Black + White + Wrong All Over - [Matthew]
If you saw any of yesterday’s AFC or NFC Championship playoff games-- or have heard any sports news in the last twenty-four hours-- you undoubtedly heard one story over and over. Colts’ Head Coach Tony Dungy and Bears’ Head Coach Lovie Smith, were they to win their playoff game (they both did), would be the first African-American coaches to lead a team to the Superbowl.
Is this interesting? Yes. Significant? No. Here’s why…
The breathless coverage yesterday over this story was unrelenting. From on-field reporters to former player sports anchors, the tone varied little, ranging from surprise to delight to amazement.
But you have to ask why? Why is it amazing? For these media folks, it’s amazing because Coach Dungy and Coach Smith are black. The implicit message is clear: being black was a handicap they had to overcome to achieve this feat. Can someone explain this to me?
The irony is that in their misguided attempts to show how far we’ve come, the sports pundits have instead illustrated how far we still have to go. These guys are black. So what? Why do the media continue to obsess over this issue? Even in super slo-mo replay, they still don’t see the truth of the matter. If we had really evolved as a society, this would have simply come up in the form of a trivia fact. ‘Hey Boomer, bet you didn’t know this. Dungy and Smith will be the first black coaches to lead their teams to the Superbowl. How about that. We’ll be right back.’
The beautiful thing is, sports is no respecter of race. It’s all about who is the fastest and strongest. The same goes for coaching. Heck, if you were a bi-sexual Hottentot, and if you got to be head coach of an NFL franchise, and if you led your team to the Superbowl and won, they’d be hoisting your little bi-sexual Hottentot self onto their shoulders and handing you the Vince Lombardi trophy. That’s how it works. That’s how America works. You win by taking what you’ve been given, working hard, and being better than the other guy.
Contrary to what these sports analysts say, the closest thing we have to a level playing field is the playing field.
How about that? We’ll be right back.
[end ping]
Labels: Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Lovie Smith, racial prejudice, Tony Dungy
posted by Etcetera at 9:36 AM
13 Comments:
Tru dat, my honky.
Actually, I was just trying to convey a similar sentiment to someone about the potential candidacy of Barak Obama. It's irksome that too many people still see ethnicity first. And maybe it's not just race. Labels of any kind get in the way of perception.
Deep thought, funny man.
Yes, the media is sending out a message:
"We'll become a united society if we talk about our differences enough."
At least this is a step better than the message of middle ages medicine:
"You'll heal faster if you have less blood."
Matthew, I can understand your initial reaction to the fuss made over these men going to the Super Bowl. I had the same immediate response in some ways. However, after giving it some thought and consideration, I had to reconsider. Let me explain.
You have to consider that race is an issue in head coaching jobs in sports and in this case the NFL. The big fat cat tycoons that own the teams are ALL white. That's 100% white millionaires that own these teams.
Now, while these owners are free to hire whomever they choose, do you think it is any accident that 82% of the coaches in the NFL are also white? That's right, out of the 32 teams in the NFL, only 6 had black head coaches at seasons end.
To say that it is not significant that of these 6 black head coaches, two of them have taken their teams to the Super Bowl is, with all due respect, the epitome of ignorance.
Being black was not a handicap that these men had to overcome to be successful in the NFL, not at all. But the simple color of their skin is an obstacle that these men routinely faced when getting interviews for coaching positions within the NFL. There is a bias that exists in the NFL (as it does in all sports) when it comes to people of color and being hired for coaching and management positions. A simple look at the statistics bears that out.
You say that sports is no respecter of race. You say it is all about who is the fastest and the strongest. Yes, between the lines that may be true although even that has not always been the case. It was only about 50 - 60 years ago that sports began to allow black athletes to compete for positions on their sports teams. The double standard there is that for the white owners it wasn't so much about equality as it was about winning. That is still the case.
But the same does not go for coaching. There is a bias that runs deep in our country (especially amongst these "good ole boy owners") against placing blacks in places of leadership within the organization. Turning the keys over to African Americans to "man the store" just doesn't seem to sit well in the NFL boardrooms as the numbers bear out. Sure, on the football field we will trust you to carry the ball they say, but in the locker room you just don't seem to have what it takes to lead our teams to victory.
Your ludicrous analogy of the "bi-sexual Hottentrot" being "given" a head coaching job of an NFL franchise is just... well... ludicrous. It is flippant at best to make the connection between a "bi-sexual Hottentrot" and Lovie Smith or Tony Dungy. Those two men have been in the NFL for many, many years and both of them were passed over time and time again for the opportunity to even INTERVIEW for a coaching job... much less "be given" a coaching job in the NFL. Even though their credentials were equal to those who received jobs ahead of them, they were denied the equal opportunity that they should have been afforded. And why? You'd have to ask the rich white guys that write the checks.
You are right. America works best when ALL people are given the EQUAL opportunity to take what they have been given, to work hard and to be better than the other guy. That is all anyone can ask. Dungy and Smith can proudly lay claim to being at the top of their professions and other African Americans can look to them and be proud of not only what they have achieved in spite of the odds, not just because of the color of their skin, but through the work ethic and strength of character that they possess.
The only problem with your logic is assuming there is an inherent racism at work since there is a preponderance of whites amongst NFL brass.
To flip it around, look at how many more black athletes there are playing professional basketball than other races. Is that racism at work? Or is it maybe that, on the whole, there are larger numbers of black athletes playing basketball in high school and college, competing for a spot?
With the billions of dollars at stake, NFL owners don't-- and can't-- give a crap about a person's race. Money is on the line and all that matters is the answer to the question 'Can you build and lead a team that wins?' Do you actually think this group on a whole would pick the second best person to lead their franchise if the best choice available were a minority?
The further disturbing words that came out in interviews on TV yesterday was the idea of making the ranks of NFL coaching 'look more like the NFL itself.' I took that to mean, 'let's put a focus on hiring more minirities.' So much for Dr. King's idea of not judging a man based on the color of his skin.
Here's a novel idea: how about trying to hire the best of the best, then letting the chips fall where they may. As Dungy and Smith have proven, blacks (nor any other group) don't need extra help. The fact that that needs to be said is disheartening in itself. Further, the entire idea of giving minorities a handicap is ignorant, insulting, and racist.
The bi-sexual Hottentot scenario may be funny, but it's not without a point (as I think you realize). In our country, everyone has the freedom and opportunity to make something of themselves and to realize their own dreams. Whether bi-sexual Hottentot or single mother of three, no matter the odds, we live in a unique place where people who want to make it, can.
Racism no longer exists in the laws of our country. You could argue that affirmative action and hiring quotas are some lingering dry heaves of it. With the passing of institutional racism so many decades ago, we can now see where racism really lives. Not in laws, not in regions of the country, but in the dark places of the human heart.
Matthew
Go Colts! Woo!
Thank you, Jordy. I think that was ultimately the point I was attempting to make, that Peyton Manning rocks.
...we can now see where racism really lives. Not in laws, not in regions of the country, but in the dark places of the human heart.
I agree with that... couldn't agree more... and thus it wouild be naive to think that racism is abolished just because their are laws against it. It would also be naive to suggest that there aren't biases in hiring practices in all areas of life... especially if your skin is black, or if you have a same sex preference for example.
There may be laws to prevent racism, but it doesn't mean that there aren't underground rules within companies and organizations that promote it.
You are right... it would be a novel idea to hire the best of the best regardless of the color of the person's skin or who they choose to sleep with... too bad many business owners don't pursue that idea.
Oh... and go Colts! I think the Colts smart white QB will beat the Bears less smart white QB.
I was listening to on old sermon from Mark Driscoll (sp?) at Mars Hill in Seatle this weekend. He talked about how self-righteous people will always seek out people that are similar to themselves. The only way to overcome this self-righteous separation is if everyone focuses on Jesus. As each of us gets closer to Jesus, we become closer to each other.
You should all switch to hockey.
Now there is a sport without any racial bias.
Gordo
Yeah...
Mark Driscoll knows a little about what it means to be self-righteous... that is certainly for sure.
I'm with Gordo. Hockey FTW!
(And besides that, IMO, Canadian football is better.)
Steve,
I think Mark Driscoll would have no problem staying he can be self-righteous. He would also say that when he is, it's a sin and he needs grace from Jesus. I don't know much about Mark, outside of his sermons, but I've rarely seen his level of honesty during sermons.
I hope you either were refering to his awareness of his own sin, or know something about the man I don't. Even if he is less than he presents himself to be, the message is correct, we become closer to each other when we become closer to Jesus. It works to a far lesser extent when a diverse team gets closer to a goal in sports, business, etc.
Chem Erik....
We share different perspectives and there is nothing wrong with that. It was a chance for me to take a shot at Driscoll, someone for whom I don't have much respect.
However, the original premise you made (or said Driscoll made) was that self-righteous people will always seek out people that are similar to themselves. You were speaking overall of the race issue raised in this post. Then the answer for this problem you stated was: we become closer to each other when we become closer to Jesus.
The American Evangelical Church is one of the most racially segregated insitutions in our nation. Certainly I know there are exceptions you can point to, but overall I think it's easy to say this with confidence. However, most of these churches and their pastors would claim that one of their goals is to "get closer to Jesus". Yet somehow this doesn't lead to diversity in the color of their congergations or their pastoral staff.
It's pretty simple, if you have a white senior pastor, you will have a white staff and a white congregation. Of course the opposite is true if you have a black senior pastor, or asian, or hispanic. So to claim that "getting to closer to Jesus" equates with racial harmony is a myth at worst and simplistic at best.
And overall, the statement you made, we become closer to each other when we become closer to Jesus sounds pretty pious. Even in a general sense "getting closer to someone" might have very little to do with Jesus.
We become closer to each other and others unlike us when we increase our compassion and empathy for them. And Christians don't have the corner on the market when it comes to compassion... far from it.
I know, i know.... [pingetcetera] is supposed to be a happy, light and fun place. And here comes "that Steve guy" causing trouble.... sorry about that my ETC friends. I'm feeling feisty these days.
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