Black History Month is the appropriate time to showcase
the impact and influence of Black people on
American culture. Here in February, Patrick
Mahomes may win his third Super Bowl as Quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, and that
is a highlight in Black American History
because of the historical exclusion and
internal segregation of Blacks within the
league. These boundaries were mirrored in the
greater US society.
The NFL’s Super Bowl spectacle, which is the very
embodiment of virtually everything MAGA
despises and dreads, unfolds with a cast that
sends shivers down the spines of the
Neo-Confederate brigade. American pop culture is everything but…. MAGA. The pigskin extravaganza encompasses
everything MAGA fears; Racial and cultural
diversity, racial and gender inclusion, open
competition, played on a fair and balanced
playing field.
Leading the attack on their “way of life” is Patrick
Mahomes, the biracial quarterback for the
Kansas City Chiefs, whose mere alpha-male
existence challenges the MAGA narrative,
embodying the “dreaded” outcome of
“race-mixing.” And if that wasn’t enough to
ruffle their feathers, Mahomes dares to be
married to a white woman, committing the
cardinal sin of making babies with her.
Then enter pop culture’s lightning rod, the iconic Taylor
Swift, an influential powerhouse, whose clout
is unmeasurable among young female voters. The
MAGA
cult can’t understand how their anti-female agenda
repulses her. Swift’s romance with gridiron
gladiator Travis Kelce - the vaccinated
blue-eyed soul singer and tight-end
extraordinaire, known for rubbing shoulders
with the brothers, and dating beautiful black
women, supporting Black Lives - living a
reality that MAGA punks and weasels can only
dream of experiencing, inflames the jealous
40-year-old male virgins who can’t attract
female attention.
Millionaire ebony gladiators with the globe’s eye upon
them. Tickets are unaffordable, starting at
roughly ten-grand for the rank-and-file “Make
America Great/White Again” cult.
America’s beloved national pastime, Sports, mirrors and
encapsulates the country’s deep-rooted
societal issues. In this theater of
competition and camaraderie, MAGA’s paradox
unfolds. Trump’s cult, predominantly composed
of white Americans, yearns for a “Great White
Hope” both on and off the field. They crave a
“strong” man to dominate not only the games we
all love but also to rule the country with an
iron fist, a sentiment mirrored by
quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Jason Allen in
their MAGA fantasy land.
Travis Kelce, Josh Allen,
Christian McCaffrey, George Kettle - legit, they are “him.” I’d submit they get the
accolades they’ve earned and deserve. Now the
bromance and predictable elevation of Brock
Purdy to Joe Montana status, that’s more a
reflection of how desirous, how hungry MAGA
sports fans are for their “Great White Hope.”
As the National Football League’s historical fan base,
once a sanctuary for the MAGA faithful,
grapples with a changing landscape, the clash
between their idealized version of America and
the diverse reality unfolds in the
star-studded Super Bowl drama. The stage is
set, the players are in position, and the MAGA
movement watches, with bated breath, as their
once-exclusive domain becomes a battleground
for a new America that challenges their core.
The Caucasian alpha-male stud superhero who everyone loves
and admires is becoming, right before our
eyes, a rarity. The MAGA response is no
different from how white America searched for
a “Great White Hope” to defeat the nation’s
first black Heavyweight Champion, the
immensely “manly” and uppity Jack Johnson at
the turn of the last century, which to me
illustrates that white American culture has
not change much from circa 1905.
Delve into the depths of the Neo-Confederate surge
gripping our nation and unravel the intricate
strands fueling the enthusiasm, the almost
savage zest behind King Trump’s loyalists.
What fundamental social dynamics propel the
palpable cultural apprehension? Yes, the
“fear” of displacement and relegation to the
periphery of the American narrative. Direct
your gaze towards the core of America’s
national ethos.
The National Football League is our national religion. It
reflects and embodies our national character
and essence. We are well-dressed cave people.
It’s clear that “evolution” is a complicated
word, just as “civilization” is. If we teach a
cannibal to use a knife and fork, is he
legitimately civilized?
As the NFL 2023/24 season unfolded, the artificial turf
was adorned with black quarterbacks and
coaches, indispensable protagonists in the
riveting gridiron saga. Four Afro-American
coaches were hired this early off-season.
Their presence, an indomitable force, has
irrevocably altered the racially polarized
landscape of the sporting realm, defying
comparison.
I think we’re even seeing more Nubian lovelies as
cheerleaders, altering the societal definition
of “beauty.”
Are we approaching monumental cultural change? Nay, change
is already upon us! A decade ago, we were comin’. Today, we are here baby, and he is him, and he is an ebony alpha male. My Lord, Mary, sweet momma
of baby Jesus, well slap my behind and call me
Mr. Field General! These are feats which will
be recognized as milestones in Black American
history.
Exploring the male soap opera that is the NFL, we can’t
help but confront the “isms” plaguing America
at large, encapsulated within the league’s
century-plus-long narrative. The last
half-century unfolds as a pigskin canvas where
white men, engaged in a work of fertility,
relentlessly sought to thwart and suppress the
ascent of the black gladiator. Their
deliberate orchestration and strategic
manipulation of the gridiron landscape aimed
to favor the non-
athletic White quarterback, with the coveted “Signal
Caller” position enjoying “top-cat” status in
the real world - where Presidents, movie
stars, astronauts, kings, and queens all yearn
to enter the party with the “super-star”
quarterback. Such has been the perennial
desire of men - to be them - and women - to be
with them.
Today’s Black quarterback is the guy some MAGA dad’s son
wants to grow up to be, whose wife and teenage
daughter agree is “dreamy…!” Need I say more?
Black quarterbacks, e.g., CJ Stroud, Jordan Love, Lamar
Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes are not merely redefining the position; they are reshaping the very fabric of the
game, akin to the transformation witnessed in
other positions on the field. This growth to
MAGA is Cancerous, instead, they yearn to
reclaim “their” nation and its cherished pastimes and make them both
Nordic, “Alpine” snow-white again.
The NFL’s future mirrors America’s evolving mosaic
tapestry, profoundly influenced by the
contributions of black individuals and other
Americans of color. That fact horrifies
Conservatives, Confederates, Republicans,
Libertarians, Patriots, i.e., all “real” Americans.
The glory days of total WASP domination were man-made,
make-believe, fake, and fabricated, only
created by excluding black people and other folks of color. The legends and
highlights only honestly exist because we were
not allowed to compete. If we had been, I’d
argue the legends of yesteryear: YA Tittle, Bobby Lane, Bart
Starr, and alas, Johnny U., etc., etc., arguably might not have shined so
bright, gee, some might not have even made
their high school or college team, if it
weren’t for “Jim Crow” - the deliberate and
strategic exclusion of black folks from
competing on a fair and balanced field of
competition, i.e, societal segregation, be it
little league, high school, college or
professional football.
There should be a giant “asterisk” (*) in place by all NFL
players’ names who shined and made the Hall Of
Fame in Canton, Ohio, before racial
integration, only because, as we all know,
they achieved all these accolades minus competition from the most talented and spirited
foes, who were not allowed to participate.
Please, please, please stop me if I’m lying.
All we’ve ever asked for was fairness and decency. It’s sadly tragic how trifling White America appears
in denying us that. You know, as a whole, generally speaking. Yet, the fortress of White supremacy stands
besieged; the ideals of integration and
inclusion seem to unravel their fraudulent
grip on dominance. The cherished gridiron
“Field General” position is on the brink of
transformation. By the dawn of 2030,
Afro-American “Signal Callers” may outnumber
their White counterparts. White America, just
like the NFL’s traditional base, longs for a
“Great White Hope,” a “strong” man to rule the
day, they long for strong, powerful white men
to dominate the game and rule the day, rule
the country, with an iron fist.
So they are stunned Bill Belichick can’t get a job in the
NFL.
How fragile, yet how scary, is this White supremacy
insanity?
As the NFL deepens in its diversity, it simultaneously repels the “Make America Great/ White
Again” sports fan base - a formidable
demographic constituting a significant portion
of both fan and advertiser/sponsor bases. The
looming specter of a potential boycott by 60
million individuals could deliver a resounding
blow to the league’s financial standing. Just
ask Budweiser about the palpable impact such a backlash can have
on one’s wallet.
The NFL’s nightmare: turning as “Black” and “woke” as the
National Basketball
Association, and that transformation would be the equivalent of the
“end of the world.” Alas, the end of America!
The NFL’s Super Bowl encompasses everything
MAGA fears: racial and cultural diversity,
racial and gender inclusion, a fair and
balanced playing field, and open competition.
