Not completely related, but I've always wondered how black people felt about the massive deal that was made about black head coaches being in the Super Bowl the year Indy beat the Bears.
The fuss that was made about it, you'd almost think that the perception was that black coaches were fundamentally incapable of such feats, and that it was a surprise of epic preportions that they'd somehow tricked the system in getting to the big dance.
I'd have found it a little insulting as a black person, I imagine.
"jdlax" wrote:
Wow, I will say that that is a very interesting reading of the situation. You suggest that it was a big deal because people thought that those coaches didn't deserve to be where they were. Actually it was just the opposite. It was a big deal because it was proof that their talent and hard work were rewarded.
It wasn't so long ago that if you were black, it didn't matter how much talent you had and how hard you worked, your chances of becoming an NFL head coach were very, very slim. If you don't believe me, how do you explain the fact that there were so few black head coaches in the NFL until very recently? Did black people suddenly get smarter in the 1990s?
"Greg C." wrote:
I almost didn't post my thoughts, for fear of being misunderstood on a sensitive subject. Bingo. :icon_smile:
I'm saying there is no reason why black coaches leading their teams to the Super Bowl should surprise anyone. NFL teams do their homework when they hire people, so those men, whatever their colour, are extremely highly qualified individuals, and when they achieve like the highly qualified individuals that they are...the colour of their skin ain't got a thing to do with it. But that was certainly not how it was covered in the media that Super Bowl, and like I said, I think if I was a man of colour it may have annoyed me a little.
"jdlax" wrote: