McNabb and black quarterbacks
This was actually what I emailed a colleague of mine in the sports media industry on this whole McNabb issue of whether or not black quarterbacks face more criticism. My nig, Gee, has been on my case about throwin out my thoughts. This is basically it. Let me know what yall think...
-- I don't know if I believe that black qbs get more criticism thanwhite qbs, as in: "We get heckled and lambasted and white qbs areeating cake." In fact, I know I don't believe that. All qbs -- eventhe great ones with blond hair and blue eys -- get scrutinized andcriticized. qbs like Manning and Favre get their fair share ofcriticism. But ask yourself this: If Favre was black, would he stillbe getting the carte-Blanche from Green Bay fans and brass? I thinkthe answer to that question is almost obviously no. Green Bay fans aredrawn to Favre's middle-American charm...they are not drawn to VinceYoung "walkin' it out" as a TD celebration. So successive 20-INTseasons are getting him axed or metaphorically lynched. Yes, RexGrossman gets bludgeoned and his squad went to the Super Bowl, buthe's also a very average qb. McNabb, for a 5-year string, was one ofthe 3 or 4 best qbs, yet the scrutiny he was under and criticism hereceived was pretty intense.
-- a quick theory: if an athlete looks, behaves, sounds, believes,exists similar to you or your crew or your fam, you're gonna give themmore benefit of the doubt. If you think someone is cool, you're lessquick to judge or critique. America, much of it, thinks/thought Favrewas/is cool. They thought this about Bradshaw. They think this aboutBrady and Brees. Buffalonians felt this way about Kelly. So if thesefolks threw 300 yards and 2 TDs to an anemic receiving corps, whilemaybe butchering a fourth quarter drive and throwin a pick or two, butstill WIN -- even in Philly -- I doubt they'd get McNabb's reactions.Remember: They boo'd him on Draft day. They didn't want him.Speaking of which...
-- real quick story about race relations in Philly, because I hearpeople bringing up Schmidt as an example of a great Philly ball-playerthat was boo'd. And that's cool, but it's known that Schmidt wasaloof and some of his actions (or lack thereof) left room for Phillyfans to misinterpret. McNabb, mind you, is a good guy. He's corny,but good: polite, affable, good work ethic, respectful, etc. But there are very intense racial divides in Philly. This is allexemplified by Geno's -- perhaps the most famous spot for cheesesteaksin the whole city. Me and the crew always roll down to that part of South Street to cop some cheesesteaks when we're in town gallivantingaround. But we always purposely cross the street and get our steaksfrom the other tourist-trap, Jim's. We go to Jim's because Geno'sfeatures a big plaque of a dead police officer, with the words"murdered by Mumia Adult-Jamal." This floored me the first time I sawit. Mumia, in the black community is Exhibit A of the corrupt legaland judicial system and one of the all-time lightning rods between thecommunity and the police (much like Amadou Diallo in NYC). The shortversion of Mumia's long story is that he was convicted of killingofficer David Faulkner (white). Many feel he was wrongfully convictedand sentenced. Others (perhaps just as mny), feel he's guily, or, atthe very least, received his due process and folks should shut and letMumia rot in jail for his life sentence. This was/is an internationalstory. To post such an inflammatory statement ("murdered by MumiaAbdul-Jamal") in front of an establishment that serves thousands ofblacks and/or people that support Mumia's cause is indicative of thebrazen chasm between Philly ethnic communities. If I had to wagermoney, I'd bet that men of the Geno's ilk don't want a McNabb playingthe most important and high-profile position on their squad. ThisCOULD very well be the case in many other cities.
-- I think to really look at this issue we have to start at thefoundation. The foundation indicates to a dude like me that America,although increasingly more tolerant of black qbs, still wants thatposition to stay dominated by white males. (this is going somewhere.)I think this because it seems to be the way American perceptions andchoices operate in mostly all sectors of our secular lives. It seemslike the collective American conscience believes that we should belead by white men. This is true of our CEOs, Presidents, Senators,coaches, captains, star actors, pilots and, most definitely, qbs.Now, Costas, like many Americans, said that it's only fair torecognize the strides that America has made recently. And yes, thereare instances that belie a shift in tolerance and maybe even anoticeable shift in ideology. The Democratic presidential nomineewill either be a woman or a black man (we'll see if either wins,though). Back in the day, Sidney Portier was the only black man given"leading man" roles in Hollywood. Now you have Will Smith, Denzel,Cheadle, Foxx and Terrance Howard. Bob Johnson is an owner. TonyDungy is a Super Bowl winner. Rappers own their own labels, Jay-Z isDef Jam's CEO. There are black surgeons, pilots, CEOs, etc. Thepercentages in all these fields are very low, but progress is beingmade to accommodate those with UNDENIABLE talent.
-- These things bring me to another aspect of this discussion. 1.)Take Hollywood, for instance. You have dudes with moderate talent,like, say, Josh Lucas or Jude Law, who get role after role after role,while black men of equal or greater talent struggle for worthwhileroles. Why? Because studios worry about bankability. Why? Becausethe American public has shown, with their dollars, that they'd rathersee a poorly acted film with Lucas, than a stellar acted film withCheadle.And 2.) Blacks are given shorter leashes for leadership roles becausethe prevailing reception is one of, what I perceive to be,conditioned-skepticism. It's like, "OK, Let's see if he can get thisdone." If Fred Thompson becomes President, that won't be the"prevailing air", it will be, however, with Obama. That was the"prevailing air" with Willingham, but not with Weiss. What this doesis create an atmosphere of impatience, second-guessing and criticism.Willingham's head would be on a silver platter getting carved anddivvied up to the Domer boosters at a banquet hall right now. Forqbs, it means that black qbs typically get pulled (again, what Iperceive to be) faster, are out of the league faster and deal with afan base that moves more quickly to the "he's not the one, getsomebody else in here."Buffalo is very similar to Philly, maybe not as extreme, but verysimilar in that Buffalonians love their squads, but are very tough onthe players. Thurman Thomas was constantly skewered here. Jim Kelly(very similar to Donovan in that they're qbs that have moments offrustrating ineptitude, but far greater instances of excellence) wasrevered here. If Kelly played in Philly, the fans would ride withhim. I'm sure of this. If Donovan played here in Buffalo, the fanswould kill him.
-- I think there's an attitude of: "We're not racist, we're not goingto begrudge you a chance to play qb, but we still don't know if youfellas are equipped, so you better prove us wrong." That's what itis...with coaches, qbs, senators...it's a "prove us wrong" attitude.That leads to unfair criticism
-- I think, in the end, it's the overall treatment that is differentfor blacks and not, specifically, the level of criticism. For onething, there are fewer black qbs, so when one of them gets criticized,it's going to seem more concentrated.
-- You know, it's like television and film. There is room for theridiculously dumb films like Soul Plane or television shows likeFlavor of Love, as long as there are quality films and shows thatbalance those Stepin Fetchit images with smart comedies and compellingdramas, which we rarely get (I point to my favorite TV station forprogramming, HBO, which is premiering around 10 new shows this year,none of which focus on minority story lines. shameful.). So in theNFL, Grossman and Pennington get KILLED, but Manning and Palmer andBrady get praised. One white qb may get prematurely yanked from astarting spot, only to have another white qb take his job or seeanother white qb in another market afforded the opportunity to playthrough his struggles for the whole season. But when there are only ahandful of black qbs in the league and they're getting skewered bylocal press/fans, locked out of training facilities, etc...well, it'seasy to see why/how McNabb could make such a statement.
-- one last thing...did you see those childhood pictures of McNabb?He wasn't winning any best looking contests. His head is shaped likean eggplant, which has made it almost impossible for him to find ahaircut that works. His afro was deplorable. His braids were a sadcharade. And his baldy is disconcerting. He should just wear hishelmet in all interviews and commercials. (speaking of NFL playerswearing helmets in commercials
-- I don't know if I believe that black qbs get more criticism thanwhite qbs, as in: "We get heckled and lambasted and white qbs areeating cake." In fact, I know I don't believe that. All qbs -- eventhe great ones with blond hair and blue eys -- get scrutinized andcriticized. qbs like Manning and Favre get their fair share ofcriticism. But ask yourself this: If Favre was black, would he stillbe getting the carte-Blanche from Green Bay fans and brass? I thinkthe answer to that question is almost obviously no. Green Bay fans aredrawn to Favre's middle-American charm...they are not drawn to VinceYoung "walkin' it out" as a TD celebration. So successive 20-INTseasons are getting him axed or metaphorically lynched. Yes, RexGrossman gets bludgeoned and his squad went to the Super Bowl, buthe's also a very average qb. McNabb, for a 5-year string, was one ofthe 3 or 4 best qbs, yet the scrutiny he was under and criticism hereceived was pretty intense.
-- a quick theory: if an athlete looks, behaves, sounds, believes,exists similar to you or your crew or your fam, you're gonna give themmore benefit of the doubt. If you think someone is cool, you're lessquick to judge or critique. America, much of it, thinks/thought Favrewas/is cool. They thought this about Bradshaw. They think this aboutBrady and Brees. Buffalonians felt this way about Kelly. So if thesefolks threw 300 yards and 2 TDs to an anemic receiving corps, whilemaybe butchering a fourth quarter drive and throwin a pick or two, butstill WIN -- even in Philly -- I doubt they'd get McNabb's reactions.Remember: They boo'd him on Draft day. They didn't want him.Speaking of which...
-- real quick story about race relations in Philly, because I hearpeople bringing up Schmidt as an example of a great Philly ball-playerthat was boo'd. And that's cool, but it's known that Schmidt wasaloof and some of his actions (or lack thereof) left room for Phillyfans to misinterpret. McNabb, mind you, is a good guy. He's corny,but good: polite, affable, good work ethic, respectful, etc. But there are very intense racial divides in Philly. This is allexemplified by Geno's -- perhaps the most famous spot for cheesesteaksin the whole city. Me and the crew always roll down to that part of South Street to cop some cheesesteaks when we're in town gallivantingaround. But we always purposely cross the street and get our steaksfrom the other tourist-trap, Jim's. We go to Jim's because Geno'sfeatures a big plaque of a dead police officer, with the words"murdered by Mumia Adult-Jamal." This floored me the first time I sawit. Mumia, in the black community is Exhibit A of the corrupt legaland judicial system and one of the all-time lightning rods between thecommunity and the police (much like Amadou Diallo in NYC). The shortversion of Mumia's long story is that he was convicted of killingofficer David Faulkner (white). Many feel he was wrongfully convictedand sentenced. Others (perhaps just as mny), feel he's guily, or, atthe very least, received his due process and folks should shut and letMumia rot in jail for his life sentence. This was/is an internationalstory. To post such an inflammatory statement ("murdered by MumiaAbdul-Jamal") in front of an establishment that serves thousands ofblacks and/or people that support Mumia's cause is indicative of thebrazen chasm between Philly ethnic communities. If I had to wagermoney, I'd bet that men of the Geno's ilk don't want a McNabb playingthe most important and high-profile position on their squad. ThisCOULD very well be the case in many other cities.
-- I think to really look at this issue we have to start at thefoundation. The foundation indicates to a dude like me that America,although increasingly more tolerant of black qbs, still wants thatposition to stay dominated by white males. (this is going somewhere.)I think this because it seems to be the way American perceptions andchoices operate in mostly all sectors of our secular lives. It seemslike the collective American conscience believes that we should belead by white men. This is true of our CEOs, Presidents, Senators,coaches, captains, star actors, pilots and, most definitely, qbs.Now, Costas, like many Americans, said that it's only fair torecognize the strides that America has made recently. And yes, thereare instances that belie a shift in tolerance and maybe even anoticeable shift in ideology. The Democratic presidential nomineewill either be a woman or a black man (we'll see if either wins,though). Back in the day, Sidney Portier was the only black man given"leading man" roles in Hollywood. Now you have Will Smith, Denzel,Cheadle, Foxx and Terrance Howard. Bob Johnson is an owner. TonyDungy is a Super Bowl winner. Rappers own their own labels, Jay-Z isDef Jam's CEO. There are black surgeons, pilots, CEOs, etc. Thepercentages in all these fields are very low, but progress is beingmade to accommodate those with UNDENIABLE talent.
-- These things bring me to another aspect of this discussion. 1.)Take Hollywood, for instance. You have dudes with moderate talent,like, say, Josh Lucas or Jude Law, who get role after role after role,while black men of equal or greater talent struggle for worthwhileroles. Why? Because studios worry about bankability. Why? Becausethe American public has shown, with their dollars, that they'd rathersee a poorly acted film with Lucas, than a stellar acted film withCheadle.And 2.) Blacks are given shorter leashes for leadership roles becausethe prevailing reception is one of, what I perceive to be,conditioned-skepticism. It's like, "OK, Let's see if he can get thisdone." If Fred Thompson becomes President, that won't be the"prevailing air", it will be, however, with Obama. That was the"prevailing air" with Willingham, but not with Weiss. What this doesis create an atmosphere of impatience, second-guessing and criticism.Willingham's head would be on a silver platter getting carved anddivvied up to the Domer boosters at a banquet hall right now. Forqbs, it means that black qbs typically get pulled (again, what Iperceive to be) faster, are out of the league faster and deal with afan base that moves more quickly to the "he's not the one, getsomebody else in here."Buffalo is very similar to Philly, maybe not as extreme, but verysimilar in that Buffalonians love their squads, but are very tough onthe players. Thurman Thomas was constantly skewered here. Jim Kelly(very similar to Donovan in that they're qbs that have moments offrustrating ineptitude, but far greater instances of excellence) wasrevered here. If Kelly played in Philly, the fans would ride withhim. I'm sure of this. If Donovan played here in Buffalo, the fanswould kill him.
-- I think there's an attitude of: "We're not racist, we're not goingto begrudge you a chance to play qb, but we still don't know if youfellas are equipped, so you better prove us wrong." That's what itis...with coaches, qbs, senators...it's a "prove us wrong" attitude.That leads to unfair criticism
-- I think, in the end, it's the overall treatment that is differentfor blacks and not, specifically, the level of criticism. For onething, there are fewer black qbs, so when one of them gets criticized,it's going to seem more concentrated.
-- You know, it's like television and film. There is room for theridiculously dumb films like Soul Plane or television shows likeFlavor of Love, as long as there are quality films and shows thatbalance those Stepin Fetchit images with smart comedies and compellingdramas, which we rarely get (I point to my favorite TV station forprogramming, HBO, which is premiering around 10 new shows this year,none of which focus on minority story lines. shameful.). So in theNFL, Grossman and Pennington get KILLED, but Manning and Palmer andBrady get praised. One white qb may get prematurely yanked from astarting spot, only to have another white qb take his job or seeanother white qb in another market afforded the opportunity to playthrough his struggles for the whole season. But when there are only ahandful of black qbs in the league and they're getting skewered bylocal press/fans, locked out of training facilities, etc...well, it'seasy to see why/how McNabb could make such a statement.
-- one last thing...did you see those childhood pictures of McNabb?He wasn't winning any best looking contests. His head is shaped likean eggplant, which has made it almost impossible for him to find ahaircut that works. His afro was deplorable. His braids were a sadcharade. And his baldy is disconcerting. He should just wear hishelmet in all interviews and commercials. (speaking of NFL playerswearing helmets in commercials
posted by Twistinado @ 4:27 PM
2 Comments:
At 5:35 PM,
Anonymous said…
On the pre-game show today JB commented on the whole McNabb thing, which was only appropriate since he conducted the interview. The first thing that he said was that the interview was conducted prior to the season started so Donovan's comments had nothing to do with this season. The rest of his comment basically said that everyone out there who is criticizing McNabb for stating his feeling to shut up. Called them out for trying to tell this man how to think and feel. And said that if you are not a black QB then you will never know what it is to walk in his shoes. Thank you JB.
The fact of the matter is that in that same interview they talked about how McNabb was criticized by Rush Limbaugh saying that he was overrated, and then later in a letter/essay from a member( I think local president) of the NAACP for abandoning his race because he was becoming more of a pocket passer. Are you kidding me? So was John Elway abandoning his whiteness by running in his early years? That is just stupid.
On to Costas, and more importantly Chris Carter who when asked about it by Costas on Inside the NFL said McNabbs comments weren't warranted and that Donovan should play better. How lame is that? I don't care if you agree with his comment or not, as a former black athlete who played in the "Good Ol' Boy" network called the NFL you should at the very least say something like, maybe not criticized more, but differently...something, don't just dismiss it.
And Vinny you are dead right about Farve, being gone if he were black, and the same would be said for Grossman, and there is no way Trent Dilfer would have played an entire season if he were black, much less several seasons.
At 1:05 AM,
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