 14 appearances for Tulsa, which is just 1-14 heading into the All-Star break.” Despite her sorely lacking playing days with Tulsa, she is reported to have said that she is grateful to have had the “opportunity to fulfill a dream” and would like to still be able to contribute to the WNBA.
Ayvaunn Penn is a spoken word artistand an award winning writer completing her degree in English and philosophy. For more of her witty-word works click here. To have your original poetry featured by Ms. Penn on Your Black Poets, click here.
