It’s amazing how our perspective of white male behavior seems like isolated incidents as if their four hundred and three-year record states otherwise, feels like insanity right? We have this weird reaction kind of a delayed response like it’s something new.

The NFL, though entertaining, is in the business of selling and trading MALE athletes at a profit or at a loss in order to win a penis-shaped Vince Lombardi trophy, Billie Holiday’s strange fruit comes to mind.

At the same rate, though Black men’s NFL experience may seem bizarre and more of the same, in terms of covert and subtle biases, prejudices, bigotry, and cowardice maneuvers, the obvious purpose is to sabotage the income potential of Black NFL participants. It is clear that White males are under some sort of auto-immune inferiority complex, marrying themselves to attributes of other human beings as if they were their own. It’s like when a customer says “It’s my hair if I bought it.”

The Great White Owner is bathed with emotions of self-worth based on the attributes and talents of his players aka his pawns. The entire NFL ownership club imbibes a player’s abilities via the privilege to choose him, pick him, trade him, govern him and purchase his skills as if they themselves are playing on the Field. But they are! Psychologically, just in another fashion, its called “Playing The Field.’”

Brian Flores’s experience is nothing new but as sad as it is, his up-close encounter of how the “GAME” behind the Game works, to his surprise; I’m sure he found it mind-boggling. White NFL owners’ perception will always value the “Next” Body’s physical metrics as delicious and mouth-watering as he gears up for the TRADING day, this is how they rationalize diversity. Black America’s misfortune is the misunderstanding that White Males will never dismantle the birthright of original principles and intentions as they were originally written by their ancestors.

I don’t think Black America gets it”.

Black athletes are”Golden Tickets.” Black potential coaches have to understand this. This is not DEEP!

The skybox and so-called front office is the Big “HOUSE”, and the Field is the FEILD, and Brian Flores must stay in his place. One must come to question, what have other Black coaches had to do to become successful?

Here Comes Johnnie Cochran

Researchers like Karen Gallagher, Senior Researcher for the Global Sport Institute stated when Tony Dungy and Dennis Green were fired from their NFL head coaching positions despite leading their respective teams to multiple playoffs, civil rights attorney Cyrus Mehri and criminal lawyer Johnnie Cochran Jr. decided to take action. They commissioned a report from Dr. Janice Madden, who found that Black coaches won 1.1 more games per season, were more likely to take their teams to the playoffs, and continuously outperformed their White counterparts.“Their winning percentage was higher in part because the standard they were held to was so much higher than White coaches,” says Karen Gallagher, Senior Researcher for the Global Sport Institute. “And then despite that, they weren’t being hired at the same rates, they weren’t being given second opportunities.” 

After presenting these findings at a press conference, Mehri and Cochran caught the attention of John Wooten, a former NFL player who became the highest-ranking African-American front office executive in the league. Throughout his administrative career, he lobbied and advocated for diversity. He formed a partnership with the lawyers and pointed them towards Dan Rooney, the then-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dan Rooney was well-known for his efforts to foster diversity in the NFL. He collaborated with Bill Nunn, a reporter for the Philadelphia Courier, to draft athletes from HBCUs. In the 60s, the Steelers had drafted more players for HBCUs than any other team and went on to win four Super Bowls. After asking then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue to put pressure on owners to ensure diversity in their teams, he became the chair of the league’s Diversity Committee. 

In 2002, Rooney brought the owners together to vote on and implement what would be known as the Rooney Rule, which required that every club needed to interview at least one candidate of Color in their searches for a head coach. 

The politicians will have you believe it’s a matter of reasoning with the right politician or the right advocacy group. A professor will pontificate on what politics are doing at the moment and have done in the past; It comes down to this folk’s nothing will change “POWER” until its profits, the lack thereof, forces it to.

and the point of it all…

Are homicides the only apparent episode that allows Black people to witness what goes on in the theater of white Americans’ collective minds? The NFL will flounder and skate around the issues of “Tanking” but it’s not about tanking it’s about selling high and buying low, in the hedge of later beating their opponent for profit, glory, and franchise valuation, and don’t forget about that trophy and ring. The cherry on top is the legacy attached, and of course, thus the generational wealth gap of sports ownership will continue to get wider.

Brian Flores’s Dolphins swept Bill Belichick’s supreme team “New England Patriots” all season. Did Brian’s lack of tanking games possibly embarrass Bill? Did Brain spank his boys with the Dolphin broom, and sent those Patriots home with their tails between their legs anger Bill? Was the text message a “Dig” at Brian’s hopes and dreams, by texting “You have the job” then saying “Oops, sorry, wrong Brian.” I believe Bill knew what he was doing.

Brian was out of his place, and to make matters worst, he stepped out and won. AND to even make matters even worst than that, he won with valor and integrity with the respect of his players. All the things, most European white males wish they could feel.

The ideal of a FAIR America, is so ridiculous and literally impossible when one faction of America is about profit by any means necessary and the other team is about fairness by no means available. I believe sticking one’s leg out with intentions of tripping another is White America’s version of minding his own business (interest.)

Watching Brian Flores being interviewed is heartbreaking, he looks conflicted, tired, hurt, and stunned all at the same time.

Guessing as Black males continue to fight for validation within the sports industry, from men who cannot possibly perform at the level Black men do on courts, courses, and ball fields, only two solutions come to mind…

Get out or Get the HELL Out and form your own league!

SDMNEWS/staff