Black head coaches in superbowl why don't they get it. This is a great moment for us.?

Question

Why is it a bad thing for blacks to want to metion the fact they both superbowl coaches are black. Some whites on this board continue to say, its not about race, they did there job, color has nothing to do wtih it. Your missing the point, it's because of his color that toney dungy had to sit back and watch less qualified white men become head coaches when he was stuck as a coordinator, he kept his mouth shut and never complained. It was the Pittsburg Steelers owner a white guy -who put in the role in that said all teams must inteview atleast 1 black coach, he did this because every year he went to the owners meeting and watched black candidates never get a mention for job openings and get passed over by whites. Its a shame that in 2006 this is a big deal, i agree with that, the bigger shame is it wasn't until 2002 that dan rooney forced the league to look at this problem. Whites complain about affirmative action and call it discrimination, when its the other way around they don't.

Tom W. are you kidding me. Two decades ago. Try two weeks ago. Race doesn't matter, what world do you live in.

Cantor 13 Lovie did say after the game he was proud of the fact that he was the first black coach to coach in the game. He also said he wanted to be the first one to win. It seems to be big to him, he went through the struggle to be accepted, i guess most of you dont understand nor care.

why does color matter, this is america, color will always matter, where was all of this color doesnt matter when there were no black coaches in this league, it only seems to not matter right this second, it mattered when toney dungy couldnt get a job!!!!

Answer 1

Because it is demeaning to blacks. They are coaching there because they are great coaches who have won with teams made up of people of all races and even foreign backgrounds so to want to focus on race takes away from the greatness of the coaches. Many Blacks focus always on race and that is what racists do. Dungy and Smith are great coaches not just black coaches. You are living about two decades behind the time. That they are there does not advance all blacks, it advances these two coaches and shows that we live in a world in which race is not important. You should live in that world with us.

Answer 2

I am not naive to think that race relations in this country are great. They are much better than before, but not great. Having said that, This is about a football game, NOT RACE. I for one couldn't care less that Lovie Smith is black. He is the coach of my favorite team. He just happens to be black. He could be red with purple spots for that matter. I have answered this question a couple of times on this board, and don't see the big deal. What people don't see is that football is the ultimate team sport. No one player can do his job without the other 10 on the field. No one player or coach is bigger than the team. Does being black make Lovie or Tony Dungee a better coach? NO. Should it matter. NO. It's about the biggest football game of the year for these guys. NOT RACE. Even Tony Dungee and Lovie are downplaying it. Both guys have been class acts all the way. While they understand their place in history, they realize it's all about the TEAM. You want to know why the media keeps bringing stuff like this up? They have to. The african-american population in this country is the only segment of the population they have to do this for. Why? Do you hear anyone yelling that there are no Hispanic head coaches? What about Ron Rivera, the Bears defensive co-ordinator? Is he making a big stink about not getting a head coaching job because he is hispanic? What about Chinese head coaches? Polish? Did you hear anyone jumping up and down when the White Sox won the World Series about how great it was for the Latino population? No, if an african-american does it, they have to make a big deal about it. In this age of political correctness, everyone is afraid to say the wrong thing and do the wrong thing, for fear of not being "sensitive" to the race and differences of others, and therefore being labeled a racist. I say lets just get back to the game of football. I for one can't wait until the Bears take apart the Colts. Go Bears, and thank you Lovie Smith.

Answer 3

You are right.

I'm in Pittsburgh and several sports commentators are saying that the "Rooney Rule" worked exactly as it should have with the hiring of Mike Tomlin. The team had to interview minority candidates (They actually talked to two) and once Tomlin got his foot in the door, he really impressed them as someone who would do a great job. Without the rule, a 34 year old guy like him probably doesn't get in the door until he's been an assistant coach for 20 years. Then you never have black coaches who get a chance to be a coach for 20 years and are ranked with the best of all time, like Tomlin might.

As for the Superbowl coaches - at Tomlin's first press conference yesterday he said he is very proud of Smith and Dungy because they are his friends and they are great men and great coaches. And this brings everyone closer to the time when nobody even notices what the race of the coach is.

Answer 4

I think it's possible to see the issue both ways. The only reason I didn't like it was because the media kept hitting on that fact while I was just impressed at the all-around performance of the two winning squads this weekend. I felt like emphasizing the fact that they were black took time away from emphasizing their accomplishment as coaches of the game.

True enough black coaches may not have been given their fair shot in the past, but the past is simply that. I had recognized them as great coaches long before my attention was drawn to the fact that they are black. That's why I think the color issue should be thrown out. Yes, this may have proven a point that the league was wrong in not giving black coaches a chance, but enough people knew that already, which is why the rule was changed in the first place. No need to rub it in everyone's face and re-ignite the issue when the issue was dealt with in 2002. They're great coaches, black or not. We already knew that. To be all giddy over the fact that black coaches actually made the Super Bowl, to me, only emphasizes the fact that no one thought they had the ability to do it, based on their color (ironic or what?). And that is what I don't think is right.

I understand that you feel like you're cheering on an underdog here, OK, I get that. But what I'm saying is that I never saw these two coaches, especially Dungy, as being underdogs or having any inferior ability to begin with, and I don't want to see that light cast on them in the wake of this achievement.

Answer 5

I will say this on the subject. We as a nation should be ashamed that we are even focusing on what color they are. We as a nation need to focus on the reality that racism is alive and well even today. Affirmative action is not meant to exclude whites. It is meant to level a playing field that is not level. To give people opportunities where they would not have them. I will give an example of something that I read once. Two people filled out an application with identical information and the only thing that was different was the name of the person. In each test they used an so called black traditional name and on the other a white traditional name. 9 times out of 10 the application with the white traditional name was chosen. I wonder why that is? The moment we as a nation realize we are still struggling with this past is the moment we can really start to make a change. I am tired of being looked at differently because of my skin color. Blacks don't have the market cornered on ignorance. There are stupid white people, dumb white people,ghetto white people, smart white people, and everything under the sun. This is true with all races. I will be happy for the day that we as blacks will be looked at as people before the color of our skin but that day has yet to come. And we bring it up because it is sad, hurtful, and degrading. So when one of us breaks a barrier it gives us a sense of hope that oneday we or our children will experience a time where they will be people first and not their skin color.

Answer 6

It is not a bad thing - it is great that these two teams made it to the Super Bowl. I am thrilled you are enjoying their success. What I don't care for is the media's hype on everything for money- no matter what. Please understand it is not directed at either football team, everyone on those teams should be allowed their moment and to enjoy this week. What the media is doing is wrong- sorry. But the media will never change ,there is just too much financial gain to be made off of someone else's success.

I am white so I can say........the color of a coach, coordinator , player or clipboard holder doesn't matter to me. On every other Sunday - they all wear black&gold in our house - we live in Steeler country.I can tell you number on jerseys but everyone of those men could pass me on the street unoticed. Super Bowl Sunday we will be watching and cheering the Bears. 21 years ago I cheered on the Bears , still have the Championship shirt. Cheering the Bears doesn't mean I have anything against the Colt's coach as a person. I just want the Bears to win.

Answer 7

Race should not even be brought up in topic of conversation. Who cares if the coaches are red, black, green, white. It disgusts me when ESPN Tom Jackson, Sterling Sharpe, have to make a big deal about this in refernece to their race. Tony Dungy is a class act, and when asked by media that he would be the first black coach along with Lovie Smith to be in a superbowl, he prfoessionally stated" This is not about race it's about the Indianspolis Colts hard work from top to bottom reaching our goal. Class Act, he did not even boast about his race and I respect him for that, and this should not even be a topic to focus on the next 2 weeks.

Answer 8

I think we are getting to sit back and watch a moment much like that of Martin Luther King's Dream speech lived out in front of us! Makes you think though that Smith's contract has to be changed and up'ed now! I am so excited to see two black coaches lead their teams into the Super Bowl...what an awesome moment!

Answer 9

i typically don't agree with affirmative action b/c i do think it is demeaning to all races, however, in the nfl it is obvious that the hiring of black coaches is inequitable at best. there are tons of great black coaches in football but for some reason they aren't getting opportunities and dan rooney (who is one great man) was absolutely right to lobby for this rule. i have always been a fan of tony dungy and i am extremely happy he made the SB. i didn't know much at lovie smith prior to taking the job at chicago but he also is an excellent coach and has worked hard to get to where he is. the fact that two black coaches will coach in the SB is good for football and race in general. hopefully there will be more african american coaches given the opportunity to lead a team.

Answer 10

The strange thing is, when they first mentioned that Lovie would be the first black head coach in the Super Bowl, I was like, "What? No way..." because I figured it was something that had happened before.

I get that it's a big deal - I just wish that it didn't HAVE to be.