Gay rumors are the price Shannon Sharpe must pay for matriarchal counseling

As a child, I idolized my sister, Yolanda. I’m reluctant to refer to her as my “stepsister.” My dad remarried when I was very young. Yolanda and Archie, my stepmom’s kids, became as dear to me as my favorite human being on the planet, my brother James.

I was the baby of the bunch. “Yo-Yo” is six years older than me. A straight-A student, Yo-Yo was the smartest person I knew. She was independent and entrepreneurial. She was beautiful. For a year or so, she dated my favorite athlete, Magic Johnson. I can remember eavesdropping on their phone conversations in the early 1980s.

Shannon Sharpe pleased the world and won the support of entertainment power brokers by making himself an ally of the Alphabet Mafia.

Yo-Yo made me believe I could accomplish anything because I watched her put herself through college, start small businesses, land corporate jobs, connect with important people, and buy a condo and an expensive foreign car all before turning 30.

Yo-Yo was my version of Oprah Winfrey before anyone had ever heard of Oprah Winfrey.

When I think about the inspiration for my career, I credit it to three women: 1) My grandmother, Lovie Kennedy. She planted the seeds of Christianity in my heart and soul. 2) My mother, Joyce Whitlock. She provided a stable home and environment that allowed me to blossom. 3) Yo-Yo. She opened my eyes to all that I could achieve through hard work and education.

I bring this up because I’m highly critical of the matriarchal culture that dominates the American black experience. My critique can come across as if I’m arguing that black women are a detriment to black men. They’re not. Not when they play the right roles in a family and in society.

My contention is that women are being placed in the wrong roles. They’ve been baited into thinking they can do it all. They can be mother and father, sister and brother, inspiration and top adviser.

This came to mind for me this week when I watched football legend turned prolific podcaster Shannon Sharpe discuss his recent controversies with comedians Mike Epps, Corey Holcomb, and Eddie Griffin. The trio of comedians have been cracking jokes about Sharpe’s sexuality, asserting that Sharpe is gay. Sharpe and Epps exchanged threats across social media before finally settling their differences.

Sharpe, 55, has repeatedly pointed to his sister as his top confidante, his most trusted adviser. This is inappropriate, and it’s likely why rumors about Sharpe’s sexuality have surfaced.

More than a year ago, Sharpe began promoting the fact that he’d hired a gay wardrobe stylist to work exclusively with him. Russell “Hollywood” Simpson, the stylist, had been famous for being the secret lover of former NFL safety Kerry Rhodes.

Women, particularly black women, love being BFFs with gay men. A female adviser would be far more prone to co-sign Sharpe parading around Los Angeles and at Lakers games with his gay stylist. A male adviser might have warned Sharpe about the consequences to his heterosexual reputation.

Stephen A. Smith is another high-profile media member who constantly refers to his sister as his top adviser. I’m sure some of it is a virtue signal. Modern, feminized culture requires men to install women in high advisory positions to avoid looking misogynistic. It’s a byproduct of the diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda.

It’s harmful. Male spaces — from Boy Scouts to golf clubs to locker rooms — have been integrated in the name of inclusion. It’s a mistake.

I loved and respected my grandmother. I love and respect my mother and sister. They’re not my advisers. They’re my inspiration. They’re my why.

I seek the counsel of men. For better or worse, my father (now deceased) and brother have had the most impact on my life. My dad instilled in me a victimless, cast-down-your-bucket mentality. My brother models the kind of commitment to family to which I aspire.

When I need advice, I turn to Christian men.

I do not doubt the intelligence of women. My sister is extremely intelligent. My mother is extremely wise. I doubt their instincts and willingness to defy the world in obedience to God. Safety and prosperity rank too high on their priorities list. Safety and prosperity compel a level of compromise that has led to the pervasive chaos prevalent in America today.

Shannon Sharpe, the big tough football legend, pleased the world and won the support of entertainment power brokers by making himself a public ally of the Alphabet Mafia.

A Christian man would have warned Shannon that his kids and reputation would suffer from that choice.