I’ve loved Oakland since I was old enough to begin to understand it. And when you’re from an underdog city, you love everyone who is putting on for your city by proxy.
I’ve known Marshawn Lynch since we attended high school together at Oakland Tech. Off the field Marshawn was good-natured and silly. On the field, he was an animal. He played every down of every game. He was a running back, receiver, quarterback, defensive back, kick returner, kicker, and punter. There was nothing he couldn’t do. I still have memories of him dragging multiple defenders down the field en route to yet another tremendous touchdown.
When we went off to college, we both carried the Town with us. He chose to stay next door in Berkeley, while I made the trek down south to UCLA. I co-hosted a Bay Area radio show, draped myself in Oakland attire, and made sure everyone within earshot knew that The Town was in the building. Marshawn out-swagged me exponentially by introducing the country to Oakland’s toughness and swagger on national TV.
You might remember him high sidin’ an injury cart around Memorial Stadium following a victory against Washington, taking a film crew , his tongue-in-cheek embrace of (while rocking a North Oakland t-shirt), or any of his other hilarious antics and quotables. Marshawn has always put on for the Bay’s hyphy persona, but sometimes it felt the media was also making a bit of a mockery of him.
Once you factored in his legal troubles that cropped up every so often, Marshawn was tagged as one of the NFL’s bad boys. Despite all he does for Oakland, such as his annual Fam 1st football camps, Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, visits to his alma mater, supporting local clothing lines, and more, the media would only cover his troubles. When I back in 2010, Marshawn said he didn’t care that the media didn’t pay attention to his contributions to his community, because he didn’t do it for them.
While I love that sentiment, Istill believe that it has to wear on you over the years. When I think of Marshawn’s relative distance from the media the past couple of seasons, it reminds me of Dave Chappelle walking away from The Chappelle Show because he could no longer decipher if people were laughing with him or at him.
This segment by Jeffri Chadiha for ESPN’s E:60 gives Marshawn’s personality, image, and struggles some much needed context for those who don’t know his story. The Marshawn we see here is not the carefree rookie the world met in 2008. We see wisdom, perspective, and humility, while still seeing his goofy spirit shine through too. We learn about his upbringing, his trials and tribulations, and his deep love for this city. We also get to see him candidly reply to all those who view him as a thug.
Watch, learn, and respect the hustle.
And for some bonus material of Marshawn Lynch having fun with the kids, check out this music video featuring Oakland elementary school students… and one huge alumni.
