I’m
one who believes the wildly popular Wide
World of Sports we
millions of sports fans follow tragically reflects our greater
society by embodying virtually all the ills and woes of American life
- greed,
gluttony, gender discrimination, and racial exclusion, just
to name a few. Of course, Wall Street, Washington DC, and Hollywood
do also, but sports seem to personify and illustrate, in vivid black
and white, how extremely dysfunctional this nation is.
Nevertheless,
the athletic games we play, America’s national pastimes, have
the potential, the ability, to enhance social and cultural life by
bringing together individuals and communities. Sociological study, in
general, has discovered sports feeds into “ideologies of
gender, affect gender relations, and support or challenge racial and
social class hierarchies.”
Sports
force people to judge individuals by their “content” and
not their color, class nor gender.
Charges
of racism have been leveled against the NFL, again. Brian Flores, a
former head coach in the NFL, has filed a class-action suit against
the NFL, but specifically three teams, the New York Giants, Miami
Dolphins, and Denver Broncos. He’s accusing them of a lack of
integrity and overt discrimination. I won’t bore the non-sports
fans with the pigskin details, however the bigger picture is clear:
it’s about the denial of equal opportunity.
The
league’s unfathomable reply to the obvious exclusion of Blacks
in the head coaching ranks: “The
NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable
employment practices and continue to make progress in providing
equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the
statement read. “Diversity is core to everything we do, and
there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership
team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are
without merit.”
Blatantly
false…without merit… rich White
man, please! Look at the numbers, the data isn’t lying!
Regardless
of the infamous “Rooney Rule” which, when crafted in
2003, was supposed to guarantee at least one Black candidate was, if
nothing else, a part of the interviewing process, the league has
regressed, not progressed, going from 3 Black head coaches in 2003 to
1 today, Mike Tomline with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This abnormality
exists in a business operation (NFL) in which the labor force is
roughly 75% Afro-American.
The
numbers are far beyond troubling. The total is trifling and reflects
what many believe is an entrenched racist mentality which can be seen
throughout the league’s century-plus of existence.
Let’s
hope the vast array of other Afro-American coaches who’ve been
disrespected, slighted, and ultimately shafted by an ownership
cartel, a body that has “0” Black owners, have the guts
to join Flores in his class-action suit. Let’s pray these
alpha-male types have the heart to stand up and speak up against what
we all know is the deliberate discrimination and tactical exclusion
of Black men as head coaches and front office decision-makers.
Imagine
the visual if 20 or so Black coaches join in this class action suit,
are all Blackballed, and can’t get a job in the NFL after their
current contracts end, imagine!
However,
let’s not halt there: additionally what ought to happen now is
the NFL
Players Union should
strategically support Flores’ class-action suit by voting not
to participate in any pre-season games until the racist monopoly is
cracked open and infiltrated - hit these elitist aristocrats in the
only place it counts - their wallets.
On
top of that, what’s crucial: Black athletes from other sports
need to stand up and join in.
And
perhaps more critical to crafting concrete change: this stand Flores
is making - it needs prominent White players to stand with them, both
retired and current, from Dick Butkus, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman,
and Tony Romo, to the two starting white quarterbacks for the
upcoming superbowl. Aaron Rodgers should stand with Black players, as
should Christain McCaffery, the Bosa brothers, Cooper Cupp, the Watt
and Kelcie brothers…it’s a long list of those who could
stand with their fellow gridiron gladiators.
Tom
Brady, more than letting AB stay in one of your 27 guess bedrooms -
stand here with Flores.
Yet
instead, I’d wager it will be very quiet` .
How
can the NFL, with its century-long legacy of racism and exclusion
even have the audacity to offer up this drivle as a defense? It’s
insulting to say the very least.
Let’s
just look at the present-day situation. The League’s Houston
franchise is strategizing over “how to” hire an
out-of-work backup quarterback, Josh McCowen, (no coaching
background) as their coach, instead of Flores. It’s this “Screw
you Nigger” type move that exemplify this within the NFL’s
roundtable of owners. There’s more than a handful who are King
Trump’s buddies, pals, knights of the…. who seem to
share his vision of White male superiority and domination, attainable
by any tyrannical means required - be it lying or cheating, or both.
Let’s
not minimize Brian Flores’ sacrifice. It’s about a 90%
chance he’ll be branded, banned, and barred from the NFL head
coaching ranks, punished for being “ungrateful,”
“uppity,” and “not knowing his place.” The
league is going to “Kaepernick” him and we all know it.
There’s a price to be paid for standing up and speaking out.
Flores may very well have to pay for his strength and character by
never working again in the NFL.
And
lastly, it must be highlighted that the owners of the NFL are a group
of White men, more than of whom few pal around and buddy up with
Donald Trump, despite the harsh truth of the man as racist, sexist
and elitist, to say the very, very least, backed and supported by
White nationalists and supremists. And yet they befriend this man.
What does that say about these men and where their hearts, minds, and
sympathies lie?
May
the gridiron Gods be with Flores; he’s going to need it.
