Every morning, immediately after I have my breakfast, I head to a small, quiet room (with tile floors, a sink, a shower, etc.) with my 9300 Communicator to read the latest news stories on ESPN. Most mornings, I scroll through the articles without much reaction. Football’s football, and my predictions and perspectives almost always vary from the next guy’s. But today, Michael Smith (of ESPN) actually got me riled up; and being riled up on the john is not only unpleasant, but potentially unsafe.
So, Michael Smith, you’re the target of my first “rant” in an awfully long while.
Since I read your article on the race of coaches in the NFL on my 9300, and I don’t have pictures enabled by default, I didn’t have any idea what you look like. In fact, it wasn’t until I dashed to my desktop to begin writing THIS, that I saw your picture, and realized that you’re African American. Immediately, I began to wonder if you didn’t secretly bid for a coaching position with one of these teams, and your rejection was the underlying motivation for the article…I was hoping that was the case, anyway.
When are you people (disclaimer: “you people” refers to you people in the media, not you African Americans) going to stop using the race card as leverage for the front page? The NFL’s policy on minority coaches is fine; I don’t have a problem requiring teams to interview minorities before making decisions. Sure, I think it could be a little more sweeping to be fair to guys like…I dunno…me. Why don’t I get a shot at interviewing with each team? Nevermind, this is going off-topic.
I understand the league’s requirements for interviews, and while I’d find it extremely insulting if I were an African American coach, I’m not. It’s fine. What’s not fine is that you’ve decided to keep score of the number of minority coaches being hired, and evaluating the league’s “performance” from that metric. Here’s my favorite quote from your article:
Minority coaches haven’t gone oh-for-eight on the open job market but rather oh-for-one eight times. The NFL’s not adding to its embarrassingly small roster of minority head coaches was not so much one company hiring eight white men for the same level job. It was more like eight individual corporations each selecting one white man over several worthy candidates, both white and black, for one position.
Michael, I’m confused. Your articles aren’t riddled with grammatical mistakes, you work as a writer for ESPN…aren’t we to assume some semblance of intelligent thought goes into your articles? I recognize that my sarcasm doesn’t do much to prove my point, so here’s a question whose answer will prove my point.
How many white runningbacks are there in the NFL?
Quick, now. You’re about to say Mike Alstott…but he doesn’t do all that much running. I’m waiting. Okay, how about this one instead then…
How many white wide receivers are there in the NFL? You’ll be able to come up with a few more this time, no doubt. But I’ll bet the percentage is lower than that of African American coaches to white coaches. Reason? MERIT. MERIT. MERIT. And yet, I haven’t run across an article from Pasquarelli, complaining that too few white athletes have been given a chance. Well, that being said, why would he? The NFL doesn’t have a policy for THAT.
Here’s another gem from your article:
Look, if you dropped the names of the 10 most qualified assistant coaches in a hat and each team drew, at the very least a few of them would come up with a minority. But it isn’t that simple. We don’t live in a meritocracy. There’s a network in place that, unfortunately, most minorities aren’t plugged into.
Okay, you work for ESPN. You’ve got every sports stat from the beginning of time at your very finger tips, so I’m going to put this burden back on you. Compile a list of statistics to justify your “most qualified assistant coaches,” compare them to similar statistics for coaches who were hired instead, and back up your argument with some fact. Unfortunately, in today’s day and age, I’m about as quick to cite racial discrimination as causation for someone’s unemployment as I am to apply for a head coaching job in the NFL (I’m not planning on applying for a head coaching job).
So now the underlying problem here. By writing the article that you did, you effectively precluded any responsible discussion on the topic; no white guy wants to argue – especially with a black man – about racial discrimination, lest they be labeled a racist. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. Not one. But I like to think that the majority of my bones try to act in a logical way, so I’ll take the criticism.
I want the best coach running my Chargers. If it turns out that that coach is African American, Mexican, or Asian…awesome. I couldn’t care less. I just want to win.
Oh, and in closing: if I were Asian or Mexican, I’d be super pissed. Not only do I not have adequate representation in NFL coaching positions, but I don’t even have a writer representing my personal interests on ESPN.
Even the “Chocolate City” got a new white head coach
Why must whites use this line in every “race related rant” they make…
“I don’t have a racist bone in my body.”
Just curious!
People hate the truth no matter how it’s served!
I’m a “black woman” so I don’t know diddly about football….but I totally get what he’s saying, but you seem to take it as another “black” man “complaining”.
Thank God for complainers, like MLK, somebody needs to “keep score”!
All we want is fairness! Just like affirmative action (way off topic I know)…people complain about it especially whites) but they never stop to think about WHY we needed it in the first place.
The mirror never lies!!!
Question: Move on to what???
Thanks for your post. I love a good discussion.
Now, to your comments.
My response: because it’s extremely rare for a white man to take an argumentative position on a race issue without being accused of being racist. We say that line because we feel obligated to explain that our arguments are based on logic – not racial preference.
Serve some, and I’ll tell you if I hate it.
I couldn’t care less if he’s black. What he’s complaining about is silly. If you don’t agree, feel free to answer my questions in the original post: how many white runningbacks are there in the NFL (and more importantly, when was the last time somebody complained about it?)?
Drawing parallels between Michael Smith and MLK is about as justified as comparing Beethoven and Weird Al Yankovic: they both deal with music, but one was a genius…the other is laughable.
Secondly, I’m one of the whites who complains about affirmative action – and thank you for beautifully aligning my response. The problem here is NOT that people don’t stop to think about why we needed it in the first place. If that hadn’t been thought about, affirmative action would never have been established. The problem here is that people don’t start thinking about whether it’s needed NOW or not. We all agree that there was a need for things like affirmative action and unions years ago. But about the only thing it’s accomplishing today is the false promotion of unqualified candidates.
I’ve never quite understood this logic, so help me here. On one side you’re saying “we want fairness.” On the other side you’re saying “we want a certain number of jobs guaranteed to blacks.” What’s fair about that? Businesses, NFL teams, whatever..they’re all interested in making money and succeeding. They do that by hiring the best people available. Become one of the best people available, and you’re good to go. THAT’S fair.
How true. Now, if we can just convince everyone that the color that appears in the mirror is not, in itself, enough to determine your employability, we’ll be rolling.
ANYTHING. Let’s talk about the NFL discriminating against coaches named Mike (all of them got fired this year, it seemed like), or something equally silly. I’m just tired of everything being addressed as a race issue.
“Become one of the best people available, and you’re good to go.”
That only applies in a place called “Utopia”. You and I both know, that a lot of white people could care less about one’s ability over “brotherhood!” That’s the truth all day long…you might not be one, but best and believe it still goes on. Racism is alive and doing very well thank you. Especially in the private industries. And when people deny that it strikes a nerve in me.
Reality is….this country was built on “race”, injustice, etc. etc. What happens to a house when the foundation was poorly made….it becomes unstable and ready to collapse.
Just because slavery ended (and lets not forget the years of segregation, jim crow, skin heads, kkk, out right racist attitudes…..that still remains to this DAY) doesn’t mean the mindset of a lot of whites changed!!!!! It’s as American as apple pie.
So how do we NOW remove it (affirmative action)? Whites are complaining about it now because the job market is shrinking and the population is booming (considering the open borders that seem to be un-manned). So here’s a fix….get rid of affirmative action because us good ol’ white boys need jobs. Hell, we all need jobs. When I was out there looking for a job, trust and believe affirmative action was no where to be found. I got a lot of closed doors especially from privately owned white businesses. That’s truth!!!!!!
The truth has been served….the point is….do we agree on what is “truth”! Most likely not when you wear your shoes and we wear ours.
“What he’s complaining about is silly.”
To who….YOU? Like I said, I don’t know much about football, but I know the majority of the folks on the field is black (except for the quarterback, usually), yet very few coaches are black. That can be said for basketball too. That’s something to look into if nothing else. If he want to complain about that…that’s his right. What…we can only complain and fight for our freedom, voting, education…..but not the “little” things like jobs and a fair shake?
You could care less that he’s black…..but answer this, if he was a white man complaining about not being a running back in the NFL would you be as irked? I doubt it. I say, if that white man wants to be a running back and they don’t allow him to be because he’s white….he should complain! That’s his right and quite frankly his duty to get what he wants and needs.
But a lot of whites have the attitude that negroes should just shut up and take what they can get….be grateful that they weren’t exterminated all together. Stop being a “uppity negro” complaining about “silly” little issues that only HE deems important.
You definitely don’t have to write that all too famous disclaimer (I don’t have a racist bone in my body….I’m just saying) for me, I’m really not that sensitive. But it sounds so cliche and almost “trying to hard”.
“I’ve never quite understood this logic, so help me here. On one side you’re saying “we want fairness.” On the other side you’re saying “we want a certain number of jobs guaranteed to blacks.” What’s fair about that? Businesses, NFL teams, whatever..they’re all interested in making money and succeeding. They do that by hiring the best people available. Become one of the best people available, and you’re good to go. THAT’S fair.”
This shouldn’t be too hard….but lets think about it. If things were FAIR from the gate….if America was never the slave owning, lynching, raping, get rich off free labor country that it is…..would blacks even have to ask that a “certain amount of jobs be guaranteed”! Think about it.
White America wasn’t fair from the start….isn’t it ironic they want FAIRNESS now when it benefits them. Now that’s what I call IRONY!
Do you REALLY think that if affirmative action was rid of right now, today, that “qualified” blacks would have a fair chance? Come on, this is the same country that when blacks were FINALLY allowed to vote, poll houses made them count freakin’ jelly beans in a jar just to get a ballot. Not only would blacks have to be “qualified” we would have to have a 6th sense just to get a job.
It’s rough out there for everyone…..everyone has some kind of complaint about something. Jobs are hard to come by and everyone wants a piece of this so-called American Pie. You can’t knock another man’s hustle. It’s capitalism at it’s finest, everyone trying to rise to the top, but unfortunately there is only room for the elite (mostly white)….while the rest of us is fighting it out at the bottom and blaming each other).
And don’t hate on Weird Al, he made a lot of money being laughable. You deem Beethoven a genius…maybe someone else felt Weird Al is a genius – I know that’s highly unlikely but here’s my point – it’s all in one’s perspective. You feel this black journalist is being “silly”, that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to that. This journalist is pointing out something that HE feels is wrong and that’s his opinion, and he’s entitled to that. I feel whites crying about affirmative action is silly and ironic, that’s my opinion.
So again, “move on to what?” Things aren’t going to change. Black people will never forget or let go. Whites will do what they always been doing. And so on and so on.
The bed has been made……..
If you’re tired of everything being a race issue, then you need to dig up your dead ancestors and slap the maggots out their butts. This is no accident, it’s called KARMA!
Too late!!
oops, so sorry for writing a book.
I do think Weird Al is a genius. But I also think there is no such thing as “whitey keepin the black man down”.