BLACK QUARTERBACK

Although I've pretty much given up on the MLB, NBA, and I think the NHL is still on strike, I just can't let go of the NFL. The Eagles specifically. And it's not just the fact of the compounded stress that comes from supporting the Mets and Sixers ON TOP of the Eagles. Baseball just consumes too much time. 4 hours per game; 162 regular season games. The NBA has become an entirely different sport of basketball. I stopped watching it for the same reasons I stopped playing it. When you get looks of amazement because you PASS, the game's passed you by.

I admit I have an emotional attachment to the Eagles. It's the home team; and when you're away from home it acts as a reminder (of home). From 99-04, the birds did quite a bit of winning and gave an impression that things "were OK at home." But the problem I have with the NFL is the exploitation, corruption, and overall similarities to slavery.

Slavery? These guys makes millions of dollars! True, but they're also the bottom-feeders of this "business." The white men writing their checks are making billions. The rules in place for the "sanctity of the game," in reality keep them in line. The fines are outrageous. This past weekend, DeSean Jackson AND Quentin Demps got fined $10K for a TD celebration.



Drug testing, curfews, dress codes, mandatory media participation...

The Black QB paradigm, and more specifically 5. This guy is the Rosa Parks of black quarterbacks. He's been in the league since '99 and has actually lived through much of the "progress" that has been made for black qb's. McNabb has always been a "company guy." To me, he often tries so hard to be "accepted" by the mainstream that he looks awkward. That may be him...but that would make him a pretty corny guy. And even that, I'm OK with. I respect the guy for what he does ON THE FIELD.

But that's also where this morphing occurs. Crossing over onto the field. What made the fans who boo'd him on draft day change their minds QUICKLY was his combination of run/pass abilities. It could be argued that his injuries in recent years is the reason he isn't running anymore, but 1) the running curtailed before these injuries, and 2) history proves differently. Akili Smith, Andre Ware, Byron Leftwich, Mike Vick, and God bless Kordell Stewart.

The stereotype used to be open: black quarterbacks don't have the mental capacity to play the position. The energy it takes to constantly fight this stereotype, on and off the field, cannot be disregarded. It's a fact, whether you want to admit it or not. If these guys say it on a consistent basis that it's more difficult, than it is. Stay in the pocket, read the defense, stick to the script, don't run too much.

McNabb has adjusted to fit the mold. And it seems to be to his detriment. Athletes get paid the money they do because they perform in ways the average human cannot. And it's because of their natural ability, instincts, and talent. These are rare human beings, capable of amazing physical feats. Systems don't make players; players make systems.

All of us would like to think that we get equal treatment, but we don't. I tried to find the video clip of Rush Limbaugh from 2003, but it's nowhere to be found. Anyone knows that it is tougher to do anything when Lyin' Limbaugh is on the other side. I was able to find a replacement though...