I Hate the Steelers!!!...but appreciate Mike Tomlin

With Super Bowl just days away, I can't help but to reflect on the fact that my arch-rival team the Pittsburgh Steelers have made it yet again. Understand, as a loyal Cleveland Browns fan, there is nothing more hated than the dreaded Steelers. This disdain is something that I hold on to dearly, as I despise all things Pittsburgh. It's great to live in DC and be a Capitols fan, just because their enemy is the Pittsburgh Penguins!!! With that being said and done, I find myself caught in the confusion of making the decision of who to root for. Outwardly, one would say that of course I'd root against the Steelers and cheer on Green Bay, but inwardly, I'm happy for Steeler's coach Mike Tomlin. At 38, Tomlin is the youngest head coach in the league. And yet, with 72% of professional football players being black in the NFL, he is only one of seven black head coaches out of 32 teams. That's a mere 22%. A major disproportionality. In a league that is dominated by the black athlete, we have had a hard time cracking the positions of quarterback and head coach, regarded as the top-two most important roles on a team. The quarterback position is something that can be discussed another time, for now we focus on the role of the head coach. A coach largely defines his team and is responsible for it's direction in all or most facets. With this being said, the ownership of the NFL has had a difficult time in hiring and entrusting black males as coaches. So difficult of a time that the Fritz Pollard(technically the first black coach in the NFL,dating back to 1920) rule had to be placed into effect. The rule basically states that during a team hiring process for a head coach, a minority candidate must be interviewed. This can be a game. An interview can be as simple as calling somebody and asking them a few questions with no real intention of ever giving them the job.

The NFL is a game chock-full of racial undertones. From the combine, which can be reminiscent of when slaves were measured and sold in town squares back in the day, to the fact that you have a major franchise that uses a symbol of prejudice(Redskins) as a mascot. The fact is as well, it's athlete's are the least paid out of all major sports, even with the great risks to bodily harm and health. Clearly, there are many issues. But, it does make one wonder how it's possible to elect a black President, but not consider hiring a black coach. In the hands of many, a democracy is possible, when the power is controlled by a few, tyranny reigns supreme.