February: Black History (and Future) Month

     For as long as I can remember, February has always been known as Black History Month. I am more than happy to say that all of our professional sports in the United States are fully integrated. Jackie Robinson would be proud to see what today's baseball culture looks like. Even though we have come a long way since Mr. Robinson made his debut in 1947, there is still much work to be done.

 
  Certain racial groups are profiled and stereotyped to play certain positions. African Americans are typically thought of as your wide receiver or your running back in football while Caucasians are thought to be better at the quarter back position. This theme is reinforced through media coverage of games. It is not uncommon during live coverage of games to hear an announcer say "That was a smart play" or "To play this position you have to be very smart" when referring to a white quarterback. It is also not uncommon to hear an announcer say "What an athletic play" or "He sure is fast" when referring to a black running back or wide receiver. 

    The problem does not just stop with players. The issue continues up the ladder to coaches as well as General Managers. There are only 3 African American head coaches in the NFL and only 5 managers in the MLB. There are no majority owners in the NFL or MLB. This a trend that needs to be addressed and stopped. We say that these sports are fully integrated when in reality there is still a long road ahead. Until a young boy of any race can have realistic dreams of whatever career in sports they want, we will not have fully integrated sports.