Once again UI, I welcome you to another insightful blog posting. In the past I have spoken to you all about overt displays of racism an injustice. Racism does exist, and is alive and well. Some is direct and in your face. I don’t like it, but at least I can respect a man for letting me know how they feel upfront, and standing by what they say. However there is a certain racial atmosphere that I cannot stand. It is known as “Passive Aggressive Racism”. It’s when someone looks at you in your face, smiles, shakes your hand, and even calls you friend… Then goes behind your back with racial slurs, and a feeling that they are better than you because of your race. These same types of people hold themselves and their race in higher regard, and see yours as being inferior and beneath them.

This is a special type of bigotry that emerges in the strangest places, where we would not normally think to look. Specifically, this type of racism has emerged in a place that is in our faces and currently on the football fields of the NCAA… Yet we have not noticed it. The specific situation I am bringing up is that of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. Seems out of place, right? Why would I bring up racism, and a White and Lebanese man being the victim of it? Let me explain the logic behind this. Currently, Johnny Manziel has been the subject of great discussion. Last year he won the Heisman trophy and many other athletic awards. He has shown himself to be a truly special athlete with his gift of speed and ability to throw unlike any other. He is also known for is antic both on and off the field. For starters he has had a few run-ins with the law, fans, partying at other universities, money exchanging hands… The list goes on. He has also been kicked out of Peyton Manning’s Quarterback Camp for is behavior and other sports related things. Even on the field, Mr. Manziel has taunted opponents with gestures from his odd and some would say disgraceful behavior. He is spoken about as if he was the worst human being that has ever played the game by sports writers, TV analysts, and just around the dinner tables of most Americans. Now here is something that will blow our mind… What if John was one of us? What if he were an African American athlete? Do you think that we would see the same Johnny Manziel that we see in the media today? Would he have the same notoriety and level of fame that he has achieved? The answer is no.

The level of scrutiny, and disdain that he endures would not even be a part of his life if he were Black. Don’t believe me? Here’s why. The Sports world has a certain view of Black athletes. There is an unspoken blueprint of what they believe the average Black athlete to be. They have used words to describe Blacks in sports as “Cocky” having “Swagger” and honestly having an overall attitude of superiority. Black athletes are seen as trash talking, dancing in the endzone, soulful spectacles that make the game fun and interesting. This type of behavior is not only accepted by mainstream sports media, but is encouraged, and expected. This stereotype of the Black Athlete is one that has dated the integration of blacks and modern day athletics. However today it is the cause and connection between the racism that I speak of today. Johnny Manziel has done nothing but simply behave in the way that a Black athlete in his position would have acted given the media attention.

He has not done anything that a black football player has not already done… And Yet… He has been treated harshly and slapped around in the media for it, while a black man in the same position would not be. Now why do you ask is this happening to him and no one else? The answer is a simple one. There is a certain “Role Model” of a white quarterback that he simply does not fulfill. They expect white quarterbacks and white athletes for that matter to be humble, well mannered, and not attention seeking. If you look at what is, and is not accepted from White athletes you will see a stark difference. There is a level of prestige and a gold standard that the White athletes are held to, that Black ones aren’t.

I once was an athlete myself training for the NFL Combine and have seen firsthand how deep this goes. I remember that there was a guy who I trained with who was a cornerback. He was White, and was quite “Soulful” if you will. He was kind of a big deal because he performed well in school and the media was excited about him being in the NFL. Before an interview we were talking and he saw the camera man walking toward him with the reporter. He said “Aww S*$t… Here they come. Well… Time to whiten up.” I looked at him as if he had gone crazy. His demeanor changed and he went to speaking proper English and his voice lightened from bass having, to nasal. Once it was over he then explained to me that his agent told him that he would not be accepted in the league with his current attitude and behavior, and that he would not get endorsements with that “image”. Knowing this, I now believe that this same kind of backhanded racial BS is the reason why Johnny Manziel is being teated in this way. It is not because of his actions… But because of his status as a white athlete/white role model behaving outside of what the “Gold” standard s for White athletes in America.

If Johnny was a black kid from 3^rd Ward Houston Texas then there would be no conversation. We would be talking about his “swagger” on and off the field and his “charm”. Since that is not the case, and Mr. Manziel is White, the conversation has shifted to him being a bad example and role model for young athletes. I will admit not all Black athletes fall into this category, but many do and are not receiving the same scrutiny that Johnny Manziel has. So UI… What do you think? Am I being overly sensitive? Or is there a hidden pocket of racial compost that I have uncovered? Me personally, I feel that he is being treated unfairly by the media and others because of this fact. It’s a reverse of what we expect in the racist world we live in… Then again it seems that they are just simply up to their old tricks. What do you think intellectuals? Let’s talk.