Jacob Hester: Ode to the White Running Back
In days of yore, you ran free in packs
All over the field, white running backs.
Fast Negro runners with amazing grace,
Slowly began to take your place.
Once there was Riggins and his mohawk,
Now you line up and mostly block.
Slow of foot and without much style,
We watch you try and it makes us smile.
You lower your shoulders and get three yards,
Moving less like backs, more like guards.
They talk of your motor and how hard you compete,
And try not to mention your clumsy feet.
But like the infrequent moon that's blue,
There are the times you still come through.
At the end of the game; it couldn't come later,
You drove through the line to defeat the Gator.
Jacob Hester, we will cut you some slack
You aren't too bad for a white running back.
Note: The Nation of Islam Sportsblog may not actually be written by a member of the Nation of Islam. Who knows?
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
LOL. pretty good actually.
ReplyDeleteon a serious note, the discrimination against white players in football is so ridiculous at this point that i have trouble taking the NFL seriously most of the time.
i know too much about the game to believe most managers and coaches put the best players on the field. i estimate the NFL market for players is not even 75% efficient anymore, whereas the NBA market is probably 95% efficient. there is not much discrimination in basketball.
the league had to put a new rule in this year, to prevent stupid black players from spiking the ball after routine plays.
the NFL has wanted a 100% black league for years, and now they are close to getting it, complete with the corresponding decline in the level of play.
Ouch, horrible poem. It doesn't scan at all. (Might actually be NOI.)
ReplyDelete"the league had to put a new rule in this year, to prevent stupid black players from spiking the ball after routine plays."
ReplyDeleteI thought that rule was inspired by my NY Giants' under-achieving white tight end Jeremy Shockey.
It bwas pretty funny,but turnabout is fair play. How about a poem dedicated to black plastic surgeons? He's on TV and much adored/but never got passed by the Board/ Tho women to his office flock/What they recieve may be a shock/like Dorothys friend who crows does scare/parts of you are there and there and there and there! :)
ReplyDeleteThe poem wasn't bad, but one thing I haven't seen mentioned about white tailbacks is a greater tendency to fumble. It could be the smaller hands. Hester, of course, has big hands.
ReplyDeleteI notice they don't have any silly poems about all the white boxers knocking out black boxers recently. 16 of the 20 belts from middleweight to heavyweight are held by whites.
ReplyDeleteAs for white RBs, just give them a chance and they will succeed. But the best white high school RBs are often moved to other positions as they are seldom allowed to play in college (much less the NFL).
Ben Tillman,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any stats to prove your points about fumbling? The only white tailback in the NFL (Brian Leonard) never fumbled while at Rutgers or in his first year with the Rams. If we compare white receivers to black receivers, the blacks are more likely to have butterfingers.
Jody wrote:
ReplyDelete"i know too much about the game to believe most managers and coaches put the best players on the field."
Yes-all of those coaches at prominent football schools and in the NFL, whose job performance is ruthlessly scrutinized and whose teams must perform at a high level or they get fired, have all decided to put lesser players on the field.
Seriously, if there is some well of untapped talent out there, some enterprising coach/GM would scrap it up. Why wouldn't they? People like to win, and you (usually) win with better players. Which also means you get to keep your job.
Jonathan wrote:
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if there is some well of untapped talent out there, some enterprising coach/GM would scrap it up. Why wouldn't they? People like to win, and you (usually) win with better players. Which also means you get to keep your job.
Close but not quite true. For years analysts from economists to interested laypeople have argued and made pretty convincing cases that football coaches are systematically over-conservative. The major example is punting; coaches don't go for it on 4th down nearly enough. The thinking is more "play to avoid blame" not "play to win". If you lose and there are no odd decisions (like not punting or playing a white tailback), no problem, your team wasn't good enough. If you lose and you did things that are uncommon, you're out of a job and not likely to be hired ever again (other coaches don't like guys who implicitly show them up by doing things differently so assistant jobs wouldn't be forthcoming).
- Steve Johnson
Steve: take a look at parkour and free running and David Belle. Lots of cool videos on you tube. Give me your insights on that.
ReplyDelete