Congratulations, you may have just made the dumbest post EVER on this board.
Are you comparing the White experience in America, in general, and professional sports specifically, with that of Blacks? Are you saying that in the history of the game there has never been an accomplished White running Back? That guy on the heisman trophy looks pretty fuckin' white to me.
Besides, the point is once upon a time Blacks were not allowed to compete in professional sports. After awhile it was o.k. as long as they scored lots of touchdowns, stole lots of bases or ripped down a couple of basketball rims, but, coaching? "No fuckin way. Coons are too fuckin stupid for that". Now two Black head coaches are leading their teams into one of the biggest events in all of sport. I say shout it from the hilltop!
Great post!.......the narrow-minded people on these boards don't have the mental skills to consider the past while they judge the present.
I was watching the end of the football game last night, and the first thing they bring up, is the fact that for the first time in history we now have 2 black coaches going to the superbowl.
Who the fuck cares?
Why does this have to be the first thing brought up after indy won...even tony dungy was caught off guard by this. its the year 2007, this really isnt a big deal.
This isnt a milestone like jackie robinson in baseball or anything...people will do anything to get race into the news.
it infers that blacks are inferior so 2 black coaches going to the superbowl is a great accomplishment for them.
If the generations before you were colorblind, things would be different now.
The past has a way of effecting the present and the future....go figure!
So what you're saying is that you advocate the vicious circle continuing.
Which we all know what will happen. The vicious circle will come round full circle and end up right where it began.
Yeah, that's great:rolleyes:
Racism is racism, not matter if it's coming from blacks, whites, hispanics, asians....who ever.
Preferential treatment is discrimination and racism. it will only float for so long, before the vicious circle picks itself up off of it's fat ass and comes round.....again.
And nor blacks or whites will benefit from that happening.
We need unity and equality in this country, involving all races and groups of people. It is the only way we will defeat the threats and dangers we and our children are soon to face; from those who only see one color. Green, the color of money, the color of profit and the color of control.
I was watching the end of the football game last night, and the first thing they bring up, is the fact that for the first time in history we now have 2 black coaches going to the superbowl.
Who the fuck cares?
Why does this have to be the first thing brought up after indy won...even tony dungy was caught off guard by this. its the year 2007, this really isnt a big deal.
This isnt a milestone like jackie robinson in baseball or anything...people will do anything to get race into the news.
do black people not realize it is offensive when white people ask these questions as if they are inferior in some way to white people??
however, I would like to know who the first white person to enter Soul Train was?
and the first black person to enter a cracker barrel...this is much more of a break through in culture.
Miller I tend to agree with you on this one. By turning this into a race thing, we are just perpetuating the lame notion that black people are good enough to run the ball, and tackle people, but it isn't a given that they can be coaches. Black coaches are just as good as white coaches.
We should be celebrating Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith as two great, fathers, husbands, community leaders, and coaches. Race should have nothing to do with it.
That being said, I think it will be a great Superbowl, and I hope the Colts throttle da Bears.
I can see where both sides are coming from on this. But I don't think there is any major racism or white control of power. That's an illusion. It's just a fact of numbers. If the majority were Chinese, then the president would probably be Chinese.
I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
Miller I tend to agree with you on this one. By turning this into a race thing, we are just perpetuating the lame notion that black people are good enough to run the ball, and tackle people, but it isn't a given that they can be coaches. Black coaches are just as good as white coaches.
We should be celebrating Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith as two great, fathers, husbands, community leaders, and coaches. Race should have nothing to do with it.
That being said, I think it will be a great Superbowl, and I hope the Colts throttle da Bears.
I agree with almost all you said. but you are so far on on your last sentence, that I hope you get a lifetime ban for such blasphemy
Anytime a FIRST occurs... it'll make the news. How much people blow it out of proportion is up to the people.
I will venture to guess that it'll be news when the first Japanese pitcher wins the Cy Young award... or the first woman wins the Indy 500... it's a newsworthy event if it is the first time it happens in the history of the sport.
I don't know why people get bent out of shape because of it... people are proud of their heritage... the Irish... the Italians... what's the big deal?
Just because they happen to be black... why is that any different.
...
Bottom line... it is a First. Just like they made a big deal out of Tiger Woods winning the Masters. I don't see a problem here.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
I was watching the end of the football game last night, and the first thing they bring up, is the fact that for the first time in history we now have 2 black coaches going to the superbowl.
Who the fuck cares?
Why does this have to be the first thing brought up after indy won...even tony dungy was caught off guard by this. its the year 2007, this really isnt a big deal.
This isnt a milestone like jackie robinson in baseball or anything...people will do anything to get race into the news.
Interesting, that's the exact thought that went through my head when they said that.
"Everyone is a patriot in some form or another.... i prefer the intelligent ones."
I was watching the end of the football game last night, and the first thing they bring up, is the fact that for the first time in history we now have 2 black coaches going to the superbowl.
Who the fuck cares?
Why does this have to be the first thing brought up after indy won...even tony dungy was caught off guard by this. its the year 2007, this really isnt a big deal.
This isnt a milestone like jackie robinson in baseball or anything...people will do anything to get race into the news.
the issue is the disparity in hiring...this is almost a "see, black coaches are successfull...and can win"
i don't see why they have to bring it up and pound it into the ground, but i can see how it works...
So just how big a deal is it that a brotha (two as it turned out) finally led a team to the Super Bowl? Put it this way: a big enough deal to make black folk in Baltimore root for the hated Colts.
"We're leaving Baltimore," Colts coach Tony Dungy recalled, "and the bus drivers, they were all black guys. They said, 'We were rooting for you today [in the divisional-round game against the Ravens] and we're rooting for you next week. Even though we live in Baltimore, we want you to win and get to the Super Bowl.'"
In the African-American community, the excitement of having Dungy and Chicago's Lovie Smith -- two of the league's six coaches who happen to be members of said community -- make history by becoming the first such coaches to reach pro football's biggest game (played during Black History Month, no less) is similar to when Halle Berry and Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx won Oscars for leading roles. The difference is that awards and elections are subjective. Having two coaches whose skin happens to be darker than most of their peers lead teams to the Super Bowl simply is the inevitable result of equal opportunity.
"It's just like we've said all along," Dungy said. "If you give enough people an opportunity, it's going to be just like everything else -- you're going to have some guys that rise to the top, you're going to have some guys that do well, you're going to have some guys that have to change situations. We're going to be no different than anybody else. Eventually there will be plenty of guys that get there."
For Dungy and Smith to get their teams here had nothing to do with where their ancestors originated. Just as a person's ethnicity, ideally, should have nothing to do with ... well, anything.
So, then, why are we wasting so much (air) time talking about the colors of these men's skin?
I've been guilty of it for six paragraphs, but no more. It distracts us from what's really important: what's inside these men. And, trust me, it would do people good to see more of that.
Dungy and Smith are role models, not just for coaches who look like them or men who look like them, but for all coaches and all men. They live their lives the right way, and as a result they do their jobs the same way. Their priorities are, in order: faith, their families and football. The outcome of the Super Bowl or any game does not define them. They personify words such as class, grace, dignity, honor and integrity. We all can draw inspiration from men such as these.
Dungy and Smith haven't sold their souls in pursuit of the game's Holy Grail, and yet here they are, reminding us that good men can do great things, that nice guys can and do finish first. Dungy learned from Dennis Green and Chuck Noll and passed it on to assistants Smith, Mike Tomlin, Herman Edwards and Rod Marinelli (all head coaches now) that it's OK to enjoy life outside the facility. Dungy and Smith are family men. And they still win.
You won't hear either utter a word of profanity. And they still win. They care about and foster relationships with their players. And they still win. They serve their communities. And still, somehow, they find time to do what it takes to prepare their teams.
Dungy can -- imagine -- spend the Saturday evening before the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots at the mall with his family. Or Dungy, Smith, Edwards and each of their wives can gather for dinner at P.F. Chang's the night before Dungy's Colts and Edwards' Chiefs met in the first round of the playoffs. And yet it didn't halt the Bears' or Colts' journeys to Miami.
Dungy and Smith are Christian men who serve the Lord first and spend nearly as much time serving their communities. Doesn't prevent them from winning. And often. In just three seasons Smith, last season's Coach of the Year, has helped build the Bears into a league power. Dungy has won more regular season games than any coach since 1999. Where does color factor into that?
After they won their conference championships, you heard Smith talk about his "being blessed" and Dungy give thanks to God. That isn't just lip service with these guys. As Christians they believe it is their responsibility to let their light shine whenever they're in the spotlight. Just as they have a game plan for each other come Super Bowl Sunday, both plan to use the global platform that the Super Bowl provides to speak words that could make an impact beyond football. At his oldest son James' funeral last year, Dungy used the eulogy as an opportunity to teach lessons about manhood and fatherhood.
Neither man gets caught up in, you know, being the head coach. Talk about humility: Smith was seated among the fans at the RCA Dome for the Colts-Chiefs playoff game (the Bears had a bye) when a fan approached him for an autograph. Smith, who had been signing for several minutes already, politely told her "not right now" and said he would like to turn his attention to the game. But he watched as she returned to her seat, and during the next break he went over and gave her the autograph.
Regarding a coaching matchup between friends and former colleagues, these are the kinds of things we should be talking about exclusively leading up to the game, the class way in which Dungy and Smith lead their respective organizations. Not something as trivial as Dungy and Smith's skin color. It seems as if every day we hear about players getting arrested or being involved in some embarrassing incident -- and failing as role models. When Dungy walks away from coaching he likely will devote more of his time to the prison ministry about which he's so passionate. He and Smith are examples of what a strong man is. Never mind what they look like. They're the perfect people to represent not just the African-American community but the NFL community.
On Jan. 15, the nation celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We could honor his dream by celebrating Dungy's and Smith's achievements not because of the color of their skin, but the content of their character.
There's a lot of talk about hoping for a day when black coaches in the Super Bowl won't be a big deal, when we won't find it necessary to refer to a coach as a "black coach" (or any person by their race, for that matter).
What's wrong with that day being today? Dungy and Smith have made history, and we happily acknowledge it. As for our practice of categorizing NFL head coaches, let's make that history, too.
Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
make sure the fortune that you seek...is the fortune that you need
I was watching the end of the football game last night, and the first thing they bring up, is the fact that for the first time in history we now have 2 black coaches going to the superbowl.
Who the fuck cares?
Why does this have to be the first thing brought up after indy won...even tony dungy was caught off guard by this. its the year 2007, this really isnt a big deal.
This isnt a milestone like jackie robinson in baseball or anything...people will do anything to get race into the news.
...there aren't that many role models that are brought to light by the media...so having two black coaches in the Super bowl is great....and should be broadcast. More power to them both..and congratulations.
I guess having two black coaches in the same game is better than the poor white coach who may have got whipped in the final and have to hang their head in shame. Or the reverse where the black coach, got out coached by the white coach and the same sad story keeps getting sung.
It is very strange to me that in black people are drastically under represented in coaching and management despite their strong presence as athletes in the sport.
Any ideas as to why?
Yeah. But you'd probably call me a racist if I told you. (even though i'm not).
Yeah. But you'd probably call me a racist if I told you. (even though i'm not).
I find it strange that he doesn't ask the question about why white people are drastically under represented on the field and basketball court despite their strong presence in coaching, management and ownership.
“One good thing about music,
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
I find it strange that he doesn't ask the question about why white people are drastically under represented on the field and basketball court despite their strong presence in coaching, management and ownership.
Great point!
I think a bigger deal should have been made out of the fact that Steve Nash was the first white MVP in over 20 years in the NBA. But the media let that one slip by.
I think a bigger deal should have been made out of the fact that Steve Nash was the first white MVP in over 20 years in the NBA. But the media let that one slip by.
It's not even close to being the same thing. The point being made about Dungy and Smith is about OPPORTUNITY. The NFL didn't have a modern era black head coach until 1990. White guys have been part of the NBA longer than black guys, and they won their fair share of MVP awards for a long time.
"Of course it hurts. You're getting fucked by an elephant."
Every NFL Team Looking For Black Head Coach Now
The Brushback Report
CHICAGO-- While the recent success of Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith has put to rest the notion that black coaches can’t win the big game, the failure of Bill Belichick, Sean Peyton, Brian Billick, and Marty Schottenheimer has prompted serious questions about the big-game capability of white coaches. That’s why every NFL owner, in the rush to duplicate the success of the Bears and Colts, is looking for a black head coach to lead them to the promised land.
“The era of the white head coach is over,” said one AFC owner, who asked not to be identified. “Black head coaches are where it’s at. Everybody wants one. Last year, everybody wanted a blue collar white coach with a mustache and big chin. The year before that, everybody wanted a stoic, brainy white guy in his 50’s. This year? A humble, soft-spoken, African-American players’ coach. Nothing else will do. Do you know any that are available? Because when I look at my white coach right now, one word pops into my mind: obsolete.”
For years, African-American coaching candidates were forced to take a backseat to their white counterparts, who more closely resembled the coaching archetype established by noted whites Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Parcells. Now that archetype has undergone a facelift and owners are turning towards the more trustworthy, intelligent, and hard working black coaches.
“This is a copycat league,” said Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who recently hired Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, and African-American, as his head coach. “And if this season has taught us anything, it’s that black guys are much more qualified to be NFL head coaches than white guys. Hey, the proof is in the numbers. Look at Parcells, Joe Gibbs, Cowher, Schottenheimer, and Bill Belichick: Loser, loser, loser, loser, loser. On the contrary, there were only six black coaches in the league this year, and two are in the Super Bowl. See what I mean? In the world of NFL head coaches, black is definitely the new white.”
With the retirement of Bill Parcells in Dallas, there is currently one head coaching vacancy in the NFL. While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones traditionally hires older white men to lead his team, the recent “black trend” may force him to change his mind – if he wants to win the big game.
“Under normal circumstances, I would replace Bill with another gray-haired white man with an ornery personality,” Jones told the Fort Worth Star Telegram yesterday. “However, it’s clear to me now that I need a Lovie Smith or a Tony Dungy-type. In fact, after the Super Bowl I’m going to make a run at one of those guys. Who cares if they’re under contract? Herm Edwards was under contract with the Jets last year and he got out of it. Now he’s got his dream job and the Jets are stuck with Whitey McWhite, Eric Mangini, who – surprise! – chocked in a playoff game this year. Looks like the stereotypes are true. ”
No one is more proud of the African-American coaching boom than Dungy and Smith, two close friends who have earned their stature through years of hard work and determination. However, both coaches warned of the dangers of stereotyping candidates based on skin color.
“As a black head coach, I understand how frustrating it can be for someone to judge me based on my appearance,” said Smith, who has a career 29-19 record with the Bears. “While I am proud and hopeful about the future of black coaches in this league, I’m also concerned that people are missing the lesson here, which is not that black coaches are more capable, but that skin color is meaningless. Everybody should be evaluated based on their qualifications. God I sound like a public service announcement. I can’t believe I’m the new archetype for NFL head coaches. I’m such a nerd.”
Dungy also envisions a day when owners are colorblind, and coaches, both black and white, will be judged solely on merit.
“I think this is the beginning of a new trend where black coaches, white coaches, Asian coaches, and miscellaneous coaches are judged for who they are rather than their ethnicity,” said Dungy. “I have a dream. I have a dream that all the black coaches and white coaches will line up together, hold hands and sing songs about rainbows and butterflies, and then go skipping off into the sunset. I have that dream every night, actually. That's why my shrink says I should stop eating before I go to bed.”
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
To me, i guess i kind of see it like the Tuskeegee Airmen experiment. You know, the one that was set up to prove the hypothesis that Blacks were incapable of being fighter pilots. They were supposed, and expected, to fail miserably. On the contrary they were rather successful. Oops. I kind of see this the same way. Its a huge "fuck you" to everyone who ever thought that a Black's role was strictly on the field and that Blacks would not be successful coaches. I say again "Bravo".
"When all your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse... better find yourself a place to level out."
Can't it simply be that the NFL wants to acknowledge the accomplishments of two bright, motivated, successful African Americans? Think about what's been happening in the league for the last couple of years. Africn american athletes are acting the fool...drugs, murder raps, getting murdered...that kind of thing is bad for the sport.
Would you prefer the public perception that the NFL is just dressed up jail ball, or would you rather show that yo don't have to be an athlete to be a champion? That's what the NFL has done by promoting the Superbowl the way it has. Don't think for a second that the gravity of it is lost on them...or that it's not on the minds of every minority in this country. It gives people hope that they too might be able to accomplish something more than being associated with outdated stereotypes...or even the "gangsta" culture that is glorified in movies and music.
Lets turn it around and look at it another way...rather than "Why are they making it an issue", how about "How could it have taken so long?"
40+ years since the civil rights movement really took hold...and we're just finally getting to a place where this is possible? That is the real indictment.
Comments
Great post!.......the narrow-minded people on these boards don't have the mental skills to consider the past while they judge the present.
And here I thought I was supposed to be color blind.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
If the generations before you were colorblind, things would be different now.
The past has a way of effecting the present and the future....go figure!
Please advise me when it's no longer racist to treat people as equals.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
it infers that blacks are inferior so 2 black coaches going to the superbowl is a great accomplishment for them.
So what you're saying is that you advocate the vicious circle continuing.
Which we all know what will happen. The vicious circle will come round full circle and end up right where it began.
Yeah, that's great:rolleyes:
Racism is racism, not matter if it's coming from blacks, whites, hispanics, asians....who ever.
Preferential treatment is discrimination and racism. it will only float for so long, before the vicious circle picks itself up off of it's fat ass and comes round.....again.
And nor blacks or whites will benefit from that happening.
We need unity and equality in this country, involving all races and groups of people. It is the only way we will defeat the threats and dangers we and our children are soon to face; from those who only see one color. Green, the color of money, the color of profit and the color of control.
do black people not realize it is offensive when white people ask these questions as if they are inferior in some way to white people??
however, I would like to know who the first white person to enter Soul Train was?
and the first black person to enter a cracker barrel...this is much more of a break through in culture.
We should be celebrating Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith as two great, fathers, husbands, community leaders, and coaches. Race should have nothing to do with it.
That being said, I think it will be a great Superbowl, and I hope the Colts throttle da Bears.
If this current generation were colorblind, we wouldn't need to mention the fact about the black coaches and the Super Bowl.
I wish it were that way, but mentioning these things just holds us back in my opinion.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
I am still pouting from my Hawks losing. Actually I think it will be a great game. I would just like to see Peyton win a ring, he is deserving.
I will venture to guess that it'll be news when the first Japanese pitcher wins the Cy Young award... or the first woman wins the Indy 500... it's a newsworthy event if it is the first time it happens in the history of the sport.
I don't know why people get bent out of shape because of it... people are proud of their heritage... the Irish... the Italians... what's the big deal?
Just because they happen to be black... why is that any different.
...
Bottom line... it is a First. Just like they made a big deal out of Tiger Woods winning the Masters. I don't see a problem here.
Hail, Hail!!!
Interesting, that's the exact thought that went through my head when they said that.
"She fell funny"
"Klaus Daimler, 40, engineer, calm, collected, German"
the issue is the disparity in hiring...this is almost a "see, black coaches are successfull...and can win"
i don't see why they have to bring it up and pound it into the ground, but i can see how it works...
from my window to yours
So just how big a deal is it that a brotha (two as it turned out) finally led a team to the Super Bowl? Put it this way: a big enough deal to make black folk in Baltimore root for the hated Colts.
"We're leaving Baltimore," Colts coach Tony Dungy recalled, "and the bus drivers, they were all black guys. They said, 'We were rooting for you today [in the divisional-round game against the Ravens] and we're rooting for you next week. Even though we live in Baltimore, we want you to win and get to the Super Bowl.'"
In the African-American community, the excitement of having Dungy and Chicago's Lovie Smith -- two of the league's six coaches who happen to be members of said community -- make history by becoming the first such coaches to reach pro football's biggest game (played during Black History Month, no less) is similar to when Halle Berry and Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx won Oscars for leading roles. The difference is that awards and elections are subjective. Having two coaches whose skin happens to be darker than most of their peers lead teams to the Super Bowl simply is the inevitable result of equal opportunity.
"It's just like we've said all along," Dungy said. "If you give enough people an opportunity, it's going to be just like everything else -- you're going to have some guys that rise to the top, you're going to have some guys that do well, you're going to have some guys that have to change situations. We're going to be no different than anybody else. Eventually there will be plenty of guys that get there."
For Dungy and Smith to get their teams here had nothing to do with where their ancestors originated. Just as a person's ethnicity, ideally, should have nothing to do with ... well, anything.
So, then, why are we wasting so much (air) time talking about the colors of these men's skin?
I've been guilty of it for six paragraphs, but no more. It distracts us from what's really important: what's inside these men. And, trust me, it would do people good to see more of that.
Dungy and Smith are role models, not just for coaches who look like them or men who look like them, but for all coaches and all men. They live their lives the right way, and as a result they do their jobs the same way. Their priorities are, in order: faith, their families and football. The outcome of the Super Bowl or any game does not define them. They personify words such as class, grace, dignity, honor and integrity. We all can draw inspiration from men such as these.
Dungy and Smith haven't sold their souls in pursuit of the game's Holy Grail, and yet here they are, reminding us that good men can do great things, that nice guys can and do finish first. Dungy learned from Dennis Green and Chuck Noll and passed it on to assistants Smith, Mike Tomlin, Herman Edwards and Rod Marinelli (all head coaches now) that it's OK to enjoy life outside the facility. Dungy and Smith are family men. And they still win.
You won't hear either utter a word of profanity. And they still win. They care about and foster relationships with their players. And they still win. They serve their communities. And still, somehow, they find time to do what it takes to prepare their teams.
Dungy can -- imagine -- spend the Saturday evening before the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots at the mall with his family. Or Dungy, Smith, Edwards and each of their wives can gather for dinner at P.F. Chang's the night before Dungy's Colts and Edwards' Chiefs met in the first round of the playoffs. And yet it didn't halt the Bears' or Colts' journeys to Miami.
Dungy and Smith are Christian men who serve the Lord first and spend nearly as much time serving their communities. Doesn't prevent them from winning. And often. In just three seasons Smith, last season's Coach of the Year, has helped build the Bears into a league power. Dungy has won more regular season games than any coach since 1999. Where does color factor into that?
After they won their conference championships, you heard Smith talk about his "being blessed" and Dungy give thanks to God. That isn't just lip service with these guys. As Christians they believe it is their responsibility to let their light shine whenever they're in the spotlight. Just as they have a game plan for each other come Super Bowl Sunday, both plan to use the global platform that the Super Bowl provides to speak words that could make an impact beyond football. At his oldest son James' funeral last year, Dungy used the eulogy as an opportunity to teach lessons about manhood and fatherhood.
Neither man gets caught up in, you know, being the head coach. Talk about humility: Smith was seated among the fans at the RCA Dome for the Colts-Chiefs playoff game (the Bears had a bye) when a fan approached him for an autograph. Smith, who had been signing for several minutes already, politely told her "not right now" and said he would like to turn his attention to the game. But he watched as she returned to her seat, and during the next break he went over and gave her the autograph.
Regarding a coaching matchup between friends and former colleagues, these are the kinds of things we should be talking about exclusively leading up to the game, the class way in which Dungy and Smith lead their respective organizations. Not something as trivial as Dungy and Smith's skin color. It seems as if every day we hear about players getting arrested or being involved in some embarrassing incident -- and failing as role models. When Dungy walks away from coaching he likely will devote more of his time to the prison ministry about which he's so passionate. He and Smith are examples of what a strong man is. Never mind what they look like. They're the perfect people to represent not just the African-American community but the NFL community.
On Jan. 15, the nation celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We could honor his dream by celebrating Dungy's and Smith's achievements not because of the color of their skin, but the content of their character.
There's a lot of talk about hoping for a day when black coaches in the Super Bowl won't be a big deal, when we won't find it necessary to refer to a coach as a "black coach" (or any person by their race, for that matter).
What's wrong with that day being today? Dungy and Smith have made history, and we happily acknowledge it. As for our practice of categorizing NFL head coaches, let's make that history, too.
Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
...there aren't that many role models that are brought to light by the media...so having two black coaches in the Super bowl is great....and should be broadcast. More power to them both..and congratulations.
Yeah. But you'd probably call me a racist if I told you. (even though i'm not).
7-6-2006 Las Vegas. 7-20-2006 Portland. 7-22-2006 Gorge. 9-21-2009 Seattle. 9-22-2009 Seattle. 9-26-2009 Ridgefield. 9-25-2011 Vancouver.
11-29-2013 Portland. 10-16-2014 Detroit. 8-8-2018 Seattle. 8-10-2018 Seattle. 8-13-2018 Missoula. 5-10-2024 Portland. 5-30-2024 Seattle.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
Great point!
I think a bigger deal should have been made out of the fact that Steve Nash was the first white MVP in over 20 years in the NBA. But the media let that one slip by.
7-6-2006 Las Vegas. 7-20-2006 Portland. 7-22-2006 Gorge. 9-21-2009 Seattle. 9-22-2009 Seattle. 9-26-2009 Ridgefield. 9-25-2011 Vancouver.
11-29-2013 Portland. 10-16-2014 Detroit. 8-8-2018 Seattle. 8-10-2018 Seattle. 8-13-2018 Missoula. 5-10-2024 Portland. 5-30-2024 Seattle.
It's not even close to being the same thing. The point being made about Dungy and Smith is about OPPORTUNITY. The NFL didn't have a modern era black head coach until 1990. White guys have been part of the NBA longer than black guys, and they won their fair share of MVP awards for a long time.
Know your facts.
Only 6 white guys have won the MVP in the 50 years it's been awarded.
That's pretty damned lop-sided, dude.
http://www.nba.com/history/awards_mvp.html
7-6-2006 Las Vegas. 7-20-2006 Portland. 7-22-2006 Gorge. 9-21-2009 Seattle. 9-22-2009 Seattle. 9-26-2009 Ridgefield. 9-25-2011 Vancouver.
11-29-2013 Portland. 10-16-2014 Detroit. 8-8-2018 Seattle. 8-10-2018 Seattle. 8-13-2018 Missoula. 5-10-2024 Portland. 5-30-2024 Seattle.
The Brushback Report
CHICAGO-- While the recent success of Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith has put to rest the notion that black coaches can’t win the big game, the failure of Bill Belichick, Sean Peyton, Brian Billick, and Marty Schottenheimer has prompted serious questions about the big-game capability of white coaches. That’s why every NFL owner, in the rush to duplicate the success of the Bears and Colts, is looking for a black head coach to lead them to the promised land.
“The era of the white head coach is over,” said one AFC owner, who asked not to be identified. “Black head coaches are where it’s at. Everybody wants one. Last year, everybody wanted a blue collar white coach with a mustache and big chin. The year before that, everybody wanted a stoic, brainy white guy in his 50’s. This year? A humble, soft-spoken, African-American players’ coach. Nothing else will do. Do you know any that are available? Because when I look at my white coach right now, one word pops into my mind: obsolete.”
For years, African-American coaching candidates were forced to take a backseat to their white counterparts, who more closely resembled the coaching archetype established by noted whites Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Parcells. Now that archetype has undergone a facelift and owners are turning towards the more trustworthy, intelligent, and hard working black coaches.
“This is a copycat league,” said Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who recently hired Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, and African-American, as his head coach. “And if this season has taught us anything, it’s that black guys are much more qualified to be NFL head coaches than white guys. Hey, the proof is in the numbers. Look at Parcells, Joe Gibbs, Cowher, Schottenheimer, and Bill Belichick: Loser, loser, loser, loser, loser. On the contrary, there were only six black coaches in the league this year, and two are in the Super Bowl. See what I mean? In the world of NFL head coaches, black is definitely the new white.”
With the retirement of Bill Parcells in Dallas, there is currently one head coaching vacancy in the NFL. While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones traditionally hires older white men to lead his team, the recent “black trend” may force him to change his mind – if he wants to win the big game.
“Under normal circumstances, I would replace Bill with another gray-haired white man with an ornery personality,” Jones told the Fort Worth Star Telegram yesterday. “However, it’s clear to me now that I need a Lovie Smith or a Tony Dungy-type. In fact, after the Super Bowl I’m going to make a run at one of those guys. Who cares if they’re under contract? Herm Edwards was under contract with the Jets last year and he got out of it. Now he’s got his dream job and the Jets are stuck with Whitey McWhite, Eric Mangini, who – surprise! – chocked in a playoff game this year. Looks like the stereotypes are true. ”
No one is more proud of the African-American coaching boom than Dungy and Smith, two close friends who have earned their stature through years of hard work and determination. However, both coaches warned of the dangers of stereotyping candidates based on skin color.
“As a black head coach, I understand how frustrating it can be for someone to judge me based on my appearance,” said Smith, who has a career 29-19 record with the Bears. “While I am proud and hopeful about the future of black coaches in this league, I’m also concerned that people are missing the lesson here, which is not that black coaches are more capable, but that skin color is meaningless. Everybody should be evaluated based on their qualifications. God I sound like a public service announcement. I can’t believe I’m the new archetype for NFL head coaches. I’m such a nerd.”
Dungy also envisions a day when owners are colorblind, and coaches, both black and white, will be judged solely on merit.
“I think this is the beginning of a new trend where black coaches, white coaches, Asian coaches, and miscellaneous coaches are judged for who they are rather than their ethnicity,” said Dungy. “I have a dream. I have a dream that all the black coaches and white coaches will line up together, hold hands and sing songs about rainbows and butterflies, and then go skipping off into the sunset. I have that dream every night, actually. That's why my shrink says I should stop eating before I go to bed.”
http://www.thebrushback.com/blackcoach_full.htm
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
kinakamot ang aking puwit...
me rascando pompis...
krap mijn reet...
boku no ketsuoana o kizu...
bahrosh teezy...
yes, that's the reason :rolleyes:
Would you prefer the public perception that the NFL is just dressed up jail ball, or would you rather show that yo don't have to be an athlete to be a champion? That's what the NFL has done by promoting the Superbowl the way it has. Don't think for a second that the gravity of it is lost on them...or that it's not on the minds of every minority in this country. It gives people hope that they too might be able to accomplish something more than being associated with outdated stereotypes...or even the "gangsta" culture that is glorified in movies and music.
Lets turn it around and look at it another way...rather than "Why are they making it an issue", how about "How could it have taken so long?"
40+ years since the civil rights movement really took hold...and we're just finally getting to a place where this is possible? That is the real indictment.
old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader