Every current and future black professional athlete and entertainer should take a few seconds to thank Michael Vick. In the wake of Vick being indicted by the federal government, the case has reminded black celebrities who perform under the lights that there is a thin line between praise and vilification.

For decades, professional sports have generated billions of dollars from the marketing of black athletes. Athletes who have displayed superior skills on the playing field have become national heroes and the faces for many companies who give them millions to endorse their products. But with the prestige that these athletes are given, it's easy for them to gain a sense of invisibility when it comes to life outside of the lines.

A few days after Vick's property was investigated by the Surry County Police Department, Vick told a Fox 5 reporter, "Everywhere I go, all around the world, people still support Mike Vick, so regardless of what I go through, people gonna love me man . and it's all good. My job is to win football games."

However, Vick now understands that love is conditional when it comes to America's acceptance of the black athlete. Since he was indicted, Nike, Reebok, Rawlings, the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL have all disassociated themselves from the troubled star.

His character has been assassinated and his career is in jeopardy. He should realize that those cheers were a myth, those corporate smiles and handshakes were lies and every Sunday he was just a highly paid puppet who made his [team] more money by running on a field. America doesn't love the black athlete; they love how the black athlete performs. And once the black athlete steps an inch outside of what America deems as acceptable, the public lynching becomes imminent. So while Vick is becoming this decade's version of O.J. Simpson and Mike Tyson, I'm sure that LeBron James has taken heed and is somewhere shining his own tap shoes. - amir shaw

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