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| Johnny Manziel is the Miley Cyrus of college football | Johnny Manziel is the Miley Cyrus of college football |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The quarterback is the most racially divisive position in all of sports. The history of the position is rife with racial tension, insensitive comments and stereotypes that color just about any discussion about that aspect of American football. And we're seeing that come to a head again in the debate over Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback who's white, but "acts black", and just made the cover of Time magazine. Think of him as the Miley Cyrus of college football. | The quarterback is the most racially divisive position in all of sports. The history of the position is rife with racial tension, insensitive comments and stereotypes that color just about any discussion about that aspect of American football. And we're seeing that come to a head again in the debate over Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback who's white, but "acts black", and just made the cover of Time magazine. Think of him as the Miley Cyrus of college football. |
| African-Americans found it difficult to break in to quarterbacking due to stereotypes that the position required an analytical look at football that black athletes just didn't possess. For years, black quarterbacks were seen as "pure athletes" who could run and use "instincts" on the field, but that could only get them so far in a position better fit for guys who could "process" the plays (ie smarter white guys). | African-Americans found it difficult to break in to quarterbacking due to stereotypes that the position required an analytical look at football that black athletes just didn't possess. For years, black quarterbacks were seen as "pure athletes" who could run and use "instincts" on the field, but that could only get them so far in a position better fit for guys who could "process" the plays (ie smarter white guys). |
| Only one black quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl, Doug Williams in 1971, and he was subsequently cut by the Washington Redskins the next year. Through the 1980s and 1990s, black college quarterbacks were often asked to play more "athletic" roles – wide receiver, running back, safety – when they entered the NFL, even if they had flourished in college playing quarterback. The 2000s have brought about a cavalcade of black quarterback stars, but none have been able to win a championship yet. | Only one black quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl, Doug Williams in 1971, and he was subsequently cut by the Washington Redskins the next year. Through the 1980s and 1990s, black college quarterbacks were often asked to play more "athletic" roles – wide receiver, running back, safety – when they entered the NFL, even if they had flourished in college playing quarterback. The 2000s have brought about a cavalcade of black quarterback stars, but none have been able to win a championship yet. |
| This is why Johnny Manziel is the most hated man in football. | This is why Johnny Manziel is the most hated man in football. |
| Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback affectionately known as Johnny Football, was the first freshman ever to win college football's most coveted individual prize: the Heisman trophy. Manziel is white, but he isn't acting like a white quarterback should. He's not an all- American like Tim Tebow. Instead, he hangs out with rappers in VIP lounges. He flashes his newfound fame. And he runs around the field using his athleticism like a black quarterback. This isn't how college football's darling should act – on or off the field. | Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback affectionately known as Johnny Football, was the first freshman ever to win college football's most coveted individual prize: the Heisman trophy. Manziel is white, but he isn't acting like a white quarterback should. He's not an all- American like Tim Tebow. Instead, he hangs out with rappers in VIP lounges. He flashes his newfound fame. And he runs around the field using his athleticism like a black quarterback. This isn't how college football's darling should act – on or off the field. |
| Add in the fact that it's been widely reported that Manziel comes from wealth and he's been given a "spoiled brat" tag, and we have the makings for a 20-year-old kid who is earning the ire of white America. | Add in the fact that it's been widely reported that Manziel comes from wealth and he's been given a "spoiled brat" tag, and we have the makings for a 20-year-old kid who is earning the ire of white America. |
| But that doesn't mean he's found amnesty in the black community. Manziel isn't getting much love there, either. Instead, he's looked at as an entitled kid who's co-opting black culture while getting away with special treatment from the NCAA, which oversees college sports. To many, Manziel is Miley Cyrus with a football – parading around Instagramming black culture while getting a free pass. The final straw came when Manziel was accused of accepting money for autographs by the NCAA. Though the NCAA wasn't able to nail down actual proof of money changing hands, Manziel was caught on film signing the autographs and the companies involved with the autographs came forward confessing that they paid him. As a result Manziel was only suspended for the first half of the first game of the college football season after an investigation that lasted less than a week. | |
| Meanwhile, African-American athletes like Dez Bryant, who was suspended for the final 10 games of his college career, labeled a "bad seed" and saw his draft stock plummet because a former NFL player paid for one of his meals, have seen their careers nearly ended after being victimized by the NCAA's stringent policies. Manziel, by getting a farce of a punishment (possibly to protect the blockbuster Texas A&M vs. Alabama game later in the season) is seen as a slap in the face to athletes like Bryant. The easy sentence only heightens the belief that white privilege is in play. | Meanwhile, African-American athletes like Dez Bryant, who was suspended for the final 10 games of his college career, labeled a "bad seed" and saw his draft stock plummet because a former NFL player paid for one of his meals, have seen their careers nearly ended after being victimized by the NCAA's stringent policies. Manziel, by getting a farce of a punishment (possibly to protect the blockbuster Texas A&M vs. Alabama game later in the season) is seen as a slap in the face to athletes like Bryant. The easy sentence only heightens the belief that white privilege is in play. |
| So when Texas A&M football games kick off, the country's gaze is focused on a brash, cocky quarterback who's turning the position on its head and earning sincere hatred from fans on both sides of the proverbial racial "tracks". But what has Manziel himself done to earn such vitriol? Sure, he could have gone about his college career differently: his tweets have been less than mature, he shouldn't have signed those autographs in the first place and he shouldn't have been allowed to miss classes due to his "fame". | So when Texas A&M football games kick off, the country's gaze is focused on a brash, cocky quarterback who's turning the position on its head and earning sincere hatred from fans on both sides of the proverbial racial "tracks". But what has Manziel himself done to earn such vitriol? Sure, he could have gone about his college career differently: his tweets have been less than mature, he shouldn't have signed those autographs in the first place and he shouldn't have been allowed to miss classes due to his "fame". |
| Manziel's biggest offense though, is playing a position so muddied by racial tension and turning stereotypes on their heads. America's complicated history with sports and the quarterback position are playing themselves out with every Manziel criticism or apologist. | Manziel's biggest offense though, is playing a position so muddied by racial tension and turning stereotypes on their heads. America's complicated history with sports and the quarterback position are playing themselves out with every Manziel criticism or apologist. |
| The truth of Johnny Manziel probably lies somewhere in the middle of privileged white punk and cocky wannabe black kid. He's a slightly immature, gifted football player who became one of the most famous college athletes of all time before he was old enough to pick his university major. He also acts as maturely as any of us did our second year in college. So maybe it's not totally his fault he's so hated. | The truth of Johnny Manziel probably lies somewhere in the middle of privileged white punk and cocky wannabe black kid. He's a slightly immature, gifted football player who became one of the most famous college athletes of all time before he was old enough to pick his university major. He also acts as maturely as any of us did our second year in college. So maybe it's not totally his fault he's so hated. |