Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

ESPN creates stir with photo of white Vick

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.