I want to welcome long-time readers of the Nashville PRIDE newspaper to our new format. I also want to welcome first – time and other new readers of the Urban Journal News. I have been a writer and columnist for this organ since September, 2005. My regular by-lined articles are assigned or mostly tied to factual reporting of events and activities of interest to our readers.

My column, The Sporting Life, is where I am free to venture into personal observations and explore concepts and attitudes about current events, speculative fictive ideas, and dive deep into things that I want to share from an opinion rather than a news perspective.

The Sporting Life title came from three sources, primarily from lyrics in the 1979 song “Good Times” by Chic. “Must put an end to this stress and strife, I think I want to live the sporting life. Good times, these are the good times. Leave your cares behind, these are the good times.” And the song further describes the feeling of freedom and joy from pursuing leisure activities, thus my column.

Another source is Sportin’ Life, the character from George Gershwin’s classic 1935 opera Porgy and Bess, based on Cab Calloway, and portrayed by Sammy Davis, Jr. in the 1959 film version. “It Ain’t Necessarily So” is Sportin’ Life’s memorable signature song. Yep, the Sportin’ Life!

And, let’s not forget the Langston Hughes character Sport, who was a man of the fast set, one who lives the ‘sporting life’ among the gamblers, risk takers, and performers of the underworld. He is a character archetype representing a man of the fast-paced, high-energy Harlem nightlife, whose life is tied to the high-tempo, vibrant rhythm of jazz music, cabarets, and after-hours nightlife. (Much like my own misspent youth…LOL)

But, I digress. Welcome to the Urban Journal News, and to my column The Sporting Life. This is where I can share things like my obsession with Star Trek freely, because there are among you readers, my kind of people.

On that note, this has been a particularly difficult time for us Trekkers. October 25, we lost Walter Koenig, who originated the role of Chekov in the original series, at age 90. Then, October 28, Sir Patrick Stewart died at age 86. Stewart is best known for his portrayal of Captain Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek: the Next Generation (TNG) and beyond. He is also known for his nine film portrayals of Professor Charles Xavier of the X-Men, including his final film performance in the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday coming to theaters next month. The character of Charles Xavier has been thought to be based on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. because Xavier’s dream of peaceful human – mutant integration mirrors Dr. King’s nonviolent approach, while Magneto’s militant stance for mutant survival mirrors aspects of Malcolm X’s message of self-defense.

“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life,” is a Picard quote from TNG. Another of his from the film Star Trek: Generations definitely provide words to live by: “Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because they’ll never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we’ve lived.”