The Nation’s Dave Zirin (the same journalist who brought us the genius idea that not cheering for the Seattle Seahawks is racist) wrote a post-Super Bowl column attributing the Seattle Seahawks’ horrible decision to throw a pass on the one-yard line in the final seconds of the game was due to “the politics of race” and an anti-Marshawn Lynch conspiracy. (VIDEO: Patriots And Seahawks Fans React To Malcolm Butler’s Interception)
The theory, as relayed by Zirin, is that Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll called a pass because he wanted the young, clean-cut quarterback Russell Wilson to be seen as the game-winner, not the renegade running back Marshawn Lynch. The only source for this theory is a disgruntled anonymous figure in the Seahawks locker room.
“Russell Wilson is your young clean-cut God-fearing media-perfect quarterback…” Zirin writes, “He’s Derek Jeter with a Bible, someone who comes across like he has never spoken out of turn in his entire life. Marshawn Lynch is… Marshawn Lynch.”
Anyone who watched the Super Bowl should immediately recognize the problem with this theory: the Seahawks DID give the ball to Marshawn Lynch on first down, which he nearly turned into a touchdown. Furthermore, is it really more likely that the post-game conversation would have been about Lynch’s hypothetical one-yard touchdown… or Wilson’s incredible 60-yard pass that put the Seahawks within striking distance of a game-winning touchdown?
“In addition, the politics of race, respectability, public relations and what’s in the best interest of a $2 billion corporation all played into this,” he continues. “That’s the theory.” But despite bringing up race, Zirin never explains the racial angle to the story. What’s the “politics of race” in making a black quarterback the star player over a black running back? (RELATED: Patriots’ Social Media In Hot Water Over Racist ‘Auto-Tweet’)
Well, an earlier version of the story might answer that question. Originally, Zirin described Russell Wilson as “your ‘biracial angel’ of our times.” The problem, as commentators angrily pointed out, is that both of Russell Wilson’s parents are African-American. The biracial line has now been expunged from the piece, leaving readers to speculate how the hell race factors into anything.
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