Subtle racism, ignorance, and stereotyping

[BuckeyeTrail]

http://www.collegefootballnews.com/Big_Ten/2005_Previews/OhioState_FA.htm

4^th and One – Déjà vu All Over Again – Okay, let’s do this for the second consecutive year – there’s a QB controversy in Columbus. Surprise, surprise. The difference going into this year is that we all got to see what each one could do. And, also, not do. If you could put the talents of Troy Smith and Justin Zwick together in one QB, that guy could be a Heisman worthy candidate. Rotating QBs are the worst idea the college football gods ever created, but this is one place where it might work because of the varied talents of this pair. Might, being the key word. Either way, when the individual at this position played well last year, the Buckeyes won. When they didn’t, it was ugly. Very ugly.

overall this was a very flattering review. however, this last bit bothers me. the writer is obviously assuming that troy smith, being black, is a great scrambling QB with good speed, that makes mental mistakes and lacks throwing accuracy. and obviously justin zwick, being white, throws a nice ball and makes good decisions, but is slower than molasses and stands like a statue in the pocket. oh, if only we could combine the two!

i don't want this to turn into a troy-zwick thread. i just wanted to point out yet another example of blind ignorance and believing stereotypes without actually examining the players.

you know what's also funny? if hawk hadn't run at the osu pro day, people would be saying that he's a great college linebacker that probably lacks the speed to excel in the NFL. now they're saying that he's a top 5 pick.

note - when the hell did hawk run in the mid 4.4's? i love hawk and think he's fantastic, but this is ridiculous. he ran a 4.5, and if he runs at the combine it will be slower because all times are slower at the rca dome. he is very fast and athletic, but 4.4 is ridiculous.

 

[HuffDaddy10]

You are looking way too much into that. No need to bring that into the eqaution whatsoever. Not once was their a mention of white or black or even what one QB does better than the other. Dont try and make something out of nothing.

 

[BuckeyeFromHecK]

4.46 at ohio state pro day this past march(i think march) id say thats mid 4.4 range. (low 4.4 meaning 4.4-4.43, mid meaning 4.44-44.6, high meaning 4.47-4.49)

 

[osugrad21]

IMHO, you are reading way too deeply into the article. I didn't see any form of what you are suggesting.

As for Hawk, I guess it depends on your source:

Hawk steals show at Pro Day


By Doug Harris Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS | Ohio State held its annual Pro Day for NFL personnel Wednesday, but the senior prospects were upstaged by a fast-rising junior.

Centerville's A.J. Hawk was among a handful of underclassmen who were tested by the scouts, too. He turned in a blistering time in the 40-yard dash, having been clocked at 4.46 to 4.50 seconds.

 

[jwinslow]

I believe you are probably reading too much into it.... but on this board there have been too many references to a guys skin color when there was no bearing for it (ie Gene Smith hiring).

 

[methomps]

That isn't racism

This is racism

 

[BuckeyeSoldier]

That isn't racism

This is racism

so they are not letting me read that site because im white?? THOSE DIRTY BITCHES!!!!

 

[BuckeyeTrail]

i REALLY didn't want to turn this into a zwick-troy thread, but because noone agrees with me, here goes:

If you could put the talents of Troy Smith and Justin Zwick together in one QB, that guy could be a Heisman worthy candidate.

what exactly does zwick possess on the field that troy doesn't have. stronger arm? nope. better accuracy? nope. better decision making? nope. fewer turnovers? nope. better pocket awareness? nope. better on-the-field leadership? nope.

if you are going to write that combining the 2 would make the perfect QB, you are obviously implying that one of the qb's possesses something that the other qb doesn't have, and vice versa.

this writer didn't do his homework on this topic. he assumes we have a qb controversy (if we do, it is because of off-the-field stuff; on the field, there is no controversy). i can GUARANTEE you that if zwick was black, or if troy was white, the guy wouldn't have said that they should be combined or rotated.

no national person ever said "what if they could combine the talents of krenzel and mcmullen?", even though in that situation, it would have been a much more pertinent question. krenzel was the steady leader who took care of the ball, but his passes tended to be erratic occasionally. mcmullen was the gunslinger. if you could combine the 2, that would have been a fantastic QB. whereas, a combination of zwick and smith isn't any better than #10 by himself.

in regards to hawk, what i was trying to say, is that nobody in the national media besides maybe brent musburger considered hawk to be very fast, because he's white. it took a great 40 time before people started describing hawk as fast. just like nobody ever described dustin fox as athletic, 4.4 and 43" vertical notwithstanding. they called him "heady" and said that he "gave a lot of effort".

racism goes both ways in sports, it's not a big deal to me and i don't get offended, i just find it very amusing. the reporter is not racist, but he is lazy, and jumped to a conclusion based on preconceived notions. as a result, it appears racist, and i laugh.

 

[Steve19]

I live in a country where direct and indirect racism detectors are very strong indeed. I don't see anything racial about this piece. There is a lot of racism in the world and I firmly believe that most of it is unintentional and naive. But I don't see any of it in this.

 

[AKAK]

racism goes both ways in sports, it's not a big deal to me and i don't get offended, i just find it very amusing. the reporter is not racist, but he is lazy, and jumped to a conclusion based on preconceived notions. as a result, it appears racist, and i laugh.

Ummm... he is lazy... But Racist?

What if he only watched the Michigan game and the bowl game? Even if he watched more than that.... what would stand out in your mind?

Then you would think that Troy is a hell of a Runner what with that 145 yds on the ground... and Zwick was a a hell of a passer that's slower than molasses (what with his bum wheel and over 50% completion rate and over 10 yards a completion....)

Now... we know that's not the complete story... I'm just asking what would stick out in the mind of the NATIONAL observer... if the two games you got to watch were those two.... if you could remember anything past "how fast that Ginn kid is."

 

[BuckeyeInTheBoro]

I'm with you BT. Smith seems to be above Zwick in every phase of the game (If you only watch the last two games you'd STILL come to this conclusion) yet combining them would make the "perfect QB"?

Whatever.

I was disappointed with the lack of research on that piece and agree that using stereotypes and generalizations based on race is the only way that the writer's conclusion could be drawn.

No biggie. Hopefully the guy will see just one great OSU QB this year and the piece is moot.

 

[osugrad21]

He could also be referring to reliability issues...

Right now, Troy Smith has as much chance of winning a Heisman Trophy as I do because of the national perceptions of his character.

However, Zwick is still viewed in a much more positive light.

Fair? Probably not, but it is reality with today's media and society.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

There's no racism here and to suggest it is being ignorant and stupid. Get off it.

 

[exhawg]

i REALLY didn't want to turn this into a zwick-troy thread, but because noone agrees with me, here goes:


what exactly does zwick possess on the field that troy doesn't have. stronger arm? nope. better accuracy? nope. better decision making? nope. fewer turnovers? nope. better pocket awareness? nope. better on-the-field leadership? nope.

if you are going to write that combining the 2 would make the perfect QB, you are obviously implying that one of the qb's possesses something that the other qb doesn't have, and vice versa.

Zwick is 6'4" and throws a better short to mid range ball IMO. Troy has a cannon and seems to use it for every pass no matter how close the receiver is. So I think that if you could take the good qualities out of both of these young men and combine them you would have a better qb that the 2 you started with. The only way to see racism here is if you're looking for it way too hard.
Just a question: Do you think that Troy could lead the team on one leg the way Justin did in the Alamo Bowl? Personally I don't think Troy would be able to stand in the pocket and win a game without moving. Being able to run is about half of his game and he wouldn't be the same QB if he wasn't able to do it. Justin isn't too shabby on his feet either, but if you take away the ability to run he is the better QB. That might just be due to the fact that he's taller or used to working out of the shotgun.

 

[martinss01]

what exactly does zwick possess on the field that troy doesn't have. stronger arm? nope. better accuracy? nope. better decision making? nope. fewer turnovers? nope. better pocket awareness? nope. better on-the-field leadership? nope.

zwick has touch which is something smith has yet to master. smith throws one way and one way only. don't matter if it is a 60yrd bomb or a 5yrd dump off pass. he throws the ball as hard as he can every single time he throws it. that is one of the things ts needs to work on.

if you are going to write that combining the 2 would make the perfect QB, you are obviously implying that one of the qb's possesses something that the other qb doesn't have, and vice versa.

it would take a lot more than smith and zwick being combined to make the "perfect qb". maybe add boekman in there and you have a shot. neither are near good enough to be considered heisman candidates at present. i think you are looking way to deeply into this in addition to being very partial. both smith and zwick have a looooooooooong way to go to becoming good qbs.hopefully both guys will tighten up their game before the beginning of the year.