--Shirley Povich
So I guess if I get to be Len Pasquarelli, the cats at CHHF get to return the favor and play Cornel West for the day:
Conventional wisdom in many segments of society tells us that this is a racist country. In fact, many people make a living off of perpetuating this idea. Believe what you want.But know this: the Hall of Fame ceremony this weekend, not to mention others before it, tell quite a different story. These stories speak of an America of profound racial interaction and - gasp! - even harmony.These ceremonies speak of an America where grown men step up on stage during the crowning moment of their lives and openly profess their love for other men and women - be they black, white or yellow, Christian, Muslim or Jew, city slicker or country bumpkin.
Word up. One of the best things about watching football is the utter disregard for color. Again, I see the world through the lens of a Cowboys fan--I can't imagine two people with more dissimilar backgrounds than Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, and yet they became great friends as a result of football. I think it's no mistake that we see this phenomenon in sports and in war--arenas where credentialism is more directly punished than other sectors. Depending on a guy to basically look out for your body does wonders for the cause of multiculturalism.
That said, I'd caution against extrapolating too much from the world of pro football, and specifically the Hall Of Fame. Many of these guys are multimillionaires. And the pressure they lived under, for a brief moment in their lives, creates a unique bond. My Dad traveled a world away from the politics that sent him off to the Vietnam War. He went in wanting to be John Wayne. He came out damn near Nat Turner. But when his old war buddies called for a reunion a few years back, he still went. But those sorts of experiences aside, we are still a profoundly segregated country.
There's another cautionary note I'd add about the "tolerance" of pro football and the military--you better not be gay,
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Integrated unless you want to be a coach or a GM.
Great points- it sort of feeds into the whole "Football is war" rhetoric you see. The NFL is one of the more colorblind institutions, on the field.
However, I would argue that white athletes are still granted a lot more leeway with regards to their off the field transgressions. Tom Brady knocks someone up and leaves her for a supermodel, but remains the League's All-American poster boy. Jared Allen gets into trouble repeatedly for his alcohol abuse, but remains highly thought of within the league and avoids suspension. Brady Quinn becomes the definition of an internet party boy, but everyone still thinks he is a future star despite showing nothing on the field. Were these athletes black, doubtless they would be "symptoms" of the "larger problem" of the declining morality of professional athletes. Rap music, BET and video games would doubtless be at fault.
I completely agree with your main point, SpottieOttie, with one exception...
"Brady Quinn becomes the definition of an internet party boy, but everyone still thinks he is a future star despite showing nothing on the field."
Ouch. I'm not a Notre Dame, Cleveland Browns, or Brady Quinn fan but this seems like a pretty bad example. I can't think of one instance in which Quinn has gotten in trouble with the law. I could be mistaken. As far as his on-field ability, let's give the dude a chance. He was a rookie last year playing behind a Pro-Bowl QB. Granted, Derek Anderson hadn't done shit before last year, but that doesn't mean that Quinn is a bum.
As far as Tom Brady goes, I don't think America really cares about that type of thing in general. We have Presidential candidate who left his wife for a younger, hotter millionaire and no one really seems to care. But yeah, if Tom Brady was getting DWI's, in wouldn't affect his 'Q-Rating' at all.
Lastly...Free Vick!!! Or should we not even go there?
Yeah, I saw that when you linked to them in the Emmitt post. I guess it was a nice piece, but it just seems like it was kinda dealing with a strawman. I don't really know anybody* who would make the claim that racism in this country is so bad that black and whites aren't able to become friends. Without getting into whether the claims are right, or not; when people talk about racism in the context of the NFL, they're usually referring to more institutional-type issues like who gets hired (QBs, Head Coaches, etc), or (as was mentioned in the Sewar piece you linked to) why some people raise such a fuss about "over-paid" black athletes, or whether some league rules specifically target the actions of black athletes.
Like I said, focusing on how individual people are able to look past racial differences kinda (intentionally?) misses the actual complaints that critics make.
*okay, anybody remotely credible
Spottie says: "Tom Brady knocks someone up and leaves her for a supermodel, but remains the League's All-American poster boy."
Somewhat unfair because he apparently had no idea she was pregnant when they broke up. And it's not like the mom (a Hollywood star) was exactly lacking in the looks department.
I find your overall premise kind of weak, too, given Michael Strahan's status as a media darling. That nasty divorce and the rumors connected with it didn't hurt him at all. Not that it should have.
"Brady Quinn becomes the definition of an internet party boy, but everyone still thinks he is a future star despite showing nothing on the field."
I don't get this either. Are you thinking of Matt Leinart?
Also, Spottie: "Jared Allen gets into trouble repeatedly for his alcohol abuse, but remains highly thought of within the league and avoids suspension."
Allen was suspended for the first two games last year and it was widely reported that the trade market for him was weak because of concerns about a future infraction. No one doubts his talent, but why should they?
My personal opinion is that on average the military is far and away the least prejudicial part of American Society. Personally I also believe that Don't Ask Don't Tell should be repealed because existing EO policy can be made to cover Gay servicemen and women as it already covers other forms of Discrimination.
Most of the gay servicemen and women that I have known were just like the rest. We do a great disservice when we exclude the rest of society from service. After all in matters of integration the military has historically led the way in respect to changing attitudes about the rest of society.
At several points during my time in service my entire Chain of Command was either African American or Hispanic and I think that the rest of society could stand to learn a lesson from this.
It's really only been in the past decade that blacks have gained something like equality at QB, and maybe the past 5 years as far as coaching positions are concerned.
But at least they've gotten there.
Now if only they can get past the gay phobia. Dave Kopay 'came out' over 30 years ago, and nobody since has been willing to take that chance, probably for good reason.
Another world where color doesn't matter: music. You can either play or you can't and every musician knows color has nothing to do with it.
I don't know, Jeff Garcia kind of came out when he married that Playmate, right? That's definitely a case of over-compensating, right?
Another cautionary note is that sports can also obscure economic inequality. There's parity across race in terms of salary within professional sports but people sometimes mistakenly view that as a microcosm of wider society, even though professional athletes make up such a small percentage of the overall population.
Another cautionary note is that sports can also obscure economic inequality. There's parity across race in terms of salary within professional sports but people sometimes mistakenly view that as a microcosm of wider society, even though professional athletes make up such a small percentage of the overall population.
Obama is "Obama" because he is excellent. You are a first. Act like it. Matt is Harvard so he was allowed to get away with it. MM is Chicago. You KNOW the rules (think Jackie Robinson).
Not to mention that valuing black men for physical prowess isn't inherently anti-racist. In fact, it's in line with beliefs in black men as animals.
This shows again how fundamentally miseducated we are about what racism truly is. Liking black people and bonding with them doesn't necessarily preclude one from believing in the inferiority of black folks.
This kind of shit would be laughable if it weren't indicative of a serious strain of thought in America given far too much legitimacy and deference.
You can't be gay, but you can be completely insane:
http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2008/08/charles-haley-would-like-you-to-watch-him-masturbate.html
"Liking black people and bonding with them doesn't necessarily preclude one from believing in the inferiority of black folks."
Very true, Tyler, but doesn't interacting and bonding with others that you normally wouldn't make it a lot easier to let go of any racist notions you might have? Its certainly not a negative thing.
"Not to mention that valuing black men for physical prowess isn't inherently anti-racist. In fact, it's in line with beliefs in black men as animals."
This has always seemed to be a bit of a stretch to me. Without a doubt, a lot of young, black men are taken advantage of for the physical abilities, but let's not start acting the NFL draft is a slave auction.
Kevin wrote: Another world where color doesn't matter: music. You can either play or you can't and every musician knows color has nothing to do with it.
True true. As a ardent fan of pro football and classical music, I can see the parallel. Both a football squad and an orchestra are the very definition of "team" wherein the individual must learn to function for the good of the harmonious whole.
Which is why it saddens me when I hear of music being cut from schools.
p.s. Welcome, Mr. Coates. I tuned in here at Andrew Sullivan's endorsement. Wow. How cool is this to find the bonus of literate commentary on the NFL!
Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman, of course, have love of Jesus as a common denominator. Don't be gay and in the NFL, but really don't be Muslim and in the NFL.
but really don't be Muslim and in the NFL.
And if you are Muslim, make sure your father was never even remotely involved with the 9/11 hijackers.
http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/sports/2008/06/16/FBI-Interrupts-Running-Backs-Career/?refer=email#page1
Good God, and I thought MY's basket-blogging posts were bad. I want to ram knitting needles through my eyes and this was only slightly relevant to football.
"Another world where color doesn't matter: music. You can either play or you can't and every musician knows color has nothing to do with it."
I don't know that this is quite right. If you can play, you can play, but a great many genres of music are de facto segregated. Not many very well-known black rock musicians, or white rappers. (It's also worth noting, though, that both become less regularly the case as you move toward the indie side of things.) There are definitely some genres that are better integrated, like jazz and top 40, but both of those musical definitions are so vague they're effectively useless.
By the by, Ta-Nehisi, I know we're getting a bit late for welcomes, but I'm a habitual reader of most of the Atlantic bloggers, and as sad as I am to see Matt Yglesias go, I'm glad you're writing here now. I had expected to miss his brand of snark, but moreso I find myself appreciating seeing a few well-developed posts a day more than his hourly asides. (Not a slam on what he's doing, just noticing a welcome contrast in style.)
"Not many very well-known black rock musicians, or white rappers."
Or you also get stupidity like MTV showing Lenny Kraitz's "Again" during a rap hour. Just when I thought MTV couldn't get any dumber, they top themselves.