The NFL and our Black Asses
Welcome to the 49th installment of This Black-Ass Life. The NFL is racist and it’s killing Black athletes. Inspired by Jay Z’s lil initiative, we wanted to take a closer look at just how racist this institution is. These issues probably can’t be resolved by a Roc Nation concert despite Meghan Trainor’s best efforts.
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l. The Facts
The list is long, but here are just four reasons why the NFL is not for us and you shouldn’t be watching.
The power-dynamic in the NFL is fucked-up. It’s kept that way on purpose.
70% of NFL players are Black, but only 9% of managers (the people who run the day to day) in the league offices are, 2 head coaches, and zero owners are Black.
The average player in the NFL is paid $2 million a year. The average owner makes between $20 million and $500 million a year.
So Black bodies are literally destroyed to line the pockets of White owners in a system overseen by predominantly White managers.
Speaking of destroying Black bodies:
Black players make up the vast majority of the most dangerous positions on the field. They suffer the majority of concussions and on-field hits, which means they are most likely to be in pain both physically and mentally.
NFL retirees are also more depressed and are more likely to die from accidental overdoses and neurological diseases (ALS, dementia and alzheimer's chief among them) than the general population.
Most frightening however is the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which was found in 99% of donated dead NFL players' brains. CTE symptoms include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, depression, impulse control and suicidal ideation. Several NFL players have completed suicide. To make matters worse, CTE research is mostly focused on White players.
Just last month, these very heartbreaking tweets from a former NFL player highlighted what life is like for so many after years of playing: “my head is crazy.”
From the very inception of the NFL, many White owners, coaches and players have been openly racist. Just last year, Jerry Richardson, the former owner of the Carolina Panthers was fined $2.75 million for racist and sexist behavior. A few select quotes from others who most likely share his line of thinking:
2013: “Half-Nigger.” - Dolphins player Richie Incognito to Black player Jonathan Martin
2017: “We can’t have inmates running the prison.” - Texans’ owner Bob McNair
1961: “We'll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing Whites." - Washington football team coach George Preston Mitchell, who had to be forced to sign Black athletes by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Even when the NFL pretends to be better, they fail miserably:
The fact that Colin Kaepernick took the knee to call attention to the issues of racial inequality and police brutality and the NFL responded by continuing to blackball him (which honestly might be a blessing to his body and mind) and initiating an ill-fated Jay-Z collabo whose sole function seems to be selling t-shirts, cutting dreads off of Black boys, and funding actual racists.
Also we literally cannot refer to Washington, D.C.’s football team by name because it is a slur.
Why does it matter?
We should not be complicit in watching a game where Black men are slowly but surely dying for entertainment.
CTE is so evident and so well-known that kids in White and Black upper-income communities are abandoning football, but poor Black boys are disproportionately getting pushed into this very violent sport due to a lack of sporting options in their communities. Very soon, the lack of economic opportunity will become the only reason young Black men will be incentivized to sacrifice their body and brain to play.
While it’s very hard to divest entirely from businesses owned by rich White men, this is an easy way to not line the pockets of very terrible people.
What can my Black-ass do?
Stop watching football, please.
ll. Other Things
Sigh. So many things. Some good. Some bad.
Mugabe is dead. Will Mengistu finally answer for his crimes now that his protector is gone?
Worth noting is the difference in coverage between Western media and African media where some still consider in the great liberator.
South Africa is at it again with xenophobic attacks on migrant populations. African countries seem to be very over it though, with Nigeria recalling its ambassador from the country.
Lizzo will help raise awareness for mental health for Suicide Prevention Week.
Walter Mosley has HAD it.
Chanel Miller is our hero and we’re grateful for her bravery.
A quick read and a quick FYI: All the Worst White People Love Dave Chappelle's Sticks and Stones.
Lisa Leslie is the first woman athlete to be honored with a statue in her likeness outside of the Staples Center.
Love After Lockup Report.
The best show on T.V.
Andrea’s lace fronts are improving and she has great taste in wedding dresses.
Are we to assume Lamondre’s money is clean?
How will Lacey handle two men?
Is Vince really scary to anyone else?
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Jumoke):
A beautiful return to a classic I didn’t even know that I needed until Mitu reminded me of how majestic this song is yesterday. S*T*A*R*S*TU*D*D*E*D
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) look forward to Married to Medicine, which is back! Y’ALL! The trailer.
I (Mitu) look forward to watching Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper on Hulu. I happened upon the throwback gem and the pilot is 🔥.
lll. A Black-Ass Prayer Warrior
Shout out to this mama blessing a Sweet Sixteen.
Stay Black, thrive, and find a new Sunday hobby. We’ll hit your inbox next on September 23.