I've often wonder why we have less and less Caucasian (white) corners and wideouts in the NFL.
It has been six years since the last of its kind was spotted. The last reported sighting was on field turf in urban St. Louis. The seldom seen white cornerback remains secluded. Some would even say the rare species no longer exists.
When former NFL cornerback Jason Sehorn retired from the St. Louis Rams in 2003, little did we know it would be the last time professional football fans would witness a white cornerback.
Although Sehorn played his final game a few years ago as a safety, he was truly the last full time white cornerback to man the position in a league focused on equality.
Equality is something the NFL has strived for in recent years. In 2002, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney spearheaded the NFL Committee for Workplace Diversity. Designed to promote diversity in coaching and front office positions, the committee instituted a policy that is now known as the “Rooney Rule." The rule calls for one minority candidate to be interviewed for every vacant coaching or executive position in the NFL.
The policy worked as planned, as the number of minority coaches in the NFL jumped from six percent to 22 percent in a five year period.
But the word “equality” is often used as a matter of convenience, rather than its true meaning. If the NFL truly wants equality throughout, it has to be a two way street. The league encouraged (albeit, not publically) teams to give more African-American quarterbacks a chance in the early 1990’s. Today, nearly a third of all starting or reserve quarterbacks in the league are African-American.
Will this change reach a peak and swing back the other way???
I'm NOT trying to create controversy (ala Jimmy the Greek)
I'd venture to suggest that somebody with no "name" at all will probably be playing CB instead of Rogers in the very near future - Sehorn was a good CB
Until recently, Snyder & Allen have made a lot of really bad decisions - nobody with any sense believes this franchise will get better under their guidance Snyder's W/L record = 45% (80-96) - Snyder/Allen = 41% (59-84-1)
Uh its not that big of a secret that black dudes, on average, are more agile and faster than white guys. Two things a cornerback must have to be successful. Why don't we see more white running backs? See above. I am not saying white dudes aren't good athletes as there are plenty of them, but there is a reason why there are more black dudes on the football field. Overall, they are better athletes.
Cappster wrote:Uh its not that big of a secret that black dudes, on average, are more agile and faster than white guys. Two things a cornerback must have to be successful. Why don't we see more white running backs? See above. I am not saying white dudes aren't good athletes as there are plenty of them, but there is a reason why there are more black dudes on the football field. Overall, they are better athletes.
Jimmy the Greek, ladies and gentlemen! Jimmy the Greek!
"That's a clown question, bro" - - - - - - - - - - Bryce Harper, DC Statesman "But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man That he didn't, didn't already have" - - - - - - - - - - Dewey Bunnell, America
Cappster wrote:Uh its not that big of a secret that black dudes, on average, are more agile and faster than white guys. Two things a cornerback must have to be successful. Why don't we see more white running backs? See above. I am not saying white dudes aren't good athletes as there are plenty of them, but there is a reason why there are more black dudes on the football field. Overall, they are better athletes.
Jimmy the Greek, ladies and gentlemen! Jimmy the Greek!
Not Quite, but if that's how you see it.... I am just pointing out the obvious. How many white track stars do you see running the sprints and actually doing well? My best friend was by far the best athlete in school and he is black. In gym class, especially while playing basketball, the black kids (except for a few white kids who could ball) as they were more athletic. I don't need to be politically correct in saying that black people are overall better athletes. I do so without saying that they were "bred that way." Its just a fact that for whatever reason, they are, overall, physically more gifted when it comes to sports.
tribeofjudah wrote:^^^^^^ I was afraid of this - not wanting to go down this road.
No need to shy away from this road. Confront it, resolve it, and move on. Its when everything is kept on the "shhhhhh, don't talk about it" down low that it is a problem. We as human beings, can learn to appreciate differences without being offended when something like this is pointed out.
Francisco played as corner or safety for the Cardinals last year. He got burned by Holmes on the last TD. Yeah, he's not as gifted......and no wonder, he's not black (maybe he's half...looks white to me, but not sure). Maybe Hawaiian cuz he was born there.
He got cut after the season. Now plays 2nd string for the Colts. Maybe he'll find himself with a SB Ring at season's end.
Last edited by tribeofjudah on Thu Dec 31, 2009 12:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
But the word “equality” is often used as a matter of convenience, rather than its true meaning. If the NFL truly wants equality throughout, it has to be a two way street. The league encouraged (albeit, not publically) teams to give more African-American quarterbacks a chance in the early 1990’s. Today, nearly a third of all starting or reserve quarterbacks in the league are African-American.
This doesn't follow. The League didn't encourage teams to give more black quarterbacks a chance just because there wasn't a proportional number of them (say, 1/5th to 1/3rd of QBs on the rosters). They encouraged teams to do so both because there was a particular dearth and because they suspected that individual or institutional racism had played a part in the process. In order for "equality" to be a two-way street like this blogger wants, he'd have to make some kind of argument that white cornerbacks aren't given a shot because they are white. It's not sufficient to point out that there aren't as many of them.
Besides, he's got the Rooney situation wrong. The Rooney rule has only had . . . if anything . . . a marginally positive effect. More blacks in coaching roles was an inevitable development that was already taking place. Sure, maybe there are one or two coaches who can trace their current position directly to the league policy, but I've also read the witness of many coaches who felt much more burned by the rule than helped. Over 90% of the time RR compliance is a joke, nothing more than going through the motions. This is just a classic case of conflating correlation and causation.
tribeofjudah wrote:Back to the thread title: Can/will each team sign 1 white DB, corner or safety...? Make this MANDATORY like the Rooney rule for players....?
YEAH......Hip Hip Hooray - level playing field.
No, I do not see this happening. If a person is not good enough to play a position, any position, then there should not be a requirement stating so based on race.
tribeofjudah wrote:Back to the thread title: Can/will each team sign 1 white DB, corner or safety...? Make this MANDATORY like the Rooney rule for players....?
YEAH......Hip Hip Hooray - level playing field.
No, I do not see this happening. If a person is not good enough to play a position, any position, then there should not be a requirement stating so based on race.
I'm protesting discrimination..........hehehe
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
I'm white and middle class. And I'm absolutely certain that, if I didn't have either of those two attributes, I would definitely have been an NFL cornerback by now.
"Nah, I trust the laws of nature to stay constant. I don't pray that the sun will rise tomorrow, and I don't need to pray that someone will beat the Cowboys in the playoffs." - Irn-Bru
1.) There is a big perception that blacks are better athletes that whites, and there's no real evidence that is true. I'd assume this is largely due to the fact that when minorities broke into big league sports some made a huge impact. A whole new talent pool was open, and they made a lot of the white players who were barely hangers on look bad and unathletic by comparison.
2.) White athletes in HS and college are steered away from skill positions due to perceived lack of athletic ability. They're steered towards linebacker, tight end or safety when they could be coached into successful corners, wideouts and halfbacks.
3.) Good athletes in HS and college choose other sports because of a perceived lack of ability to have a future in football. Swimming, baseball, mountain biking, competitive cycling, lacrosse, soccer... white athletes are turned away as football players or simply don't feel like they'd have a chance to play a skill position. Look at a kid like Jeff Samardzija, he could have been a 1st or 2nd round pick in the NFL, but he didn't see a future in the NFL because he's white.
"Guess [Ryan Kerrigan] really does have a good motor. And is relentless. And never quits on a play. And just keeps coming. And probably eats Wheaties and drinks Apple Pie smoothies and shaves with Valvoline." -Dan Steinberg DC Sports Bog
Also, 62% of people in the US are caucasian, and I would say 99% of NFL players are from the United States. There's no way that all the countries top athletes are contained in the 12% who identify as being "black" or African American.
"Guess [Ryan Kerrigan] really does have a good motor. And is relentless. And never quits on a play. And just keeps coming. And probably eats Wheaties and drinks Apple Pie smoothies and shaves with Valvoline." -Dan Steinberg DC Sports Bog
Skinsfan55 wrote:1.) There is a big perception that blacks are better athletes that whites, and there's no real evidence that is true. I'd assume this is largely due to the fact that when minorities broke into big league sports some made a huge impact. A whole new talent pool was open, and they made a lot of the white players who were barely hangers on look bad and unathletic by comparison.
2.) White athletes in HS and college are steered away from skill positions due to perceived lack of athletic ability. They're steered towards linebacker, tight end or safety when they could be coached into successful corners, wideouts and halfbacks.
3.) Good athletes in HS and college choose other sports because of a perceived lack of ability to have a future in football. Swimming, baseball, mountain biking, competitive cycling, lacrosse, soccer... white athletes are turned away as football players or simply don't feel like they'd have a chance to play a skill position. Look at a kid like Jeff Samardzija, he could have been a 1st or 2nd round pick in the NFL, but he didn't see a future in the NFL because he's white.
That is a lame argument. If a guy has certain physical capabilities, they will find their way into skill positions.
Jeff Samardzija didn't not play football b/c he was white it was because of money. The contracts that Pro baseball players receive vs. tight ends are totally different. Also given the fact that I believe he was an early first round pick for MLB vs probably a mid 2nd round pick in the NFL, well what can you say. I know what I would've done too and it has nothing to do with the color of my skins.
Skinsfan55 wrote:1.) There is a big perception that blacks are better athletes that whites, and there's no real evidence that is true.
Any measure will be subjective to some degree, but as someone else in this thread pointed out look: at the proportional representation in Olympic teams, e.g., track and field. Or the NFL. That's evidence that the generalization may very well be true on some level.
2.) White athletes in HS and college are steered away from skill positions due to perceived lack of athletic ability. They're steered towards linebacker, tight end or safety when they could be coached into successful corners wideouts and halfbacks.
So the claim you refute in #1 has "no real evidence," but I'm guessing you have "real evidence" to show that this nation-wide conspiracy is true?
tribeofjudah wrote:^^^^^^ I was afraid of this - not wanting to go down this road.
No need to shy away from this road. Confront it, resolve it, and move on. Its when everything is kept on the "shhhhhh, don't talk about it" down low that it is a problem. We as human beings, can learn to appreciate differences without being offended when something like this is pointed out.
I know, old post, but I must agree here. At the same time, the NFL does have a responsibility to show proper diversity and equal opportunity, since the athletes are who our kids look up too. And unfortunately, todays athlete is not what I want my boys seeing as a positive example.
Sometimes I think the NFL needs to rename itself as " Thugs, Drugs and Gangsters".
Whatever happened to the stand-up guys such as Darrell Green, Joe Jacoby, Roger Staubach, Dan Fouts, Sean Alexander,Eric Dickerson and the list goes on.
