I don't think it's overt or that most people are self-aware most of the time. I think it's the last vestiges of old, wrong beliefs that we're moving beyond. But they still exist and those who control the purse strings & make the decisions are generally white guys from an older generation who grew up & were socialized under a lot of false & hurtful truisms about race.
It wasn't that long ago when the majority of white folks (including those in charge of the decision-making) thought that black guys couldn't handle the mental game of being a quarterback. Particularly at the NFL level.
That has changed. However, we should pay attention to how guys are described. Not just the NFL but all the way down to recruiting. Black QBs are praised for their athleticism. Even to the point where a good number of people automatically assume that someone is a dual-threat QB based on his skin color. Carrying that forward, I don't think I've ever seen a national media piece describe the main asset of a black QB as him being cerebral.
This leads into perceptions and opportunities in coaching. Black coaches are talked about as "motivators" and "players coaches". They may be praised for having an eye for talent. They do not get the same credit for scheme and innovation no matter how good they are. And they certainly don't get the same opportunities to be offensive coordinators where it's perceived more as a chess match whereas defensive coordinators are perceived as coaching up athleticism.
With the front office, it's the same thing. It's always about black guys who succeed being credited as talent evaluators. Not nearly enough credit given for being number crunchers with the roster and cap management skills they've displayed.
I don't really know where I'm going with the post except, maybe, to ask people to have their eyes open and be more aware of how things are presented to us. To spot where messages are shaded in ways that perpetuate old racist stereotypes. And to make sure we are checking our own selves so that we aren't carrying around baggage from socialized and reinforced attitudes that we don't even intellectually agree with. Recognize and flush the poison, so to speak.
It wasn't that long ago when the majority of white folks (including those in charge of the decision-making) thought that black guys couldn't handle the mental game of being a quarterback. Particularly at the NFL level.
That has changed. However, we should pay attention to how guys are described. Not just the NFL but all the way down to recruiting. Black QBs are praised for their athleticism. Even to the point where a good number of people automatically assume that someone is a dual-threat QB based on his skin color. Carrying that forward, I don't think I've ever seen a national media piece describe the main asset of a black QB as him being cerebral.
This leads into perceptions and opportunities in coaching. Black coaches are talked about as "motivators" and "players coaches". They may be praised for having an eye for talent. They do not get the same credit for scheme and innovation no matter how good they are. And they certainly don't get the same opportunities to be offensive coordinators where it's perceived more as a chess match whereas defensive coordinators are perceived as coaching up athleticism.
With the front office, it's the same thing. It's always about black guys who succeed being credited as talent evaluators. Not nearly enough credit given for being number crunchers with the roster and cap management skills they've displayed.
I don't really know where I'm going with the post except, maybe, to ask people to have their eyes open and be more aware of how things are presented to us. To spot where messages are shaded in ways that perpetuate old racist stereotypes. And to make sure we are checking our own selves so that we aren't carrying around baggage from socialized and reinforced attitudes that we don't even intellectually agree with. Recognize and flush the poison, so to speak.
