Video of the Day-Nathan Chen in the short program of the team competition today.
So many things to write about today. It is hard to decide. So when in doubt I go with my heart.
In January 2020, Leah and I attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships which were being held at Little Caesar’s Arena. We were fortunate to see Nathan Chen win the men’s singles in what I believe is the greatest athletic performance of my lifetime. His performance was so captivating the crowd watched in silence, as people knew they were watching greatness. Perfection is hard to achieve in sports, but on that day, Nathan Chen achieved perfection. Since that day, I have been looking forward to his performance in the Winter Olympics. Today Nathan competed in the men’s singles short program portion of the team event, and once again his performance was flawless. I have been around athletes my entire life and I believe Nathan Chen is one of the greatest in my lifetime. When he is performing at his peak, the competition has as much chance as the other racehorses had against Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. See my Video of the Day for Nathan’s performance today.
I am so glad the Republican National Committee has finally clarified what I watched unfold at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not an insurrection, as I have mistakenly called it. It was “….ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” The RNC needs to let the Justice Department know so they can drop the charges against those who have been arrested, pleaded guilty, and/or convicted of crimes that occurred at the Capitol that day. I am sure the Justice Department will be relieved to find out they have wrongfully prosecuted these law-abiding citizens who were just engaging in legitimate political discourse, while they were taking over the senate and house chambers and the speaker of the house’s office. I am sure the families of the Capitol officers who died or were seriously injured during “political discourse” are feeling much better today thanks to the RNC clarifying everything for us. See my Quotes of the Day
Yesterday, I wrote about the problems of the National Football League, especially those that have been identified in the lawsuit that was filed by Brian Flores, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Today Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press wrote an excellent article which further articulates the problems that exist in the NFL when it comes to hiring black head coaches. The article is for “subscribers only” so I cannot just copy the link. Instead, I am sharing important excerpts from his article.
There are 32 teams in the NFL. One of them employs a Black head coach. By my math, that is 3.125%. Which is nowhere close to representing the 14% of Black people in the U.S. population. And even further away from the nearly 60% of Black players that comprise the NFL.
….And former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is sick of it. I’m guessing former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell is, too — he just hasn’t filed a lawsuit against the league. Flores has and included the details of Caldwell’s time in Detroit to help his argument, which, if we’re being frank, doesn’t need much help. Why? One Black coach. That’s it. That’s all we need to know.
So, again, what are we going to do to change this? Because as much as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, says he wants change — and I believe he does — he doesn’t own the teams. He can’t hire coaches. Nor can he change the minds of owners — none of whom are Black. But you can. We can. Society can. And it needs to.
Consider the words of an anonymous NFL owner, who told the NFL Network’s Jim Trotter recently that if Blacks are so concerned about getting jobs as coaches and general managers, they should buy their own teams and hire who they want to hire. The words are paraphrased, but the message is clear. It is not shocking. Why? One. Black. Coach.
Which brings us back to Flores, who filed a 58-page class-action lawsuit Tuesday, claiming the Dolphins fired him January 10 not because he lost, but because he won, something team owner Stephen Ross allegedly tried to pay Flores $100,000 a game not to do. Flores got an interview with the New York Giants. In a text exchange with his former boss, Bill Belichick, Flores found out the Giants had planned on hiring Brian Daboll even before Flores’ interview, making the process a sham. The lawsuit alleges that Flores had a similar experience in Denver in 2019, when some of the Broncos’ hiring team allegedly showed up to their interview with him disheveled and hungover. On Thursday, the Broncos denied the allegations. So did the Giants. And Ross and the Dolphins. So did the NFL, which referred to the claims in the lawsuit as “without merit.” Which would be funny if it weren’t so painful first. Because the numbers don’t lie. One. Black. Coach.
Flores’ lawsuit also mentions Caldwell, who made Peyton Manning better and helped him to a Super Bowl, who made Matthew Stafford better and helped him to the playoffs, who made Joe Flacco better and helped him to a Super Bowl and, finally, took a Lions team without a single Pro Bowl player to the postseason, then lost his job because nine wins weren’t good enough. Maybe they weren’t. And maybe Caldwell made some mistakes, as all coaches do. But maybe the talent wasn’t good enough, either. And maybe he deserves another chance. One he hasn’t gotten the last three off seasons, despite interviewing for a handful of jobs, including the Chicago Bears’ opening last month. The same Bears who have a promising young quarterback in Justin Fields. The same Bears who have struggled to score, who could use some offensive wisdom and stability, who could use a coach like Caldwell.
John Thompson, the former Georgetown basketball coach, once argued that equality for Black coaches would come when Black coaches were allowed to fail, when they didn’t have to be perfect, when they would get a second chance, or even a third one — like so many white coaches do in the NFL — rather than just getting an interview. The NFL’s Rooney Rule made sure that teams have to give minority coaches an interview when a head coaching job opens up. A fine idea in theory: Get more Black candidates in front of owners, hope the up-close interactions leads to more hires. But it has been problematic in reality, leading to too many interviews like the one Flores said he had with the Giants and Broncos, and like the one Teryl Austin’s agent said the former Lion’s coordinator had with Detroit after Caldwell was fired.
And as long as owners are more comfortable hiring those that look and sound like them, not much is going to change. In fact, not much has changed at all. The only way to change this is to change the pressure owners feel. Or to change the makeup of the owners. Neither of which will happen without broader societal change first.
Flores’ lawsuit could well be a tipping point toward that end. He likely sacrificed any chance at coaching again in the NFL by providing context — and receipts — for what everyone else can see in the numbers.
One. Black. Coach. It’s shameful. And long past time to do something about it.
What are you doing to stop the violence? Get vaccinated and get your booster.
Orchid of the Day: Peter Meijer and Mitt Romney-see my Quotes of the Day
Onion of the Day: Michigan, for exceeding 2 million Covid-19 cases over the last two years. I am sure no one ever thought it was possible.
Quotes of the Day: “The Republican Party has officially declared the Jan. 6 attack ‘legitimate political discourse.’ Violence must be a bright line dividing acceptable/unacceptable. This shameful whitewashing gives comfort to extremists seeking power by force when they are incapable of persuasion. Violence will be a dark stain on my party unless we actively condemn & reject any who support it.” Peter Meijer, Republican congressman from western Michigan
“Shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol. Honor attaches to Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for seeking truth even when doing so comes at great personal cost.” Mitt Romney, Republican Senator of Utah.
Biggsie, this was a “good one”. Who would have guessed that the NFL and the RNC would take essentially the same approach to both the pathetic representation of black coaches in the NFL & the storming of our Capital on 1/06/21. BOTH organizations are asking us to ignore what we see, and rather just believe what we’re being told. NO! Just NO! Stop it!