“Can you imagine the outcry if Black players referred to Whites as ‘albino mutants?’

FinalCall

A happy dysfunctional NFL family?

Some say behavior revealed in the Miami locker room—alleged instances of racial abuse, forcing rookie players to pay for trips and dinners and little involvement of the coaching staff—is indicative of a greater culture inside the NFL. Racial prejudice and racial stereotyping remain embedded in the league’s fabric, they say.

“We are at a point in this society in which we have made a certain amount of progress eradicating some barriers in politics, education and sports,” said Dr. Charles Ross chairman of African American Studies and associate professor of history at the University of Mississippi and author of the 1999 book “Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the NFL.”

The NFL is a “complex” world for Black players, said Dr. Ross. These players still have to make sure they fit in with the expectations of team owners and team culture, which demands a loyalty and often silence on important issues, like race, he explained.

“When I wrote about how the league looked in 1962 and what I see now with 70 percent of the NFL players being Black, it clearly represents a new dynamic for White players who have to change their perceptions of Black players,” said Dr. Ross. So White players exhibit a tacit acceptance of Black subculture through language, end zone celebrations and even use of the n-word, he added.

But, he and other analysts said, true power often still resides with Whites in the locker room and Whites who control football operations.

These analysts note from the early days of the league, Black players struggled with race but kept their mouths shut for fear of being labeled “troublemakers.”

Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, a respected Washington, D.C.-based psychiatrist and author, told The Final Call a willingness among some Black players to give White counterparts a free pass with the n-word was troubling.

“Black players have been taught and conditioned to accept the abuse implied by the use of the word by Whites,” she said. “I believe that the young man, Jonathan Martin, has not been taught by his parents the meaning of ‘White supremacy.’

“Can you imagine the outcry if Black players referred to Whites as ‘albino mutants?’ ” Dr. Welsing asked. “It is the illusion of inclusion, wanting to believe that we are accepted; but the system only means for us to demean and disrespect ourselves, thinking it is entertainment.”

“White people are being prepared to accept the coming genocide of Black people,” she said. 

For a long time the lack of Blacks as quarterbacks, centers, offensive lineman, kickers, punters, long-snappers, and tight ends was seen as an issue. Black quarterbacks have broken through substantial on-field barriers and opportunities for Black coaches have increased as well.

But some have raised questions about disparity in salaries and scrutiny of Black players versus their White counterparts.

The ending to this saga, however, will largely be written by NFL owners, who remain largely White, male and rich. They surely don’t want anything to taint their billion-dollar product.

These owners, who often include billionaires, want to see every seat in cavernous stadiums filled. Forbes magazine in 2011 reported that 15 owners of the 32 NFL franchises had a net worth of $1 billion. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the owners are also heavy financial supporters of the Republican Party.

“At the end of the day, all of these owners only care about winning,” said Howie Evans, sports editor for the Black weekly Amsterdam News. Winning brings more money and more opportunities to make money so owners are likely to defuse anything that could impact green, which may be the color the NFL covets most. [MORE]