The New York Daily News thinks reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson is not being touted as a pre-season favorite to repeat because there are too many white sports writers.
The publication released a hilarious article slamming white sports writers for shunning the Louisville quarterback, and it’s well worth checking out if you’re in the mood for a few great laughs.
It’s hard to ignore the fact that race may play a factor in how Jackson has been treated and almost forgotten.
Every Saturday this fall, press boxes will be filled with media members covering America’s second most popular sport. However, the skin tone of the people in the press box will be drastically different from the players on the field. According to the Huffington Post and Time Magazine, anywhere from 57% to 70% of college football players are black. Compare that to the fact that more than 90% of sports writers are white.
The lack of diversity in college football press boxes speaks to why Jackson may be getting overlooked. Because no one who looks like Jackson appears to be in the room raising a hand and saying, “Hey, I think we’re forgetting about the reigning Heisman Trophy winner,” when story ideas and planning meetings are taking place.
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Sadly, it’s the society we live in. Because in 2017, one of the most electrifying college football players the game has ever seen can still get whitewashed.
As the king of hot takes myself, I love a great hot take, and this one didn’t disappoint. First off, I’m a sports writer, and it’s far from easy. My craft has been honed through countless Mountain Dews, beers, games, stats, evaluation and reminding people of random facts. It’s not built on racism. In fact, sports are built on the fact that the best man wins, and their skin color doesn’t matter.
Now that we’ve gotten that nonsense out of the way. Does this author really think people have forgotten about Lamar Jackson? The guy is third in the Heisman odds, which is very reasonable for a returning Heisman winner. The voters are remembering the fact Sam Darnold looked like a god against Penn State in the Rose Bowl and has an incredible team. Louisville and Jackson limped to the end of the 2016 season with three straight losses. That’s not a ton of momentum to roll over into the next season. Being high on Darnold doesn’t make you a racist. It means you’re paying attention.
It’s also important to note the fact Jackson goes out of his way to stay out of the headlines. That’s a great sign for a quarterback. He’s taking the opposite of the Johnny Manziel route. Jackson doesn’t seek out attention or do things in the offseason that are newsworthy. He keeps to himself and focuses on what he needs to get done. This is a positive and not a negative.
Louisville is also not a national title contender, and it’s much easier to win the Heisman if you’re team is getting the attention of a championship contender.
Perhaps we should spend a little less time speculating about whether or not sports writers are racist, and a shade more time focusing on how awesome it is football is finally back.
