Donovan McNabb/Rush Limbaugh Controversy
This was a paper I wrote in a philosophy of race and gender course in college. It was written in relation to Frantz Fanon's book "Black Skin, White Masks."
Racial stereotypes are plentiful in the sports world. They are imbedded in the culture of sports and dictate ideologies from the front office to the playing field. It is accepted as fact that white men can’t jump, Asians are athletically inept, golf is a white man’s game, Latinos are the most gifted baseball players, and whites make better quarterbacks than blacks. These are all arbitrary, essentialist classifications which have no scientific validity and can be attributed to Hardimon’s idea of the racialist development. The latter of these essentialist athletic stereotypes came to the forefront of racial issues in the NFL in September of 2003 with controversial comments from far-right conservative Rush Limbaugh on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown:
"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team." (qtd. in World Almanac, 864)
This seemingly racist assertion infuriated the NFL and the liberal media (whom Limbaugh was accusing of being bias) and led to Limbaugh’s resignation from the show. McNabb adeptly extinguished the volatile situation and continued to disprove Limbaugh’s doubts about his ability with excellent on-field performance. However, McNabb became the target of racially implicative criticisms again in December of 2005 when Philadelphia branch NAACP president J. Whyatt Mondesire said he was a “mediocre talent” who was "hiding behind excuses dripping in make-believe racial stereotypes" by refusing to run the ball as often as he did earlier in his career (Cannella, 24). The comments made by Limbaugh and Mondesire represent striking examples of Fanon’s theories of white dominance/paranoia and the black inferiority complex in conjunction with McNabb’s situation. McNabb and the black quarterback predicament is analogous to Fanon’s Antilles blacks and their struggle with the French language.
If Donovan McNabb represents Fanon’s Antilles Negro, then football (and sports in general) and its extensive racial institutions represent the colonizing French. Like the Antilles Negro, his ability to master the language of playing quarterback affords him great power and the ability to elevate himself above racial constraints and stereotypes. However, this power does not allow him to escape from the paradoxical situation of the black quarterback. Similar to the Antilles’ mastery of French, McNabb’s ability to become an expert passer makes him “inordinately feared; keep an eye on that one, he is almost white” (Fanon, 21). Donovan McNabb, like Doug Williams and Warren Moon before him, represents a threat to the axiomatic stereotype that African-Americans cannot be efficient, pure pocket-passers. In his proficiency in developing “white” quarterbacking skills he becomes a threat to the established notions of white dominance, and therefore his position will inexorably be marginalized by white society. Consequently, in Fanon’s words: “The slightest departure (in this case, from efficient passing) is seized on, picked apart, and in less than forty-eight hours it has been retailed all over Fort-de-France (in this case, national news)” (Fanon, 24).
In comes Rush Limbaugh, the far-right conservative talk radio host with a reputation for making brash, racially-tinged statements. Some might argue Limbaugh’s assessment was not an attempt to subvert the success of an African-American quarterback, but yet another defamation of the liberal media. However, there is no evidence to support his claim of a “black quarterback” conspiracy in the media. In a comprehensive content analysis of newspaper coverage from the 2002 NFL season, comparing coverage of seven African-American quarterbacks with seven white quarterbacks with nearly identical statistics, there was no tendency for black quarterbacks or Donovan McNabb specifically to receive biased or preferential treatment from the media (Niven, 685). In fact, there were slightly higher results for critical comments about black quarterbacks (Niven, 690). Since Limbaugh’s pro-African-American media hypothesis is completely erroneous, it appears, like the French colonizers, he is consciously attempting to subjugate the ability of a black man to overcome racial stereotypes and controvert white dominance. At best, Limbaugh’s comments were a debased effort to marginalize the performance of a black quarterback. At their worst, they were a despicable attempt to protect the convictions of white dominance, in Fanon’s words expressing the thoughts of the Prospero complex: “You’d better keep your place” (Fanon, 34).
The most troublesome aspect of McNabb and the black quarterback’s dilemma can be explained in terms of Fanon’s black inferiority complex. Like the Antilles Negro, as a black quarterback McNabb is faced with an “arsenal of complexes that has been developed by the colonial environment” (Fanon, 30). One of these complexes is produced by the stereotype of black quarterbacks being scramblers. Because McNabb is black, he is expected to run (much like the Antilles is expected to speak pidgin). This expectation and stereotyping creates what Fanon terms the black inferiority complex. The only way for McNabb to free himself from this complex is to develop into a skilled passer (the inherent trait of a white quarterback) and refrain from scrambling. Thus, “he becomes whiter as he renounces his blackness” (Fanon, 18). It is in this behavior that McNabb alienates himself from “ordinary” black quarterbacks and black culture in general.
It is in McNabb’s racially-motivated actions that such criticisms come from J. Whyatt Mondesire. Mondesire basically accuses McNabb of “selling out” by playing the “race card” in justifying his evolution into more of a pocket-passer (Cannella, 24). Whether McNabb consciously began steering away from scrambling to avoid being stereotyped is debatable (he has admitted to being pressured to scramble because he is black). Some might argue he is simply exercising sound judgment to better avoid injury and thus increase the possibility for his team to succeed. Whatever the explanation, McNabb’s stylistic transition as a quarterback and the backlash from Mondesire, though outlandish, illustrates the modern dilemma of the black inferiority complex. Although McNabb’s mastery of the quarterback position allows him to break racial bounds and stereotypes, it alienates him from his own culture. Like the Antilles returning home from France and speaking articulately, McNabb is met with suspicion within his own community in his efforts to be a pure passer and abandon the “natural” athletic traits of his race. In this lies the predicament of the black inferiority complex as it applies to the black quarterback; his honest effort to become a better, more efficient quarterback frees him from deep racial institutions but also estranges him from members of his own race.
Race and its implications are inherent in the way we watch, play, and perceive athletics. Racial stereotypes have become institutionalized in the world of sports at the highest levels, as football announcers attribute the successful performance of black players to natural ability and of white players more often to hard work and cognitive ability (Niven, 687). The race-oriented complications facing Donovan McNabb and fellow black quarterbacks was brought to the attention of the mainstream in the last few years with offensive, but fascinating statements by conservative political radio host Rush Limbaugh and Philadelphia branch NAACP leader J. Whyatt Mondesire. The comments and their implications brought to light the similarities between McNabb and the black quarterback predicament and Fanon’s Antilles blacks and their embracing of French culture. Both situations represent the paradoxical nature of the pressure to escape white dominance and the resulting black inferiority complex.
Racial stereotypes are plentiful in the sports world. They are imbedded in the culture of sports and dictate ideologies from the front office to the playing field. It is accepted as fact that white men can’t jump, Asians are athletically inept, golf is a white man’s game, Latinos are the most gifted baseball players, and whites make better quarterbacks than blacks. These are all arbitrary, essentialist classifications which have no scientific validity and can be attributed to Hardimon’s idea of the racialist development. The latter of these essentialist athletic stereotypes came to the forefront of racial issues in the NFL in September of 2003 with controversial comments from far-right conservative Rush Limbaugh on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown:
"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team." (qtd. in World Almanac, 864)
This seemingly racist assertion infuriated the NFL and the liberal media (whom Limbaugh was accusing of being bias) and led to Limbaugh’s resignation from the show. McNabb adeptly extinguished the volatile situation and continued to disprove Limbaugh’s doubts about his ability with excellent on-field performance. However, McNabb became the target of racially implicative criticisms again in December of 2005 when Philadelphia branch NAACP president J. Whyatt Mondesire said he was a “mediocre talent” who was "hiding behind excuses dripping in make-believe racial stereotypes" by refusing to run the ball as often as he did earlier in his career (Cannella, 24). The comments made by Limbaugh and Mondesire represent striking examples of Fanon’s theories of white dominance/paranoia and the black inferiority complex in conjunction with McNabb’s situation. McNabb and the black quarterback predicament is analogous to Fanon’s Antilles blacks and their struggle with the French language.
If Donovan McNabb represents Fanon’s Antilles Negro, then football (and sports in general) and its extensive racial institutions represent the colonizing French. Like the Antilles Negro, his ability to master the language of playing quarterback affords him great power and the ability to elevate himself above racial constraints and stereotypes. However, this power does not allow him to escape from the paradoxical situation of the black quarterback. Similar to the Antilles’ mastery of French, McNabb’s ability to become an expert passer makes him “inordinately feared; keep an eye on that one, he is almost white” (Fanon, 21). Donovan McNabb, like Doug Williams and Warren Moon before him, represents a threat to the axiomatic stereotype that African-Americans cannot be efficient, pure pocket-passers. In his proficiency in developing “white” quarterbacking skills he becomes a threat to the established notions of white dominance, and therefore his position will inexorably be marginalized by white society. Consequently, in Fanon’s words: “The slightest departure (in this case, from efficient passing) is seized on, picked apart, and in less than forty-eight hours it has been retailed all over Fort-de-France (in this case, national news)” (Fanon, 24).
In comes Rush Limbaugh, the far-right conservative talk radio host with a reputation for making brash, racially-tinged statements. Some might argue Limbaugh’s assessment was not an attempt to subvert the success of an African-American quarterback, but yet another defamation of the liberal media. However, there is no evidence to support his claim of a “black quarterback” conspiracy in the media. In a comprehensive content analysis of newspaper coverage from the 2002 NFL season, comparing coverage of seven African-American quarterbacks with seven white quarterbacks with nearly identical statistics, there was no tendency for black quarterbacks or Donovan McNabb specifically to receive biased or preferential treatment from the media (Niven, 685). In fact, there were slightly higher results for critical comments about black quarterbacks (Niven, 690). Since Limbaugh’s pro-African-American media hypothesis is completely erroneous, it appears, like the French colonizers, he is consciously attempting to subjugate the ability of a black man to overcome racial stereotypes and controvert white dominance. At best, Limbaugh’s comments were a debased effort to marginalize the performance of a black quarterback. At their worst, they were a despicable attempt to protect the convictions of white dominance, in Fanon’s words expressing the thoughts of the Prospero complex: “You’d better keep your place” (Fanon, 34).
The most troublesome aspect of McNabb and the black quarterback’s dilemma can be explained in terms of Fanon’s black inferiority complex. Like the Antilles Negro, as a black quarterback McNabb is faced with an “arsenal of complexes that has been developed by the colonial environment” (Fanon, 30). One of these complexes is produced by the stereotype of black quarterbacks being scramblers. Because McNabb is black, he is expected to run (much like the Antilles is expected to speak pidgin). This expectation and stereotyping creates what Fanon terms the black inferiority complex. The only way for McNabb to free himself from this complex is to develop into a skilled passer (the inherent trait of a white quarterback) and refrain from scrambling. Thus, “he becomes whiter as he renounces his blackness” (Fanon, 18). It is in this behavior that McNabb alienates himself from “ordinary” black quarterbacks and black culture in general.
It is in McNabb’s racially-motivated actions that such criticisms come from J. Whyatt Mondesire. Mondesire basically accuses McNabb of “selling out” by playing the “race card” in justifying his evolution into more of a pocket-passer (Cannella, 24). Whether McNabb consciously began steering away from scrambling to avoid being stereotyped is debatable (he has admitted to being pressured to scramble because he is black). Some might argue he is simply exercising sound judgment to better avoid injury and thus increase the possibility for his team to succeed. Whatever the explanation, McNabb’s stylistic transition as a quarterback and the backlash from Mondesire, though outlandish, illustrates the modern dilemma of the black inferiority complex. Although McNabb’s mastery of the quarterback position allows him to break racial bounds and stereotypes, it alienates him from his own culture. Like the Antilles returning home from France and speaking articulately, McNabb is met with suspicion within his own community in his efforts to be a pure passer and abandon the “natural” athletic traits of his race. In this lies the predicament of the black inferiority complex as it applies to the black quarterback; his honest effort to become a better, more efficient quarterback frees him from deep racial institutions but also estranges him from members of his own race.
Race and its implications are inherent in the way we watch, play, and perceive athletics. Racial stereotypes have become institutionalized in the world of sports at the highest levels, as football announcers attribute the successful performance of black players to natural ability and of white players more often to hard work and cognitive ability (Niven, 687). The race-oriented complications facing Donovan McNabb and fellow black quarterbacks was brought to the attention of the mainstream in the last few years with offensive, but fascinating statements by conservative political radio host Rush Limbaugh and Philadelphia branch NAACP leader J. Whyatt Mondesire. The comments and their implications brought to light the similarities between McNabb and the black quarterback predicament and Fanon’s Antilles blacks and their embracing of French culture. Both situations represent the paradoxical nature of the pressure to escape white dominance and the resulting black inferiority complex.
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