Vick's Ascension Magnifies Racial Divide
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Vick's Ascension Magnifies Racial Divide
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
I was talking to an ex-NFL player last week, guy I hadn't seen in a while, and eventually we got around to Michael Vick. The ex-player is African-American, from the rural South. His take was that Vick's prison term for dogfighting was way too harsh, and that people should let that go, as Vick remakes himself as the quarterback of the Eagles. The ex-player recalled seeing Sunday afternoon dogfights in a park where he grew up, witnessed (and presumably wagered upon) by the local police.
This was not an isolated occurrence. I think if you surveyed the largely African-American Eagles locker room, that guy's take would be the perspective of a huge percentage of the players.
Race is such a tricky, hot-button thing, so many of us just try to pretend it isn't a part of the issues we deal with, even when it obviously is.The Eagles' locker room shocked much of the (white) fan base by voting Vick the Ed Block Courage Award last year. Hmmm. What do you think that was about?
Another conversation last week, with a (white) agent. He was talking about going to a Super Bowl party many years ago, when Vick was near the start of his career. The party was largely African-American, and the agent remembered being surprised at how Vick's presence resonated with other famous players and guests -- "it was like Michael Jordan had walked in," the agent said.
One of the reasons Roger Goodell was so interested in Vick's rehabilitation was Vick's standing in the African-American community. Predogfight scandal, by 2007 much of white America might have seen Vick as a sideshow, a quarterback who never took his craft seriously enough to win anything. Black America saw an artist, an elegant, unstoppable performer. (They now see him as an elegant, unstoppable performer who has been persecuted by white people.)
This was much like the split that surrounded Allen Iverson in his prime. (A guy from the exact same background, a few neighborhoods over.)
So, here we are, with Vick starting for the Eagles, and playing well. All over the Internet, people (mostly African-American) argue that he has paid his dues and should be embraced. Other people (mostly not African-American) argue that torturing and killing dogs over a period of years isn't something you just shrug off because a guy went to prison for a while and is now playing real well.
I don't see any easy answers, an unqualified yes to one and no to the other. Obviously, I didn't grow up black in the rural South. I grew up white in the suburban South. I think I understand a little of the "cultural" argument. I never saw a dogfight, but in my family, dogs were not cuddly little foo-foo things; they lived outdoors, didn't come in the house. One neighbor had a kennel of hunting dogs, and gave us one who couldn't hunt.
Still, I found myself wanting to ask the ex-player last week, "So, after these dogfights in the park, did you watch the dogs being hanged and electrocuted? Did you think, 'Gee, that looks like fun, I'd like to kill some of those dogs myself!' Over and over and over again?"
Vick has been nothing but decent and courteous to me. I can't reconcile what he has done with the guy I talk to in the Eagles' locker room. I'm really hoping to get a better handle on that as we move forward. And as a sports reporter, I can't let my discomfort with what he did make me discount what he does on the field; if I let that happen, I am not doing my job.
But I'll admit, I find the idea of Vick "sticking it to" his critics by playing well a really perverse, obnoxious notion. He can throw for 100 touchdowns this year, and he still did what he did, and it was still really, really, really wrong.
The only hope for something good coming out of Vick's ascension that I can see is that maybe Vick will gain a greater platform to somehow explain himself, that he can give us a better notion than he has so far of how these things can possibly happen, and demonstrate through his words and deeds he is really a different person now.
But I think it's going to be a bumpy ride.
**
To read our earlier post about Donovan McNabb's radio show, click here.
Well done Les, and bravely too. Race is a touchy subject, far too often ignored by scared white writers, commentators, politicians, etc., who tread lightly around such issues for fear of being branded a racist. It's time to step up and discuss and examine the variance in racial attitudes, not to keep ignoring them— blaqjaq
STOP, STOP, STOP, with the race card. People that still hate Vick hate him because HE KILLED DOGS, not because he's black and killed dogs. If a white guy did the same thing the fans that hate Vick would have an equal amount of disdain for him as they do for Vick.
There are plenty of white Eagles fans, myself included, that feel that Vick served his time and should be the starting QB of this team. To bring race into this conversation shows nothing more than a lack of intelligence. Come on, Les...— bzes10- "So, after these dogfights in the park,.. did you watch the dogs being hanged and electrocuted?.... Did you think, 'Gee, that looks like fun, I'd like to kill some of those dogs myself!' Over and over and over again?"
Vick said he enjoyed killing helpless dogs, it gave him a high...Vick is a sadistic physcho..and 'THE FACE OF THE EAGLES...the most hated team in Philly history...period.
— Bill20 - Well said, Les.— DrSportsFan
I think the "racial divide", is vastly overplayed. To argue that he just killed dogs(which is a felony), is understating the whollistic view of his crimes. He organized and hosted events where hundreds of thousands of dollars were gambled, across state lines. This is why he served two years. That being said he served his time and if he continues to play the way he has the past two weeks nothing else will matter. The continuation of the media overblowing anything that is close to racial is disgusting and shows why political correctness has ruined America. This is football, all real fans care about is winning. Go Birds.- Civil discussion below— dawkins20d
- In my experience, its been far more a Men vs. Women thing than Black vs. White thing. There's going to be a helluva lot of white people cheering for him this Sunday.— psalveso
- The only reason that Race is an issue is because the media brings it up every chance they get. Stop stirring the Pot! We don't care if people are black, blue, green, or yellow. We just want to Win!— ChrisM
- Thoughtful article, and it took a lot of courage to write this.— PhillyfaninChicago
- bzes... This is a good article that took a lot of guts for Les to write...The point you are missing is why some accept these disgusting
acts of killing helpless dogs by hanging, drowning and electrocuting..and some dispise this.— Bill20 - Les after this one I think of you Less and Less.— changkarate
Comment removed.- Those filled with hate in their minds and hearts are no different than those terroists zealots....society has prescribe the punishment and it was served....end of story...if you don't wnat to forgive him fine....Your hate will consume you.....but the fact is , he paid the price.....loss of all funds, loss of great earning years, loss of the respect of many.......and maybe, jsut maybe the culure that tolerates (loves ??) dog fighting will disappear.....remember how long it took us to stop killing ourselves (smoking) or treating people as second class citizens (racial inequality).....It may take us this long to educate and change that dastardly practice......so yes it may be racial but it will change.....the real question is will the haters mature, grow up and change their bigotted thinking....— nuggett
- Bold commentary. Rings true. Some of the message board comments saturated with venom towards Vick surely does stem from the abhorrent nature of his crime and is not . Some of the comments perhaps derive from racial bias and are carefully concealed. However, I HAVE READ comments where the writer chose to or was not capable of concealing his/her racial prejudice.
It is illogical to say ALL PEOPLE only hate Vick because he killed dogs. Impossible to know and practical observation has demonstrated otherwise to me.
I'm not black. I have sat in bars from South Philly to South Jersey from Cherry Hill to Glassboro. You hear it— jacob.bt - @bzes: i think you should either read articles twice (or however many times it takes you to understand them) or stop commenting altogether. you clearly missed les' point.
