The Independent Sportswriters

The main idea behind this site is to address issues in sports and culture that have been inadequately covered by the mainstream media. With that in mind, you may find the selection of our first topic a bit strange. To begin, this is probably the only article on this subject to be published after the Super Bowl. The reason being of course, I had to watch the game to see how awkwardly things have been handled. Thus far it seems that this issue has been split into two camps:

1. Two African-American coaches in the Super Bowl is not that big of a deal. Lets leave it alone already.
or
2. This is a big deal. We’re not sure if/how to pat ourselves on the back. Lets move on.

I’ll start with the first camp. Those that support this claim generally back up their opinion with the idea that race-relations in the United States have progressed to the point where we should now view the world from a color-blind perspective. They believe that so much social progress has taken place that we should now concentrate on more compelling issues. The degree of actual progress is debatable and difficult to quantify. Assuming a large amount has occurred, my question to this camp would be, “If so much social progress has taken place, why not take this visible milestone as an opportunity to celebrate?”

While there are many potential answers to this question the reality I fear is that we’ve grown to forget our past. It appears that within the subconscious of our current generation is the ignorance of just how badly America used to treat African-Americans. To understand the historical context of this year’s Super Bowl one must consider sports & civil milestones of the past. In 1947, a short eighty-four years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American baseball player in the modern era. Prior to that point, despite their equal skills, white owners preferred to exclude African-Americans from the national past time. Their logic was simple, white fans didn’t want to sit in the stands with African-Americans and cheer on African-American players. Progress in pro-football
proceeded at a similar pace with African-Americans mainly excluded until after WWII.

Celebration of the progress of the mid 40’s must be tempered with the reality that advancement on the sports field was not equivalent to progress in society. Between 1882 and 1968 at least 3,500 African-Americans were lynched in the United States. It would take another 20 years and a social-revolution for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Prior to this act an African-American was effectively barred from voting in most of the South. (Even though they could legally vote since the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870) To deny a man a vote speaks much of one’s opinion of their character.

The goal here is not to provide an outline of the Civil Rights Movement, but to provide a brief reference point of the African-American’s place in American society. It is fair to say that in 1965 an African-American endured a subjugated role. The idea of two African-American men coaching in a professional league championship game was not even an issue of debate. (The first modern era African-American NFL headcoach, Art Shell, would not begin his tenure until 1990). This brings us to the positive realization that over the last 40 years, society has changed so much that Sunday’s occurence has become to many an afterthought. On to item two.

If we can agree that a Super Bowl being coached by Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith is a visible milestone event that is worth celebrating- how should we celebrate it? To begin, one must reflect on the changes that have taken place. Society did not change because the average, comfortable American realized a grave injustice was taking place. Lyndon Johnson did not knock on Martin Luther King Jr’s door requesting him to come out to the polls. Society changed because of a revolution that began with hard-work and continuous sacrifice by a comparitively small group of individuals. The best way to honor this progress is to think about the biggest issues we face in contemporary society and how we can apply the positive principals of the Civil Rights movement to solve them. Injustice to African Americans was no more of an obvious wrong in the 20th century than the wrongs many experience today.

Having two African-American Coaches in the Super Bowl is important because it gives us a chance to measure our social progress against our past and to remind ourselves of the work yet to be done. The next question, of course, is where to now focus our energies. I’ll leave that to your comments.

written by Bob