NFL
Owner or Prison Warden
NFL owners have been under an intense microscope by NFL
fans and the general population alike for the better part of a year in response
to Colin Kaepernick. The responses of NFL owners for the most part have done
neither the league or their individual teams any favors. This is especially
true when it comes to Houston Texans owner Bob McNair’s recent comments
regarding the anthem protests. At a recent NFL owners meeting, McNair warned
fellow owners that they “can’t have the inmates running the prison.” Although
McNair released a BS apology to try and save face, the comments are extremely
problematic for a number of reasons. McNair is an owner of a franchise in a
league that is predominantly black and in a city that is minority dominated.
These comments struck a nerve within the locker room as star Wide Receiver DeAndre
Hopkins skipped practice the next day as numerous players threatened to walk
out due to pure disgust with the comments. Fans were in an uproar as their team
followed up with a majority of the team kneeling during the national anthem
while fans rained down boos for their demonstration. This reaction shows a
problem within the confines of this country as more uproar was given to the
players for protesting than given to the owner who just equated these athletes
to inmates. I personally do not blame the Texans for protesting as an entire
team, even though this would not have been my protest of choice. Black men
often times have to live with this stigma of being a threat to society from a
young age. This has been proven true from Emmet Till in the past to LaQuan
McDonald and Trayvon Martin in the contemporary moment. Whether black men are
innocent or not they are viewed as a threat or a potential threat at every
turn. A majority of these athletes come from less than affluent backgrounds and
utilized football as their way out and avoid being labeled with the stereotypical
stigma as the black male criminal; now their boss has blindly labeled not only
the players he employs but their colleagues as inmates. McNair, like myself, is
a native Southerner who has been alive long enough to witness the Civil Rights
Movement and Black Lives Matter movements and have the ability to comprehend
both. This means he has been a witness to the narrative that black people have
tried to change about black men and knows how problematic the statement was and
has only back pedaled because it was released to the public. This statement, although
it will be swept under the rug by most in the general scope of things, I
believe will affect the Texans franchise for years to come under his ownership
as I expect a mass exodus of star black athletes at the end of their contracts
with the franchise and for the franchise to be black listed among black
athletes much like Kaepernick has been from the rest of the league in a “you
mess with one of us you mess with all of us” type fashion. Will this ultimately
happen? Probably not, as these “inmates” have families to provide for and are
in no way shape or form playing for an “owner” but they are playing a game they
love at the highest level and getting paid to do it. The bigger story eventually
became the protest than the actual statement in the long run which shows this
inmate the true problem plaguing America.
It seems that owners like Bob McNair and others will never be able to grapple with what their players are protesting. No matter how many times players explain that taking a knee is not a demonstration against the military, but rather a statement condemning the racial inequality that is still interwoven into the fabric of American society, the rich white men at the top of most NFL organizations, who believe that the fight for civil rights ended in the sixties, and that "black people need to be grateful for what they have," remain steadfast in their ignorance. With some of the most powerful, wealthiest, white Americans perpetuating this faulty narrative, it is easy to see how so many people are quick to accept the NFL players protest as a sign of disrespect rather than an attempt by players use their influence to shed light on the racial injustice that continues to infect all aspects of life in the United States.
ReplyDeleteOne point I really like here is how notions of racism (whether intentional or not) can be "swept under the rug." It seems that especially today once media coverage shifts away from these racist sentiments they are often forgotten. Going forward the players will have to make a continuous effort to clearly display their message to the media and their owners, making sure these issues are consistently discussed. I am also reminded of the event when former LA Clippers owner Donald Stirling was caught on tape using racist language. The fans and players coming together to force the owner to sell the team provides a positive example for a productive reaction to racist notions.
ReplyDeleteBob McNair's comment, "we can't have the inmates running the prison", had to have been directed in a derogatory manner, due to the fact there are many other ways that he would've been able to say that the players should not try to take charge of every situation and rather let their coaches and higher staff members take control. This comment made by Bob McNair thoroughly affected many people including NFL Executive and NFL former player Troy Vincent. Troy Vincent stated that over his many of years of playing football he has been called almost everything you can possibly ever think of. Vincent said that he
ReplyDeletehas even been called the "N" word, but he has never been called or felt as if he was in a position similar to an inmate. This comment was soimpactful that it had players willing to not show up to practice as a form of revolution against the situation.