Life and Football - Sept. 20, 2007

Donovan McNabb came out and announced that he feels that black quarterbacks are under more scrutiny than white. Ironically, his timing is impeccable. Down in Jena, Louisiana, there are six young men whose lives hang upon a fulcrum of racism. Though, not according to the district attorney there. In this story, there was a tree, some shade, a couple of nooses, and a fight. Sound like 1955? 1965? It was last year. Some kids wanted to sit under a “white” tree in Jena. They asked. Yes, apparently they had to ask. They were allowed to do so, yet the next day, three nooses hung from the very tree that the three black teens had sat under. This started something. Fights ended up happening and when a white kid ended up knocked out, six black young men were charged. Heavily. There is a national protest going on, which is good, but that isn’t really enough. The poor kids already have to live in a seemingly racist town with a legal system that denies racism as a part of the situation. The DA claims he is pursuing only justice and that those responsible for their actions must pay. Attempted murder? The white kid went to a school function the night of his apparent attempted murder. That must’ve been a lame ass attempt. Sounds much more like a school fight to me. What does this have to do with Donovan McNabb and football? Well, a lot and a little. I think McNabb has some personal issues with the race thing. He doesn’t like the “running quarterback” label and clearly feels that he has a harder road to travel. He admitted that other quarterbacks take criticism, but in a different way. I’m not sure that I can agree with him, though. I know that racism exists, today, tomorrow, and the next day too. But, I can’t say that Donovan McNabb, Byron Leftwich, or even Michael Vick, pre-dog fighting, were the most criticized QBs as of late. Who takes more heat that Rex Grossman in Chicago, Eli Manning in NY? The “running QB” thing resonates, I suppose, but is Donovan taking it out of context? Maybe. Maybe not. The way race is in America today is a hell of a lot better than fifty years ago, but it’s still depressing. Depressing that an NFL quarterback can vent his frustrations and have it be about race. Depressing that some kids got into a fight at school and because they are black (speculation, but closer to valid than not), they stand trial for higher penalties than school detentions and suspensions. I don’t really know what to think, but I want to understand. I do. I want to get how there are still people who would hang a noose in a tree. I want to get how there are QBs (or just one) who bring up race issues in a league where a vast majority of skill players are black. I just want to know some things and that is life and football on September 20, 2007.