Embracing multicultural roots

Ryan Nece is definitely cultured. And not just because he has a thing for art. His multiracial background has given him a unique perspective on life.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published December 2, 2007

You grew up as a biracial kid (black father, white mother). How different was that?

It was definitely different. There's always pluses and minuses to everything in life. I liked having the best of both worlds with two different cultures. But at the same time, there were challenging aspects to it, too. Do you identify yourself with one race or the other? How do your friends view you? How does the public view you? All of those things come into play. People want to put you in a box. That's just how the world is. People want to associate you with one group or another. Some of my family members, we were joking at Thanksgiving about whether I eat sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie. Well, I eat both.

Okay, sidebar. If you had to pick one ... well?

On my mom's side, we eat pumpkin pie. On my dad's side, it was sweet potato pie. If I was going to choose one, I might choose sweet potato pie. My grandma makes some unbelievable sweet potato pie. Oh, yeah. Grandma can cook.

Okay, back to the original question.

Yeah, so, these are just some of the things that most people never have to deal with. I think one of the tougher parts was when you heard one race talk about the other race. Now, in my position, you're talking about a part of me. You're talking about my family. Where some people might have thought it was joking around, it put me on the defensive. There have been some interesting challenges.

Did you realize a lot of this at an early age, or did it take time?

I don't really remember the first time I figured it out. When I was little, I used to say I was brown. Not black. Not white. I got along with everybody, and my family just treated me like family, not like one or the other. The first time it all became apparent was when I got to high school. That's when people start separating into groups and deciding who they wanted to hang around.

You are one of the most charitable players on the team. You give a lot of yourself. But what do you get out of it?

I think the joy that I get from it is the thanks - people telling you, "Man, you really made a difference in my life." The platform we get as football players is amazing, and I'm very grateful for it.

What was the most rewarding thing you've done?

I think it was recently when we went to the VA hospital and we were able to hook up the soldiers with a video phone connection with their families back home. Some hadn't seen their families and their kids in over a year. They went to war, and now they're back in the states, but they're not actually home. Just to see the dads saying, 'Wow, honey, you cut your hair,' or, 'Look how big Samantha is.' Man, that was amazing. It brought a tear to my eye.

Most people know your father is Ronnie Lott, which is pretty cool. But is there any downside to having a Hall of Famer for a father?

There are a lot of great things about it. But the one (negative) thing is the time that athletes have to spend away from their kids. They have to make a lot of sacrifices to be great. Sometimes that means you have to be a little selfish, to some extent. That's the nature of the business. But you want your dad to be at your games when you're a kid.

Here's my weekly question: What Web sites do you visit most?

I probably have four Web sites I look at: ameritrade.com, I look at my G-mail account, my Hotmail account, and I look at art Web sites. I like artwork.

Are we talking about a particular type of art?

I'm a big fan of pictures or paintings of roads. I think we're all on a path in life, a journey. When you look at the surroundings in these paintings, it's like life. Some might have hills, some might have valleys, some are curvy. That's just like life.

Man, that's deep. You mentioned Ameritrade. How are you doing in today's volatile stock market?

Tell me about it. I'm hoping for a fourth-quarter rebound. It's been a little rough lately.

Fast facts

Ryan Nece

Position: Linebacker

Ht./wt.: 6-3, 224 pounds

Age: 28

Hometown: San Bernardino, Calif.

College: Three-year starter at UCLA ... named honorable mention All-Pac 10 as a senior ... scored two defensive touchdowns in 2001.

Pro: Joined the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2002 ... has started 35 of 81 NFL games, mostly at strongside linebacker.

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 17:04:06]