Thread by @Darlene_McD

Super Bowl LVII was historic. It was the first time two African American quarterbacks started in the Super Bowl. That's a big deal. The American Professional Football Association began in 1920 and immediate integrated with 4 Black players. Fritz Pollard was one of the 4 players.

https://twitter.com/GrahamAllen_1/status/1624208432214548480

However, in 1933, he and 8 others were quietly removed from the teams, never to return. The now-NFL remained segregated until 1946. It would be another 12 years before the league would allow a Black man into the coveted, 'thinking' position nflpa.com/posts/meet-the….

of quarterback. Quarterbacks are are usually considered the leader of the offense. The racist policies of the NFL is believed to had been started by Washington Redskins owner George Marshall. When he died in 1969, his estate started the Redskins Foundation. He stipulated that the

Redskin Foundation was to be barred from spending money on "any purpose which supports or employs the principle of racial integration in any form."

The first Black quarterback in the NFL was Marlin Briscoe. He started for the Denver Broncos in 1968.
denverbroncos.com/news/the-makin…

In that same year, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, TN.

Today, the NFL consist of 32 teams for a total of 1,696 players. 70 percent (~1188) of the players are African-American. 11 of the league's starting quarterbacks were Black at the start of the 2022 NFL

season. That was the most in its 102 year history. Black quarterbacks have been open about how they are treated differently from their white counterparts by both the NFL, broadcasters, and the media. Black quarterbacks are expected to be 'athletic.' Meaning they are expected to

run the ball more than White quarterbacks. This opens them up to getting tackled and hurt more often and more seriously. When comparing their running game, White quarterbacks, on average, run the ball less and gain less yards per game than Black quarterbacks. These facts have

been documented. Discrepancies are also found in how Black and White quarterbacks are drafted and compensated. The overall experiences of a Black quarterback in the NFL are bound to be different from the experiences of White quarterbacks. It's more than just showing up in the

team's locker room or running onto the field to throw the ball. Their experience tends to be the story of America.

The tweet by podcast host Graham Allen is meant to promote the concept of racial color-blindness. Conservatives and even some progressives love the concept of

racial color-blindness. They will quote one line from Dr. King's 'I have a Dream,' speech and declare proudly that they, "don't see color." Even the best well-intentioned ally will declare that they, 'don't see color' until it is explained that their declaration to not see

color does not make them or the world race neutral. To declare that you don't see one's race is to deny the experiences they have as a Black man or woman. To deny that experience is one of the most racist things someone can do. "I don't see color," is what someone says when they

wish to diminish the experiences of Black people, especially in America. To be judged by the 'content of their character,' does not mean that you do not see him or her as a Black person. It also does not mean that you get to deny that those little black children may have been

able to visit the amusement park, but their experiences at that amusement park might have been different.

In his tweet, Allen says that the two quarterbacks are openly CHRISTIAN. This is not done as a slight against Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists or Jews. It's

is done to deny the historic nature of Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts' experience as Black quarterbacks. Yes, Mahomes and Hurts may want the world to see them as two great quarterbacks, no different from a Brady or a Manning. They may even say that "it's no big deal." They may

say it, but they know that it IS a big deal. They know that it IS historic and that their journey will pave the way for the little Black boys that will come behind them in the same way that Marlin Briscoe and Kenny Washington paved the way for them.

For the record, I was rooting for the #PhiladelphiaEagles, but congratulations to #PatrickMahomes and the #KansasCity #Chiefs