I just read the Indian Wells article about Venus and Serena Williams. Venus and her father were treated badly in 2001 after Venus withdrew in the semifinals before her match with her sister Serena. The crowd booed the Williams family and made racial remarks towards them. It was so bad that the Williams sisters refuse to play at the Indian Wells tournament today.
One sports figure that I have always looked up to is Jackie Robinson. I am not a baseball fan, so it isn't because of his talent. He went through so many things when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Even his own teammates, fans, and coaches were negative towards him. Jackie ignored everyone and just played baseball and was one of the best players in the league. He paved the way for future African Amercians in every sport.
Today racism isn't as bad as back then, but it still exist. Terrelle Pryor has gotten criticized brutally this year. I can't think of any other Ohio State quarterback that has had this much pressure on him. When Donovan McNabb got injured a couple years ago and Jeff Garcia took over fans were very happy. They even started booing McNabb. It didn't make sense, because he got the Eagles to 4 NFC Championships and a superbowl since 2000. Also the only team that has won more games since he has been the quarterback of Philadelphia is New England. Finally some of the things that I have heard people say about Michael Vick have been appauling. I notice it's more with black quarterbacks. Other than that I don't think it is really racism today. Finally Barry Bonds is treated like a criminal for steroids when a lot of players have tested positive including Alex Rodriguez.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you say you looked up to Jackie Robinson because I am a baseball fan and actually have a poster of him in my room right now. He is an icon for not only black athletes, but everyone in the world to defy the odds and break the rules for something bigger than what he could have ever imagined.
Terelle Pryor has gotten a lot of critism not because of his color, but because of his lack and inability to throw the football under pressure situations. As far as NFL quarterbacks, the black QB's are criticized more because they are supposed to be more athletic and when they don't meet certain standards they hear more about it. But, this isn't the underlying assumption. At this moment, i feel that Tony Romo is getting the most criticism because he really has not done anything to impress people and continues to struggle. But, he is white, so racism isn't that big of an issue here. And Alex Rodrigues hasn't felt the heat that Barry Bonds did because Alex hasn't broken any extreme records yet like Barry did with the homerun record by crushing it. Things like that have extreme measures towards people who cheat in doing so. But, overall I like your arguments
Thanks, although Pryor is not as bad as people think. He is 18-3 as a starter!!!! Two of the 3 losses were to USC by 3 points and Texas by 3 points. The Purdue loss was the only loss that was a shocker. Vick and McNabb also have very high winning percentage's so I disagree that it is fair criticism. If someone talked about Jamarcus Russell then I would agree with them!!! LOL!!! It's great that you liked Jackie Robinson. He is a hero to many people.
ReplyDeleteEverytime I see video clips about Jackie Robinson, I am amazed at what he went through. I am sure he inspires a lot of people who face similar struggles. I really believe the Williams sisters have done the right thing in boycotting Indian Wells. As for Pryor, it does seem that he has been under more intense scrutiny than usual. He is only a sophomore, isn't he?
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