One of my favorite reads, FanHouse colleague Sportz Assassin wrote a interesting piece called Donovan McNabb's Race Comments Way Out Of Bounds. He makes the case that the quarterback position, no matter what the race of the QB, is the most criticized one in sports. And that McNabb, by suggesting that black quarterbacks have it worse in his HBO Real Sports Interview, is being out of line by whipping out the "race card."Personally, I think the only out of bounds thing that McNabb did was being a public figure daring to try to discuss race and perception of job performance in a television interview. I don't particularly want to write about it in a blog post either, because I am not sure that our society can have a thoughtful discussion of this topic. Especially in the form of a short blog entry and mostly anonymous reader comments.
The reason I like writing about sports is that it is terribly fun to be very passionate about stuff that really doesn't matter and is escapist entertainment.
It gets ugly when you write about race or gender and job performance because our country is damaged on this subject. Just about anybody you know who has had a real job has experienced discrimination, no matter what their race, gender, age or whatever. And to be judged not based on your performance but by your immutable characteristics that have nothing to do with anything, well it bites.
To paraphrase, McNabb claims that black quarterbacks have to do "a little extra" to overcome people's biases against black quarterbacks. For me, that's not a terribly provocative statement other than he said it out loud.
I think anyone who does a job that has been traditionally not performed by people of their race or gender do feel like they have to perform better at their job in order to overcome people's traditional biases. Most of my career choices have been in traditionally male professions, and I know I've felt that way. And for some reason, it is grim to even admit that.
McNabb came into the league in 1999, a time where there still weren't many examples of successful black quarterbacks. He came into a very hostile situation where most fans didn't want him picked. Yeah, Philly had a history with Randall Cunningham, but when sports talk cretins make their arguments why they like this guy over that guy, often people's conscious or unconscious biases come to play. Stuff gets thought and stuff gets said.
And McNabb went through all that racial discussion brought up by Rush Limbaugh, certainly something that made him very aware of how at least some people perceive him.
And McNabb went through all that racial discussion brought up by Rush Limbaugh, certainly something that made him very aware of how at least some people perceive him.
I don't think you can live that without it affecting your world view. If you know there has been a history of not wanting black quarterbacks, and there isn't a long history of role models, I don't see why it is out of line to believe you have to work harder than your peers to overcome that bias. The easiest thing for an athlete to do is say trite bland things, to never bring up racial stuff because no matter how innocuous or truthful the statement, it always gets screwed up in our society. See e.g. Tiger Woods.
Because we are all damaged. We want to live a performance-based, unbiased society, but we are humans, and humans have biases. Some of those biases are conscious, some unconscious, some legal, some illegal, and discussions of some biases usually turns into a ugly cluster.
Sports biases are much more fun to talk about. Let me state categorically that I loathe the Dallas Cowboys.
Does Donovan McNabb get more criticism than his white counterparts? The quarterback position is the most scrutinized position in the NFL and is one of the few positions that even casual fans can say anything about. They get more credit and more criticism. Hard to measure relative criticism in different circumstances, but I could see how McNabb feels the way he does.
In 2006, I heard and read plenty of sports talk cretinism as it related to race and Vince Young. Right after the draft, on my former blog, any time I mentioned Vince Young, there would always be a few really nasty racial blasts that I'd have to delete. I am guessing that the stuff a black quarterback hears during the course of his life would probably be worse than that.
McNabb doesn't say everybody is racist, but I am sure he hears enough filth to make him feel he gets criticized more and has to work harder than his peers.
As a fan, you might think McNabb is right or being a whiner or racist or just answering a direct question or whatever, but I'm not sure that the truth as it relates to race, is the same sort of absolute truth that you get solving math problems.
I'd like to have a thoughtful discussion of this, but today's sports talk radio doesn't make me terribly optimistic. Cowboy bashing is much more fun. What say you?
Previously at FanHouse:
McNabb's Race Comments Way Out of Bounds
Because we are all damaged. We want to live a performance-based, unbiased society, but we are humans, and humans have biases. Some of those biases are conscious, some unconscious, some legal, some illegal, and discussions of some biases usually turns into a ugly cluster.
Sports biases are much more fun to talk about. Let me state categorically that I loathe the Dallas Cowboys.
Does Donovan McNabb get more criticism than his white counterparts? The quarterback position is the most scrutinized position in the NFL and is one of the few positions that even casual fans can say anything about. They get more credit and more criticism. Hard to measure relative criticism in different circumstances, but I could see how McNabb feels the way he does.
In 2006, I heard and read plenty of sports talk cretinism as it related to race and Vince Young. Right after the draft, on my former blog, any time I mentioned Vince Young, there would always be a few really nasty racial blasts that I'd have to delete. I am guessing that the stuff a black quarterback hears during the course of his life would probably be worse than that.
McNabb doesn't say everybody is racist, but I am sure he hears enough filth to make him feel he gets criticized more and has to work harder than his peers.
As a fan, you might think McNabb is right or being a whiner or racist or just answering a direct question or whatever, but I'm not sure that the truth as it relates to race, is the same sort of absolute truth that you get solving math problems.
I'd like to have a thoughtful discussion of this, but today's sports talk radio doesn't make me terribly optimistic. Cowboy bashing is much more fun. What say you?
Previously at FanHouse:
McNabb's Race Comments Way Out of Bounds
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
9-18-2007 @ 6:04PM
CrazyDaddy.net said...
I am sure if Ryan Leaf was black then it may have been acceptable that he went on to be - well I dont know isnt he dumping garbage somehwere?
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9-18-2007 @ 6:22PM
LB said...
Crazy-
Leaf is coaching sports at a college bothering no one. Why would you just bash him for no reason? It says more about who you are then him.
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9-18-2007 @ 6:35PM
Gern Wormstead said...
The brothers need to realize you can't have it both ways. Being a quarterback in the NFL is probably the most prestigious position in all of sports, and I sure as hell don't see a shortage of Donovan Mc Nabb jerseys around. Yeah, lots of racism there.
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9-18-2007 @ 6:55PM
LB said...
Brady doesn't take the heat for the fact that they were stealing signs to give him an unfair advantage. He may have known. I sure he asked why the coaches were so sure in the things they were telling him the defense was going to do.
McNabb 5 Pro Bowls, no WR's, healing knee, a team that doesn't like to spend on good players so NcNabb and Westbrook have to carry the whole load. And he has to take all the heat. What about the coach?? His family situation was swept under the rug. What about the organization??? Only McNabb gets the heat.
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9-18-2007 @ 7:06PM
Pops said...
Will Philly ever win anything? Probably not. The only thing that city needs to win is some street sweepers and trash collectors. That has to be the dirtiest city I have ever seen. I mean people just dump trash anywhere and everywhere and don't care. But they want to complain about their losing teams. They need to clean that dirty city up and have some pride. It looks like a damn trash dump.
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9-18-2007 @ 7:28PM
jpq1999 said...
I honnestly believe to some extent it is the OPPOSITE of what he claims. He, Vick, McNair and others have all been annointed as GREAT quarterbacks when they are, at best, average. I guess Rex Grossman, Eli Manning, Chad Pennington, Joey Harrington, JP Losman,Jake Delhomme and others might dispute the fact that poor Donovan is criticized because he is black. I think it's because he's not a whole lot better than any of the white guys listed above who get crucified locally (and some nationally), and have nowhere near the rep poor McNabb has. SHUT UP AND PLAY!!!
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9-18-2007 @ 7:29PM
Gern Wormstead said...
I'm just tired of the race card being played all the time. If race is such a factor, how did he become the face of the franchise? How come they sell so many of his jerseys and he has so many endorsements? I think it's more the other way around, that people are less critical of black QB's because they're black. Michael Vick is a perfect example of this.
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9-18-2007 @ 7:31PM
CrazyDaddy.net said...
aheemm - Lets see,
according to the info I have found Ryan Leaf is a volunteer with QB's. A bit different in my opinion, at that level, than a coach. I am not bashing him just making a point- he was not in any way what was expected though and I think anyone who blinked before his career was over missed it. Point is he was a QB and open to criticism like anyone else black or white.
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9-18-2007 @ 7:33PM
George B Vieto said...
If Donovan thinks that African-Americans have it bad as quarterbacks in the NFL then if he won a few Super Bowls he would be worshiped like Tiger Woods is in golf. By the way Donovan ask the former Miss Americas of African American race how they handled being critized by caucasian critics that they were "given" the title instead of earning it.
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9-18-2007 @ 7:41PM
Matt said...
I have little of substance to add, but I will point out that I would have hated David Carr whether he was white, black, and pink with dainty white gloves.
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9-18-2007 @ 7:54PM
hscs said...
Thanks for writing this. I'm wasn't fond of the lightning quick reaction to McNabb's comment. SA mentioned Tom Brady not receiving much criticism. The reaction a lot of people would have if McNabb had Tom Brady's overexposed sex life would be beyond scary.
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9-18-2007 @ 7:55PM
Derrick said...
Gern..what does his jersey sales have to do with the people in the media who talks about him?
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9-18-2007 @ 8:27PM
The Purist said...
McNabb is just trying to deflect his recent poor play from the headlines. Philly should have kept Garcia, he's a better quarterback and ran the system much better than McNabb ever did. Boo-hoo Donovan, pull out the race card to cover you shortcommings. At best he needs another year to recover from his injury. He's an egotistical a-hole.
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9-18-2007 @ 8:43PM
C Buchler said...
All the money and years he has been in philadelphia the only product he made that was ho-hum good was the soup comericals.Over paid under productive for the money.Always injuried
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9-18-2007 @ 8:50PM
Stephanie Stradley said...
Matt-
Though your comment seems a bit off-topic, it perfectly illustrates what I wrote about in the headline. What people see in what McNabb said, says more about themselves than it says about McNabb.
Personally, I didn't see anything so outrageous in what he said to have people freak out about it, but such is the way that things are these days.
And of course, what it says about you is that you couldn't give a flip what he said about it. And that is a point of view I totally respect.
-Steph
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9-18-2007 @ 9:48PM
Jeff said...
You have brought up many good points.
What I find interesting is when the brodcasting people, many of which I love some I dislike (they hate my Steelahs :) make QB comparisons, they do so usually across racial lines.
They may compare Donovan to Steve McNair but not to Steve Young or Brett Favre, who all three are scramblers in the same type of offensive system.
Or the comparison from not a racial history aspect usually is with regard to Doug Williams, who but never a Jim Kelly etc.
It is a continuation of racial bias IMHO.
I try to look at the ability, the performance not the race - which to be honest is hard to do many times.
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9-18-2007 @ 9:52PM
amart7 said...
let me state categorically that i loathe the philadelphia eagles, but i can be objective enough to make these comments - 1. donovan mcnabb is a damn good quarterback and it wouldn't make a difference if he was orange. he is intelligent, well-spoken and is well within his rights to defend himself against racism. 2. his critics will tend to blame his shaky start on his race, but the reality is that the man is still not 100%. i still hate the eagles, and hope that my cowboys whip on them, but my hat is off to mcnabb for his quality play and his decency
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9-18-2007 @ 9:55PM
spOiler said...
I agree with your statement that McNabb's comments weren't particularly controversial other than he dared to say them in front of a camera.
Most white Americans are in such deep denial about racial issues ("I'm just tired of the race card being played ..."} and most black Americans are so sensitive about race that the subject is not worth discussing in public at all.
Additionally, the media loves these types of stories (see O. J. Simpson) because it thrives on conflict and race is such a polarizing issue.
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9-18-2007 @ 9:59PM
Doc said...
Maybe T.O. was right all along....Oh BTW last time I checked T.O. isn't white....
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9-18-2007 @ 10:10PM
Phil G said...
Thank you, Ms Stardley for your most delightful commentary. It’s the rare occasion that you have the opportunity to read an intelligently written, balanced, and well thought-out blog piece on AOL, no less AOLsports blog. Kudos for you for going outside the blog sphere to gather information for the basis of your blog and adding corroborating references that further strengthens your article. Most of the bloggers herein rely on unsubstantiated statements by other bloggers, innuendo, and their own slanted views to support their own bias personal agenda (who comes to mind most MDS) in their blogs. They are too lazy to do any research of any merit to write a really comprehensive story. You ma’am, are a true journalist. I like your style; I’ll look forward to reading more of your work. If you happen to run into MDS, see if you can get him interested in a copy of “JournalismForDummies,” I’m sure someone has a copy around there.
Now on to the task at hand.
White America has long suffered from historic amnesia. To most ethnics’ its no surprise about McNabb’s comments. But what is most surprising, is white America’s generally overall lack of comprehension and/or understanding of them after all these years of civil rights’ battles waged on the behest of minority groups of all stripes. They want to continually promote what they say is a level playing field for all contenders. But when has it ever been level? They (White) have always put obstacles up whether they’re overt or subtle in sports and civilian life. To complain about or reference these injustices by the status quo usually puts the instigator in a negative position, especially if the instigator is a minority. Instead of considering if there’s any merit, it’s usually quickly attacked and dismissed as “sour grapes” and said to be given as excuses for not being able to “measure up!” Hence a certain predilection of Whites is to accuse Blacks of using the “race card” to dismiss any complaints they may have. Yet the evidence of such past behavior is so preponderant that it begs the question; Why such a quick dismissal? Is it that white people do not want their past and present positions on racial equalities brought out into the open and examined for what they are? Are they afraid they’re going to lose something if there really is a “level playing field?”
I remember while growing up of being told over and over again by my elders that no matter how good I thought my accomplishments were I had to be twice as good as the "man" to get ahead in this world. I didn't understand it until I got to high school and started playing competitve sports and my eyes were opened to the prejudices towards black people. Not for what anything they had done just for being black.
I just remember how the fans reacted to Mark McGuire’s magical season for a lot of my answers.
They said he (the Black Man) was too dumb to learn to read and write the White Man’s Language.
They said he could never be a good soldier.
They said he was not smart enough to be a catcher in baseball.
They said he could never be a great shortstop in baseball.
They said he could never be a great middle linebacker in football.
They said he might be able to run and catch the football but he could never quarterback a team.
They say he can never be President in the “United States of America!”
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