When I was a kid, the big deal in sports news was Joe Gilliam, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gilliam was the first black quarterback to start a season opener after the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, which is when people date the start of the modern NFL. Gilliam was benched eventually and never got another chance to start in the NFL. There was grumbling that his demotion was because he was black, but his poor play and drinking problems were the real reason. Still, even then, the default was to blame whitey.
What this means is that for my lifetime, the sporting press has been hunting for the great black quarterback. There have been plenty of black quarterbacks, but none have been elite or counted as greats in their era. The closest was probably Warren Moon, but he never won anything. Recently, there’s been an effort to make Cam Newton and Russell Wilson the black Joe Montana, thus proving that white people are Hitler. The trouble is the former is not very good and the latter has no interest in being anyone’s Sambo.
Steve Sailer has a convincing argument as to why black quarterbacks in the NFL tend not to be elite passers, and therefore non-elite quarterbacks. Oddly, the proof of this is a white guys, Tim Tebow. In high school, he was used as a quarterback because he was big and could run. In college, he was used the same way in Urban Meyer’s single-wing system. He had no career in the pros, because he was a terrible passer. If he had been turned into a linebacker in college, he would probably be in the NFL now.
That does not change the Cult’s desire to find the black Tom Brady and now they think the have found their man.
For Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, the hyperbole has turned into reality. Those who gushed over him in the preseason, lavishing over-the-top praise, have found those compliments to be just and warranted.
As the fourth-round rookie has led Dallas to a 10-1 record and taken franchise quarterback Tony Romo’s job, he has earned it all. So while respected trainer Tom Shaw used to whisper the comparisons he saw between pupils Patriots QB Tom Brady and Prescott, he now no longer feels compelled to keep quiet.
“I had Tom Brady coming out of college as a rookie and then the first seven years of his career,” Shaw told NFL.com over the phone on Wednesday night. “And I had the opportunity to work with Dak before the draft. What I noticed about Dak was, this guy had the same desire, work ethic, the same traits as Brady. Nobody wants to be compared to anyone else. But he was the hardest worker, guys gravitate towards him, he was the first one there…”
This urge to make Dak Prescott into Tom Brady in black face is perfectly consistent with Progressive thoughts about black people. They don’t really like black people very much. They like the idea of black people. Progressives have an image of the idealized black guy, the Magic Negro, that they believe will fulfill the prophesies about race in America. Barak Obama is about as close as they have come to finding their Big Foot and he did not usher in the end times. Instead he was a mulatto Jimmy Carter.
That’s the thing with Progressives and race. They don’t care about blacks as people. They see black people as something they can sacrifice on the Progressive altar, in order to get grace. American sportswriters will now be competing with one another in piety displays, showing their wonderfulness by how much they swoon over Dak Prescott. Whether or not the kid has any interest in being their Magic Negro is immaterial. He does not get a say in this as he is just a prop anyway.
Dak Prescott appears to be a level headed young man with no interest in changing his name to Hamilton or dancing on a string for the Progressive media. But, the Left has a way of getting their man, which in these cases means turning the object of their affection into a white-hating public nuisance. Colin Kaepernick started out as a sensible young man enjoying early and unexpected success in the NFL. Now he is the symbol for what has gone wrong with the NFL. Fans cheer for him to get hurt.
John Derbyshire called Hamilton a minstrel show and it is a good label for it. In fact, Progressive race mongering over the last half century has been a long live action minstrel show. Instead of whites in black face, Progressive deploy blacks to play the roles chosen for them. Blacks are just props used by good whites to distinguish themselves from bad whites and, at times, spite those bad whites. If real black people actually benefit, it is an unintended consequence. It’s something Hispanics should bear in mind.
“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.”
Booker T. Washington 1911
The race industry has been around for a longtime.
Yeah, back in the 1990’s there was a standing joke about someone (like a GOP Senator) saying “I’m not racist, some of my best friends are black”.
But of course this situation was actually true. White guys from the South – even ‘racist’ white guys – generally actually knew personally and were real life friends with real life no-doubt-about-it black guys. Whereas the northern liberal with ‘correct’ views on such things loved blacks in general but only knew of them!
Last night Penn State’s white quarterback demonstrated why white quarterbacks continue to dominate. The lad threw a series of accurate long passes to rally the team and claw their way back to a victory and a championship.His black receivers of course deserve acclaim but the ability to think and perform under duress in real time from mostly the pocket typified the white field general style of a Brady.
Dan Kurt
As a longtime Redskins fan when the topic turns to black quarterbacks my mind goes back to Doug Williams and that Super Bowl XXII win against Ellway and the Broncos. When asked before the game by reporters about how it felt to be the first black quarterback in a Super Bowl he replied,”I want to be the first black quarterback to WIN a Super Bowl.” 42-10…some would say that was YUGEEEE.
I found this in under a minute (on the Univerity of Miami’s psychology department web site): “Modern racism has evolved from an aggressive prejudicial behavior to a more subtle prejudicial behavior. This type of subtle prejudicial behavior has advanced to a degree that is much more difficult to see, yet is regarded as more severe. This modern form of racism has entered the workplace. Although many companies promise an equal opportunity, there is little doubt that everyone is treated equally within their place of work. Subtle, modern racism is believed to create an image that seems more politically correct. The… Read more »
It would be delicious beyond imagination if a Quarterback, lets say like Brady, where to take to the field in Al Jolson blackface.
Think of the ramifications, the reverse dichotomy’s here. The outrage of the cultural marxists would be beyond precedence. The SJW’s would have to come up with lies and spin unimaginable, the optics of such an act would be on a scale and scope beyond maybe even their capacity of cognitive dissonance.
It would be the troll of the century.
Barak Obama is about as close as they have come to finding their Big Foot and he did not usher in the end times. Instead he was a mulatto Jimmy Carter.
Actually, Barack Obama is a pretty close analogy politically to the black quarterbacks you mentioned in the previous paragraphs. He not only just isn’t any good, but many black big city mayors, such as Michael Coleman of Columbus, Ohio or Andrew Young, could have been much better presidents.
It’s worth noting that both Obama and Dak Prescott are half white. Just saying. But Obama is an intellectual fraud, as may be easily confirmed by reading Jack Cashill’s work http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2011/08/early_obama_letter_confirms_inability_to_write.html Like all actors, he’s long past the point of intoxication by all the bullshit people say about him. Now he’s convinced he really is the smartest man ever to occupy the office,. Dak might be the real thing though. He’s obviously got the physical talent to be the great black hope of the NFL; but unlike Cam Newton, who also does, Dak has the self control and seriousness of… Read more »
T”hat’s the thing with Progressives and race. They don’t care about blacks as people. They see black people as something they can sacrifice on the Progressive altar, in order to get grace.”
Not only grace but also power.
Keep your eye out for James Winston.
Jameis had a little problem with keeping his willie in his pants when he was down in Tallahassee. I don’t think he has the discipline.
Liberals have a few black friends.
I have friends, a few of whom are black.
Big difference.
Yeah, yeah, yeah…progressives are the real racists.
And let me just say, that’s about their only redeeming quality.
It may be anathema to say this, but I’ve been an admirer of Hamilton for quite some time. Have read almost all of his biographies. I have no interest in this Broadway play, though. Probably a lot of lies. He is one of the most interesting and talented men to ever cross the political stage. Lifetime overachiever who started with nothing. A bastard, but one so obviously smart that he was left in charge of an import export business as a young boy during prolonged absences of the owner. People keep trying to pidgeonhole him like they do to all… Read more »
I believe the reason why Hamilton became a revisionist play is because he was one of the founders of federalism, leading to the administrative tyranny we are faced with today. Patrick Henry was correct in his assertion about smelling a rat when Hamilton and his friends violated the mandate of the 13 sovereign states to strengthen their bonds and protect the blessings of liberty they had fought so hard to obtain, and why Henry et all demanded the 2nd Amendment as a bulwark against the hidden potential of administrative tyranny they suspected lay hibernating within the frame work of the… Read more »
Doug’s reply is spot on. I would add this. No one made a better argument than Hamilton and for this alone he is a giant like Pavarotti is a giant. But I have devoured the Federalist Papers, and after a time you come to realize that Hamilton was, in places, making the case for arguments that he did not believe in and doing it brilliantly. . Madison, never. The problem was that by 1789 it was too clear that democratic government was ruining the several “countries”, as John Adams once put it. The loss of a King, once and for… Read more »
james, you will appreciate this remarkable book. Have to say after reading quite a few versions of the American Revolution, this one is not only one of the best, it is developed from a particularly unique perspective, the good the bad and the ugly all get equal notoriety. No punches pulled. It is .99 cents on kindle. https://www.amazon.com/True-History-American-Revolution-ebook/dp/B01092QQ92/ref=sr_1_23?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1480882084&sr=1-23&keywords=history+of+the+american+revolution This below is an absolute must read first, if you read the above. They say true history is far better than fiction, and this marvelous account proves out that axiom. It is a primer for understanding the birth of liberty in the… Read more »
” Recently, there’s been an effort to make Cam Newton and Russell Wilson the black Joe Montana, . . . ”
Shouldn’t that be old black Joe Montana? He is 60.
One of the reasons I quit watching sportsball altogether. It’s really funny to see the looks on people’s faces when they start talking about a particular sports situation at my alma mater because I still live there and was employed by the school, and they suddenly realize that I don’t have a clue as to what they are talking about and even “worse” don’t give a flying fuck.
Imagine what this great country we live in could be if a fraction of the people, energy and resources devoted to these games could be devoted to making America a greater place than it is now? Think how much richer we can be for it in the long run, and in turn sports would be that much a finer thing. Imagine the tangible positives, the fruit of happiness and prosperity it could bear. It just seems like a screwed up conflict of priorities. And indicative of the deeper problems we face as a nation of free men. In that light,… Read more »
The new opiate of the masses. Boycott, boycott, boycott.
Not that it matters any, but on the day after this essay is posted, the Tonight Show rerun from December 12, 1974 features Steve Landesberg mentioning the “first black quarterback.” No, not by name, but hey. It’s somethin’.
How many NFL kickers/punters are black?
How many cornerbacks are white?
They used to be called “House Ni66ers”.
My suspicion is that moniker has gone out of style.
Prescott is a good quarterback and he earned his job. So celebrate Dak. Prescott’s individual achievements mean nothing and accomplish nothing for blacks as concept in identity politics.
”Dak Prescott appears to be a level headed young man” Heard it before; Again and again, African QB celebrated as awesome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randall_Cunningham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kordell_Stewart TWICE: BEFORE prison and then AFTER his prison time, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vick And then https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Griffin_III And of course; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Kaepernick ”Beginning his professional career as a backup to Alex Smith, Kaepernick became the 49ers’ starter in the middle of the 2012 season when Smith suffered a concussion. He remained the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season and went on to lead the 49ers to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994, although the game ended in defeat… Read more »
The problem with racism is that the liberal cult is the true enemy, not brown people. Brown people are just their pawns.
The problem has been that every time blacks seem to be about to figure it out, the progs double down. The pump more money into the community, send the ward heelers in to threaten and bribe rebels in the community, and use formal and informal networks to spread hate, breaking down any bridges into the non-prog world that were built while the anointed were busy with their latest attempt to build utopia. The good and bad news is that the progs seem to be at the political equivalent of zero interest rate financing just about now. Through the BLM crowd… Read more »
The left’s racial narrative worked when it was just talk. Nobody actually wants to deal with the ghetto in real life, not even the liberals. BLM is taking things beyond mere talk, and I don’t think the liberals are necessarily in control of what they unleashed. Also, the narrative was more effective when it was distant yet plausible. Now the narrative is clearly at odds with reality.
Especially not the liberals, who generally live in ultra-white neighborhoods…
There are tigers feasting on their former riders all over the world right now.
did I miss the part where BLM people disrupted Hillary’s campaign? because it sure looks like they never slipped their leash and attacked her, which makes me think they were her creatures all along.
the blacks are going to be in for a big surprise when the day comes — not long now — that they are of no political value to the dems. and at that point……