As we remember the accomplishments that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr made in his mere 38 years of life; I can’t help but be thankful for his fight, his vision, his overall courage to lead the charge for equality. He believed all men in the eyes of God were created equal in spite of their pigmentation. Thereby not accepting the status quo and being treated less than was not acceptable.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character".
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
This was a very profound statement. Thanks to the exploits of Dr. King we’ve made significant advances in matters of racial equality, culminating with the election of Barrack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. However, to say that a milestone such as this is evidence that complete change has come is a bit premature and naïve.
It’s been said that sports is normally ahead of the curve in regards to race. Case in point, Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to stand on a bus, leading to the initiation of the boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama bus system. Even with strides being made, winning one battle doesn’t mean you’ve won the war. Dr. King’s vision was to have everyone be judged on their merits. Everyone.
During the 2019 college football season after the University of Texas lost to Texas Christian University, Pro Football Hall of Famer and University of Texas legend, Earl Campbell made a comment about the state of the University of Texas football program that had many people irate, and justifiably so. Campbell stated, "You got to have a talented, black quarterback." That's how the legendary Texas running back said he'd fix the Longhorns' woes and the 64-year-old seemed serious about it. The NFL Hall of Famer spoke with the Austin American-Statesman a few months ago when he made the claim saying, "All these schools that are winning, even in the pros, have black quarterbacks." Campbell added, "When guys are not open, something can still happen.".
I, for one, was not shocked by him and other school supporters being disappointed at the outcome of the game. With the money and resources available for disposal within this proud football program, fans and alumni expect better. After winning a New Year’s Day Bowl game against the University of Georgia the previous season, expectations were high. Some even expected them to challenge for the College Football Playoff coming into the season. Unfortunately, the Longhorns fell well short of those expectations. Campbell, the school’s 1st Heisman trophy winner, is one who was very critical of this disappointing season. While I believe he’s entitled to his opinion, what I don’t agree with is his short-sighted slight at the expense of the Longhorn QB Sam Ehlinger. It is akin to the bigoted type of stereotypes that we as blacks experience daily. To say that the only winning programs in football college and the pros have black quarterbacks is asinine. I am not assuming he meant this literally because we know this isn’t true. NFL teams are salivating for the opportunity to draft LSU’s Joe Burrow and although I still say Joe Montana is the GOAT; Tom Brady is still wildly successful in New England every year. I can’t speak to Earl’s mental state when he made these comments. He could have been inebriated or intentionally made those inflammatory comments just to get attention, ala Lavar Ball. I don’t know that, but I do know his statement came off as ignorant especially in the current climate in America where hate filled hooligans shoot up historical monuments just because they can.
Instead of saying the team needs a black quarterback, he should have described the skillset of the type of QB he believes the team needs. It very well may be that 90% of the players he describes are black but at least then you’re being objective and open to all possibilities. For instance, NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young fits the description of what he believes Texas needs and he’s not black. Describing a type of player and not taking preference over the fact that one guy looks the part more than the other just because of their pigmentation is a more tactful way to say get a better QB. That sort of thinking is what made it so hard for black QBs like Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham to get to the NFL. There were anomalies like Doug Williams, who ultimately became the first black QB to win the Super Bowl, but those guys and many others weren’t given a fair shake because they were told didn’t look the part and that they weren’t intelligent enough. It’s essentially the same thing by stating a black quarterback is what the University of Texas needs to win. Don’t get me wrong Vince Young was a successful Longhorn QB, culminating with a National Championship and being selected with the #3 overall pick in the NFL Draft. What about Tyrone Swoopes? He was a black, Longhorn QB. He is now a tight end for the Seattle Seahawks. I also recall Colt McCoy, being a fairly successful quarterback at Texas too. The point is, players either can play or they can’t. It doesn’t matter what they look like.
There is a stigma that exists, among even some blacks who have an opinion opposite of Campbell’s, specifically, in the pro game. Whether jokingly or not, they say you don’t have a real QB if he’s black. I liken it to a “Sanford and Son” episode when Fred went to the dentist but didn’t want to be treated by the black dentist but preferred to see the white dental assistant. Myself being a Carolina Panther fan and Cam Newton apologist, have had to try to defend him at every turn and comparing him to a Tom Brady or a Drew Brees is futile by traditional QB standards. They are clearly better at their craft than Cam from a passing standpoint, but his overall abilities makes him a valuable asset at the quarterback position. So I say this, do you not believe Texas would be a better team if they had Clemson’s, Trevor Lawrence over Sam Ehlinger? I believe so, but also might agree Ohio State’s Justin Fields would make this team better too. They are better overall quarterbacks who possess more natural talent and that is not predicated on their pigmentation, but their abilities. Isn’t that how it should work, judging their performance, not assuming their abilities based on what they look like.
Despite the fact that unfair stereotyping still exists, I am encouraged, especially considering the current landscape of the NFL players. Now coaches and upper management is another story entirely. Just consider for a moment, the possibility of a dual threat running back, who is lethal in both the passing and running game and is be able to go over 1000 yards rushing and receiving like only 2 men before him. He is a threat to take it to the house at any giving moment. Would I be referring to Alvin Kamara or Todd Gurley? Neither. I am referring to Christian McCaffrey. He is a player in the mold of Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. Many people doubted his ability to succeed in the NFL because of his size, and to a lesser extent his skin color. Honestly speaking, who was the last white running back that could impact a football game like him? Danny Woodhead, Peyton Hillis, Mike Alstott. This guy is not an elite white running back, he’s an elite running back. He is not the anomaly. The top 5 candidates for the MVP at one point were Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Christian McCaffrey, and some can argue despite injury, last year’s MVP Pat Mahomes. All of these man do not fit the stereotypical mold of the positions they play (most QBs are white, most RBs are black) and yet they are excelling at their position. A former Hall of Fame NFL GM even suggested Lamar Jackson should play wide receiver going into the NFL Draft in 2018. Well the “wide receiver” went toe to toe with the man some call the GOAT in Tom Brady and outplayed him convincingly. Jackson lead the league in TD passes with 36 while also rushing for an additional 7 more. Lamar was also the first QB in NFL history to throw for at least 3000 yards and rush for at least 1000 yards in the same season. By all accounts he is the odds-on favorite to be this season’s NFL MVP.
In the NBA, a league predominantly populated by black players. One of their league’s biggest stars and current MVP candidate is Luka Doncic. A 2nd year pro from the European country of Slovenia. Luka is arguably a top 5 player right now. In a league where European basketball players were once thought of as soft, he is putting up stats comparable to LeBron James at the same age. His abilities on the basketball court are unquestionable. It goes to show that inner city kids from the streets of New York or LA aren’t the only guys who can rule the blacktop. Being objective and allowing people to show that they can perform the tasks asked of them despite how they look is a great principle to adopt.
R&B is my favorite genre of music but I would miss out on all that music has to offer if I minimized someone’s ability to perform because of their skin tone. I like the fact I can put on some smooth R&B jams and it can very well be Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, it can also be Robin Thicke. I can also hear the great oratory remarks of a great political leader like John F. Kennedy, but I can also be invigorated by the words of Barrack Obama. If I am looking for a good spiritual word, I can listen to Ron Carpenter or Tony Evans. Each of these men are of a different ethnicity, but their God given abilities are what make them exceptional in their fields not the pigmentation of their skin.
Stereotyping is lazy and it’s divisive. The God I serve gives us wisdom and discernment in regards to how we perceive one another. Get to know someone and what they are capable of before casting judgement. Dr. King would have liked it that way.
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