Guess Who's Going to KEEP Coming to Dinner

There was a time when a Black man stepped under city the whole Black community held their collective breath. Phones rang all over the neighborhood as one friend called another and so on and so forth. Children were called to gather around the screen because a Black man— someone who looked just like them was stepping into the most important role in sports. Even if he was on the other team, his team became their team because in him, they saw themselves.

But here’s the cruel reality. For every Doug Williams, Warren Moon or Vince Evans flashing across the screen, directing an offense with the world watching, there were countless Tony Rices, Major Harris’s, Charlie Wards, and Steve Taylors. All were great college quarterbacks who if they played today would almost surely get a chance to further their careers in the NFL. But instead of receiving those kinds of opportunities, they were pointed north to Canada or to the outside to play wide receiver or defensive back … places where their natural gifts were better suited.

The Invite

Football is a violent sport, played by violent men. Big men who move in ways men their size shouldn’t be able to move. But they do. They do and over time those big men, many of whom played defense stopped just moving and began moving incredibly fast. This was good news for defenses, but bad news for offenses specifically quarterbacks who had made their livings being nothing more than gridiron statues. Yes, those quarterbacks would take their drops, stand in the pocket, navigate whatever discomfort came their way before claiming their target.

But when defenders, 260-pound linebackers and 330-pound defensive tackles began running just as and, in some cases, faster than running backs, standing in the pocket was no longer an option. To survive, quarterbacks needed a different skill set that included speed and a type of elusiveness typically found in backs and receivers, while maintaining the field generalship that the position mandated. A role perfectly suited … for the Black quarterback.

Here’s the reality: this invite that the Black quarterback so graciously accepted wasn’t a reflection of a lack of ability because it had always been present. The speed, the elusiveness, the quick feet, and leadership, all always present. No, this shift was the result of the evolving state of the game where the very skills that were once viewed as a liability became an asset, not only to the Black players who possessed them, but more importantly, to the teams that needed them.

The Main Course

All over the country at major colleges and universities in cities and states where Black leadership on or off the field were once viewed with skepticism, we have huddles being led by young gridders of color. It starts early at the high school level. Whereas in decades past, when a high school team used the athleticism of a Black quarterback to their advantage all while he knew his future was at another position, this day and age has proven to being open to him remaining under center. In fact, it encourages and accepts his place in the huddle knowing that the success he realized in high school could very well translate into the same kind of success once he lands on their campus.

The game is only going to continue moving faster which means it will warrant players, including quarterbacks with skill sets that mirror and support this trend. Will there be space for traditional pocket passers, yes by all means there will be as his presence, regardless of his hue, will forever be embedded in the rhythm, heart, and ethos of the game. But what may never return, the space that has been eliminated is the one that says Black quarterbacks lack the full suite of abilities necessary to own and more importantly excel in this critical role.

What’s for Dessert?

So, what’s for dessert?

How about a slice of ownership pie?