American Football: Still Segregated!

Of the 64 starting cornerbacks in the NFL, not one of them is white. Actually, of the 200 or so cornerbacks in the league, all are African-American. Yes, all. 100%. No honkies here. It's so obvious that I didn't even need to do research to back up that statement.

And yes, Jason Sehorn is retired.


Apparently Sehorn lives in Hidden Hills, the most racially diverse neighborhood in America. *chuckle*

This shouldn't be too shocking, however, considering that the sport the NFL network entitled the "America's game" doesn't really promote venturing outside racial expectations. The same athletes who dedicate their lives to football from elementary Pop Warner days are subconsciously limited by the color of their skin. Such a statement is frightening for any American living in the 21st century to hear and it's just as difficult for me to say it. But if viewed from the eyes of an oblivious outsider not worried about the scoreboard, distinctions of race in all levels of football are clear how ever uncomfortable it may be to admit.

Naturally, such divisions create stereotypes. Like cornerbacks, running backs are virtually entirely African-American (thanks Brian Leonard). Wide receivers too, although there have been exceptions ... good ones (see below). At arguably the most popular position in sports, "the black quarterback" is still scarce in comparison to the long lived Favre-type. 75% of NFL players are African-American, yet only 6 of the 32 starting quarterbacks can say they they're a member of that club. And in that small population of Michael Vicks and Vince Youngs of the league, only Byron Leftwich seems to be the only one not subject to the good-legs-strong-arm-poor-accuracy typecast. Even The Onion is smart enough to mock the stereotype of the black quarterback, with its headline story: "Donovan Mcnabb Has A Perfect Game For A Black Quarterback".


Wes Welker. Talented. White.

Why pick out these specific positions? Well, it's [offensively] ironic that these three strictly African-American positions - cornerbacks, running backs, and receivers - are the three most obvious position that require the typical "black" qualities: speed, quickness, agility, etc. The awfully inappropriate assumption that African-American men are fast, athletic, and run a lot is just exaggerated in football, a sport that has constantly challenged baseball as most symbolic of American values. On the other hand, the quarterback and the center, the only positions that require more brains than brawn, remain primarily Caucasian. White coaches are so predominant that the biggest storyline of last year's Superbowl wasn't Peyton Manning vs. the Bears defense, but instead Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith "making history" as the two first black coaches in the championship game.

And the result: a sporting culture segregated on and off the field. It's definitely not subtle, even TVs without High Definition can prove it. But notice of the lack of diversity is freakishly quiet, discreetly creeping around American tradition with football fans too afraid to admit it...yet it's still there. It's the classical image of the All-American high school athlete: blonde-haired, blue-eyed Johnny Heisman from Anytown, Texas. It's the American practice of father and son playing catch on the mowed, white-picket-fenced lawn. It's Remember the Titans before Denzel. This is the American Dream's sport.

It is not the 6'5", 220 pound, corn-rowed Rasheed from Birmingham, destined to be the world's next great dual-threat quarterback. It is not late nights kicking field goals between two garbage cans in Harlem. It is not Michael Vick being ... well, being Michael Vick.

Of course, this defined distinction between races must be taken in context. Although football never really needed a defining breakthrough event like baseball, we must always appreciate the fact that minorities are even allowed to play in the league fairly (Note: African-Americans were almost banned from the NFL in the 1930's due to reaching Jim Crow laws, but did enact segregation policies that lasted over a decade).

But if no Jackie Robinson is needed, a March on Washington is. Discussing the racial split in football is not even mentioned when building the ESPN agenda. And even after people read this blog, a common response still might ask "So what?" Others might explain that the sports world would benefit more if it spent more time filtering future Maurice Claretts and Pacman Joneses rather than worry about this position segregation.

But I've written this post not to challenge the personal beliefs of the readers, but to discuss an issue that it is rarely (if ever) approached. And, as anyone who knows me understands, I love sports more than most things in this world, but this passion is more on the field than off. To address the problems of misguided athletes like Clarett and Jones, we must first attack the shortcomings of the most important component of football: the sport itself.

In the time I've written this post at Starbucks, three African-Americans have sat next to me. America is diverse. And, as this post hints, America loves football. So why shouldn't football be diverse. Yes, it is when team rosters are glanced at. But when watched with the oh-so-white voice of Al Michaels guiding the viewer, this football segregation, whether trivial or life-and-death to the sports fan, is obvious and disgusting. So, please, let's recruit some more Jason Sehorn, for America's sake.


Reggie Roby. The best black punter (of three).

And on to my next topic: the Asian free safety.