Rise of the Black Quarterback
Football is a sport characterized by savage brutality, extreme athleticism, and sacrifice. It is also a sport where there is a clear hierarchy of power among positions, and can mirror society when you take a look at how the NFL is built. The NFL is not the only league that has this problem, but there are reasons the NFL is singled out, contrary to the belief that the league is being unjustly targeted. Before we get into the good, I want to highlight a couple things that I think people should know about sports in general, and especially American sports, because there are certain things that need to change:
- The NFL (and NBA, for that matter) are both around 70% black, which means that both leagues are majority black, but there is only one majority owner of an American sports franchise. Michael Jordan (G.O.A.T., by the way) is the only black man to own a team in US sports, and one of only three people of color to own a franchise (Shahid Khan, a Pakistani man, owns the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Arturo Moreno, a Mexican man, owns the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) in American sports. Quite a disparity for leagues that are mostly ethnic.
- The owners clearly are not diverse, but in the coaching ranks, there is more diversity, however small. Here’s a thought experiment: Name the black coaches in the NFL, without researching. I can give you Mike Tomlin, Anthony Lynn, and I believe that’s it. The NBA is more even along the coaching lines, so they deserve respect for that. The point isn’t just that black people aren’t actually in the positions, but that they aren’t even being interviewed. There are coaches being hired into the ranks of professional coaching that have not proven themselves at ANY level, or have even had subpar records on levels lower than the professional level, and are chosen before black coordinators that have led top ranked units on the professional level. Makes no sense, especially considering the Rooney Rule is in place in order to provide more opportunities to minority coaches that are trying to break into the NFL. It does not seem to be working, and needs some serious refinement.
With all that being said, for years, the black athlete was liked to a modern day Sambo, someone with elite athleticism and strength, but lacking in the brains department, pigeonholed into being the blunt instrument of sports, the tool by which teams get things done. The thinking positions in football, however, have historically been reserved for white people. From Bart Starr, Fran Tarkenton to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, the best quarterbacks in the league have always been thought to be white men. They have been a few black quarterbacks throughout history that have defied conventional logic, such as Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Donovan McNabb, Randall Cunningham, Daunte Culpepper, Aaron Brooks, Quincy Carter, Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, Vince Young, and Steve McNair. However, what we have seen these past few years is a coming out party for black quarterbacks.
I submit to you the following examples of black excellence at the quarterback position:
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NFL MVP: Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, who passed for over 3,000 yards, led the league in PASSING touchdowns, and broke the record for rushing, rushing touchdowns and became the only player to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,500 in a single season in 2019–2020. He became the second unanimous MVP in league history, after Tom Brady did it in 2010.
Super Bowl MVP: Patrick Mahomes, who was the NFL MVP two years ago while passing for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions, and completed 66 percent of his passes. He was hurt for part of the 2019–2020 year, but led the Chiefs to three 10 point comebacks, while regaining his title as the best quarterback in the league (yes, even better than Aaron Rodgers.)
Other black quarterbacks to mention in these :
Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, Jacoby Brisset, Dak Prescott, Cam Newton, Jameis Winston (I know he’s controversial, but was a starter at some point), Teddy Bridgewater, Tyrod Taylor, and Dwayne Haskins.
Black quarterbacks are having the success that many thought they weren’t capable of, as many thought the only way to truly be successful was to be a Michael Vick clone, a running quarterback that needs to use his legs to win. While that is something that could be done, let us remember that black people have always adapted, and continue to do so. It has never been that we could not play the quarterback position, it has always been that we haven’t been given the opportunities to show that we can do so.
That has changed. The black man has arrived, and are leading their teams to the playoffs and beyond. There’s no sense in fighting the trend, because black quarterbacks are here to stay, so embrace it.
Or not, they don’t care, nor should they.
