Sports stars take talent to microphone

by Rashad Daoudi
For The Post

He stands at 7 feet 1 and weighs 315 pounds. He averaged 29.7 points and 13.6 rebounds per game last season en route to winning his first NBA Championship and first Most Valuable Player award. Who is this man that has owned the inside game of the NBA since he entered the league nine years ago?

Shaq Fu.

Actually, the man who has dominated as a center for the Los Angeles Lakers is Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq Fu is part of the title of O'Neal's most recent album, Shaq Fu - da Return.

To see athletes such as O'Neal enter the acting or music industry is not uncommon. While there are many reasons why athletes enter these markets, Mark Holowchak, Ohio University assistant professor of sports philosophy, said there might be one defining factor.

"I think it has to do with the celebrity status. Athletes today want to market themselves as much as they can," he said. "A football legend like Gene Upshaw fell into depression after retirement because he wasn't playing on Sundays anymore. I think many of today's athlete are trying to do as much as he or she can while their appeal is there."

Another athlete who has followed this creed is Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Allen Iverson. Iverson recorded a controversial album entitled Misunderstood, which contained derogatory remarks toward gays and included the line, "Man enough to pull a gun, be man enough to squeeze it," in a song called "40 Bars."

Holowchak said the impacts Iverson's lyrics have on the general public are influential whether people want to admit it or not.

"No one has the right to tell people what they can and cannot say. However, there is a huge moral irresponsibility by these athletes who say such lyrics without thinking of the implications. We are all role models to each other; just some are more than others," Holowchak

The lyrics, Iverson says, are similar to lyrics that other hardcore rap artists preach. Some wonder whether anyone would even pay attention to the musical athletes if they didn't have the elite status as a star player. Eric Gunn, owner of Haffa's Records, 15 W. Union, said his store has music college students want, and music by athletes does not fall into that category.

"The fact that Iverson's a famous basketball player does draw initial interest in just wanting to hear the music or a particular song," he said. "But it really come down to how good their musical talent is and who wants to listen. And we just don't have any demand for it."

Gunn said hundreds of new releases come out each week and selecting which albums to sell is not easy.

"We come across many new releases to choose from and we try to make the best judgement on what CDs to pick up," he said. "If we really feel an athlete's album will sell, we'll get it in stock; if not we won't. It's no different than any other artist."

Associate Professor of Music Michael Kellogg said although the status helps, athletes still have followers who want to listen.

"Athlete or not, the fact is that these people make music that still relates to many people's backgrounds and lifestyles," he said. "So I wouldn't say that nobody would listen to their music."