ESPN creates stir with photo of white Vick
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
ESPN creates stir with photo of white Vick
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
ESPN The Magazine devoted its most recent issue to Michael Vick.
And the one item getting all the attention today carries the headline: What if Michael Vick were White?
The subhead reads: Since the day he was arrested, people have asked. The answer isn't what you think.
But the most controversial part of the story is the photo (pictured with this post) that shows Vick as a white man.
The essay is written by author Toure, who Tweeted earlier today:
I wrote an essay about Vick & race. ESPN the mag titled it & added art without me (normal procedure). Judge me on the story not the art.
In the piece, the way I understood it, he argues that asking What if Michael Vick were white? is unfair and impossible to address because there's much more to it:
Ultimately, there is no separating Vick from his circumstances: his race, parents, economics and opportunities. Alter any of those elements and everything about him and how the world sees him would be unrecognizable.
So let's look at him a different way. Let's see him as someone in the third act of the epic movie that is his life, leading a team that many expect to see in the Super Bowl. Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" is playing underneath because the humbled protagonist has finally overcome his personal demons and has begun living up to his athletic promise. And to those who believe we should judge a man by how he responds when dealing with the worst life has to offer -- with how he climbs after he hits rock bottom -- Michael Vick has become heroic.
And that has nothing to do with race.
Here is the link to the full article, along with the photo.
For a look at some other Vick Photoshops that cropped up on Twitter in response to the "white Vick" image, check out the Storify feature created by Philly.com's Daniel Victor that's embedded below.
Earlier Thursday, I posted 10 thoughts on the state of the Eagles.
And join me tonight at 7:30 for a live chat from the Linc as the Birds take on the Browns.
You can follow me on Twitter or become a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.
- i responded to a person who think its a black culture ONLY thing. what you are saying is completely missing the point.
- I was at a dog fight here in Tennesse and I saw your dad there with a black midget prostitute you racits pig MF
— cupper - These writers have much too much time on their hands with nothing to do...— STEVE5444
- That picture reminds me on one of the characters in my boy's Call of Duty roster.— cb54
- What is so riduculous about the Vick situation is all his apologists, all those with the white guilt that think it was not his fault. He claims a "cultural thing." Funny, would anyone accept the "cultural thing" if someone said it was Ok to be racist because their family members were...ie, I hate minorities cause its a "cultural thing." Please, Vick is a psycopath, end of story.— PhillyguyinVA
- As dumb as this idea is it is still has to be better than anything ever done by Sal Palantonio or Adam Schefter.— izzylangfan
- Right, because there are no poor white children out there born to single mothers without a father figure in very bad neighborhoods. When you are born white, you are fed honey and piles of money grow on a tree in your back yard. No white person ever struggles with socio economic challenges that come with living in poverty. Let's keep up the reverse racism. Didn't Eddie Murphy do a SNL skit on this myth?
— railrider - So now this site is deleting my opinions that I posted here in the first post on this subject...what happened to freedom of speech...........I repeat Vick is a scumbag who killed helpless dogs with his own hands for fun....that's true and has been documented by court records at Vick's trial...so why is this being deleted and censored by a big newspaper company??— frank105
- Sheil Kapadia...why did you delete my first posts here??
Does Philly.com know you are censoring peoples post and violating freedom of speech?— frank105 - lol, you have no idea what freedom of speech (as stated in the Constitution) is, do you?
— Mabus 
i love the what if mike vick was an actual eagle one— MPatt24- @frank105, not only should your hate filled comments be deleted, your life should be deleted as well if you cannot/will not change your way of thinking. Mike Vick doesn't owe you a darn thing! He doesn't know you and probably is better off for it, you jackanape! This is why these kinds of articles shouldn't be written. They incite idiots like frank105, cicerodumbous and philthygoofinVA. GO MIKE VICK GO! The REAL Eagles fans are at your side!!— Panthro2011
- Panthro: I don't like your opinion either, you should be deleted....that's how they do it in China and Russia.— frank105
- China and Russia? Seems to me we are in Vickadelphia, Pencesylvania or as it is known to haters like yourself.......Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Wake up hater and be counted! Nobody cares about you or your comments! Take a long walk off a short mountain! GO MIKE VICK GO!— Panthro2011
- It looks like the seven PR Pros that Vick says he pays to make him look good and make excuses for him are now posting on this site..hey leegles you are earning the money that Vick is paying you to make excuses and make Vick look good.— frank105
Follow
Sheil on Twitter. And become
a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.
Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for even more Birds
coverage, including app-exclusive videos and analysis. Download it here.
