On ESPN Thursday, black commentator Rob Parker called NFL rookie star and Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III a “cornball brother,” apparently because Griffin’s a black man with a white girlfriend. Also he might be a Republican.
So that happened. He said:
But my question, which is just a straight honest question, is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother? ... He’s not really, he’s black, he kind of does his thing, but he’s not really down with the cause, he’s not one with us, he’s kind of black, but he’s not really like the guy you want to hang out because he’s off to something else ...
I don’t know because I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancée, there was all this talk about he’s a Republican, which there’s no information at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue.
Parker also commented on RGIII’s braids, which add a check to the “authentic black person” column in Parker’s mind. “You’re a brother if you've got braids on,” he said.
It’s always so hard when people don’t fit into the little boxes we try to put them into, isn't it? Heaven forbid that a braid-wearing African-American NFL star love a woman for something other than the color of her skin or have his own political views.
How is this helpful to race relations? Denying someone their heritage because they happen to make different lifestyle choices than what the majority of their culture make? Yeah, that’s acceptance. If by acceptance you mean rejection.
The round table discussion was spurred by RGIII’s comments: “For me, you don’t ever want to be defined by the color of your skin. You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality. That’s what I've tried to go out and do. I am an African-American in America. That will never change. But I don’t have to be defined by that.”
He sounds like a good kid. I hope he doesn't let the haters get him down because he has a great opportunity to be a role model for a lot of kids out there -- the black ones, the white ones, and all those shade in between.
What do you think; should racial politics have any role in sports?
Image via darastar/Flickr
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Comments 9
Very well said Jenny!!
and to answer the question no it shouldnt, but well we all know how it is
In a way, race does have a place in sports. There aren't many black quaterbacks.
However, I NEVER judging people by the color of their skin. I care about who they are as a person. If man loves a woman and vice versa, there's no stopping them. His political stance has nothing to do with his performance. Most blacks would vote Republican if the party made some changes because most blacks are very strongs baptists... Many strongly don't support same-sex marriage.
Yes, very well written Jenny.
It has no place in sports or any where else.
I've noticed that most racism is perpetrated by Black people, and I thought until recently that is because I live in the South. Now I know it is pretty rampant in the rest of the country. For instance, blonde women who date or marry Black guys are called Beckys. Would it be cool to label a Black woman a general term like "a Shaniqua" for any reason? Would it be kind or polite to call a White guy a derogatory term because he dates a Black woman? NOPE. But it sure as hell runs the other way on a near constant basis.
Racism has no place in any discourse, industry or media. Unfortunately, it's as big of a presence as politics in every arena these days.
I agree tuffymama. I am in an inter-racial relationship and have chosen not to speak to my boyfriends cousin after he called my boyfriend and his brother and Uncle Tom. My boyfriend says its not racist to call another black person that but I disagree. If one my cousin's called me a n*&%$ lover I would never speak to them again and isn't calling a black person an Uncle Tom the same thing. If you've ever watched the show 'Wiener's Circle' almost every nick name they give out has to do with ethnicity. Its pretty disgusting. In my experience racism exists everywhere but right now people of color are more comfortable saying their racist opinion's out loud.