Every Sunday evening in late fall, I find myself curled up on the couch, eagerly anticipating Carrie Underwood to belt out her famous line. “I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday Night!” booms from our living room television, signaling the start of the National Football Leagues weekly broadcast. Sunday Night Football is the way my family ends every week. What is better than eating a warm, home cooked meal while watching the highly anticipated game? “Geno needs to get his act together before Pete calls in his backup!” my dad exclaims. He is arguably the biggest Seahawks fan in town, and undoubtedly the loudest person to watch a football game with. While it is common to see Geno Smith and other Black quarterbacks take the field every Sunday night,
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The pardon of Kaepernick’s starting spot was no coincidence, seeing as he faced repercussions not only by his team, but by the league. Six days after Kaepernick took a knee, the NFL’s commissioner put out a statement that read, “‘I don't necessarily agree with what he is doing. I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don't live in a perfect society. On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that’” (Smith, 2023, para 8). This statement sparked a wave of backlash in the media, specifically from influential political leaders. For example, Donald Trump stated the following: ‘“I think it's a great lack of respect and appreciation for our country and I really said they should try another country, see if they like it better. See how well they'll be doing. See if they are going to be making $20 million being a second-string quarterback’” (Smith, 2023, para 9). This backhanded declaration led to the resignation of Colin Kaepernick, who was later blackballed by the …show more content…
487). See the A> section. There is a direct correlation between beliefs of past Black quarterbacks and current Black head coaches. The NFL still holds similar perceptions regarding African Americans, portraying them as intellectually inferior to people who are White. Duru also explains the “old-boy network” (Kirsch, 2014, pg. 1). 487) that is deeply embedded within the NFL. This can be described as, “friends hiring friends and friends of friends, all of whom happened to be white” (Kirsch, 2014, pg. 487). See the A> section. It seems the only way African American coaches are hired is if they have a connection with a team's president or coach. As proven from the Bieniemy case, coaching ability is oftentimes dismissed during the hiring process. Some may argue the lack of African American coaches is attributed to the inferior records held by Black coaches. The reality is that an NFL coach's job security depends on their team record and performance during the season. However, in Kirsch's (2014) scholarly journal, there was a study conducted which debunks this false ideology. Economics professor, Janice Madden, headed a study examining the records of both Black and White
The pardon of Kaepernick’s starting spot was no coincidence, seeing as he faced repercussions not only by his team, but by the league. Six days after Kaepernick took a knee, the NFL’s commissioner put out a statement that read, “‘I don't necessarily agree with what he is doing. I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don't live in a perfect society. On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that’” (Smith, 2023, para 8). This statement sparked a wave of backlash in the media, specifically from influential political leaders. For example, Donald Trump stated the following: ‘“I think it's a great lack of respect and appreciation for our country and I really said they should try another country, see if they like it better. See how well they'll be doing. See if they are going to be making $20 million being a second-string quarterback’” (Smith, 2023, para 9). This backhanded declaration led to the resignation of Colin Kaepernick, who was later blackballed by the …show more content…
487). See the A> section. There is a direct correlation between beliefs of past Black quarterbacks and current Black head coaches. The NFL still holds similar perceptions regarding African Americans, portraying them as intellectually inferior to people who are White. Duru also explains the “old-boy network” (Kirsch, 2014, pg. 1). 487) that is deeply embedded within the NFL. This can be described as, “friends hiring friends and friends of friends, all of whom happened to be white” (Kirsch, 2014, pg. 487). See the A> section. It seems the only way African American coaches are hired is if they have a connection with a team's president or coach. As proven from the Bieniemy case, coaching ability is oftentimes dismissed during the hiring process. Some may argue the lack of African American coaches is attributed to the inferior records held by Black coaches. The reality is that an NFL coach's job security depends on their team record and performance during the season. However, in Kirsch's (2014) scholarly journal, there was a study conducted which debunks this false ideology. Economics professor, Janice Madden, headed a study examining the records of both Black and White