Sunday, January 23, 2005
RACE AND EQUALITY
With MLK Day this past week, I've been thinking a lot about race and equality this week. And this may cause some controversy, but my first reaction to reading a Saturday morning LA Times sports section article was disturbing.
The article, called Satisfaction Guaranteed, discussed how today's NFC championship game would pit two black quarterbacks, Philly's Donovan McNabb and Atlanta's Michael Vick, against each other for the first time in NFL history. Regardless of who wins, yet another black quarterback would lead their team to the Super Bowl for only the third time.
Now, I understand it would be a worth mentioning the first black quarterback who made it to the Super Bowl, especially in light of the struggles and persecution blacks faced during slavery and the Civil Rights movement. Who could have imagined a black quarterback leading his team to the Super Bowl back in the turbulent '60s? Obviously, I wasn't there and am not black, but I can only imagine the heartache they must have endured.
But even though racism still exists today, this is 2005. To me, this article tends to make me think the author doesn't think there should be black quarterbacks. Maybe I'm missing the point, but if we're all striving for equality, there shouldn't be articles like this anymore. Instead, it should have been about two very good teams with two exceptional good quarterbacks, who happen to both be black.
With MLK Day this past week, I've been thinking a lot about race and equality this week. And this may cause some controversy, but my first reaction to reading a Saturday morning LA Times sports section article was disturbing.
The article, called Satisfaction Guaranteed, discussed how today's NFC championship game would pit two black quarterbacks, Philly's Donovan McNabb and Atlanta's Michael Vick, against each other for the first time in NFL history. Regardless of who wins, yet another black quarterback would lead their team to the Super Bowl for only the third time.
Now, I understand it would be a worth mentioning the first black quarterback who made it to the Super Bowl, especially in light of the struggles and persecution blacks faced during slavery and the Civil Rights movement. Who could have imagined a black quarterback leading his team to the Super Bowl back in the turbulent '60s? Obviously, I wasn't there and am not black, but I can only imagine the heartache they must have endured.
But even though racism still exists today, this is 2005. To me, this article tends to make me think the author doesn't think there should be black quarterbacks. Maybe I'm missing the point, but if we're all striving for equality, there shouldn't be articles like this anymore. Instead, it should have been about two very good teams with two exceptional good quarterbacks, who happen to both be black.
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