Since their arrival as slaves in the North America, black people have been called every derogatory name imaginable and have had to live endlessly with a lot of uncomplimentary stereotypes. With that in mind, I'll definitely take it as a compliment when my race is called "fast" by Air Force Academy football coach Fisher DeBerry.
"It's very obvious to me... that the other team had a lot more Afro-American players than we did, and they ran a lot faster than we did," DeBerry said last Tuesday after a 48-10 loss to Texas Christian on Oct. 22. "It just seems to be that way; that Afro-American kids can run very, very well."
Thank God that today's America is one in which people in authority are held accountable for saying ridiculous and mean-spirited things. But as we have become more vigilant on that front, the country has also become ultra-sensitive on the issue of race.
There are homeless people scattered across the U.S. because of hurricanes. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks recently passed away. President George Bush accepted the withdrawal of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers after weeks of opposition from both liberals and conservatives. WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes even came out of the closet.
But what's making the big headlines? DeBerry’s keen revelation that black kids "run, very, very well." Some political activists are upset because they believe the white coach's statements are evidence of racial, even racist, stereotyping. But since DeBerry had enough guts to make the comments about how blacks equal speed, I would have been really impressed if he had the chosen to back up his statements with statistics that would have dismissed the charges of stereotyping.
To wit: The NFL is 70 percent black. Skill positions where speed is considered important are at wide receiver, running back and defensive back. The highest-ranking white receiver in the NFL this week was at No. 17 in St. Louis' Kevin Curtis, while all the higher ranked players are black.
The top 30 rushers in the league were all black.
The top 10 players in interceptions are all black, too.
When it comes to athleticism, DeBerry could have made the same arguments in other sports. Since 1984, the only white NBA slam dunk champion was Brent Barry in 1997. Outside of 400 meters gold medalist Jeremy Wariner, who has been mistaken for black at times, USA Track & Field's stars are predominately black in terms of sprints. While there have been stars of other distances, black athletes have dominated the sprints at the Olympic level for years.
But instead of speaking statistically, DeBerry gave in to the politically correct: Considering that he works for the government, that is understandable, but statistically speaking he wasn't wrong.
"I have made a mistake, and I ask for everyone's forgiveness," DeBerry said later. "I regret these statements, and I sincerely hope they will not reflect negatively towards the academy or our coaches and players. I thank the administration for the opportunity to make this apology."
DeBerry didn't say that black people were dumb, couldn't speak well, were sexual predators, looked like they swung from trees or couldn't hold high positions because of lack of intelligence. No, he isn't Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder or Al Campanis by any means. I'm not even offended by his use of the term Afro-American since it represents a proud time in black heritage. He said we were fast. Relax folks. Somewhere in United States there is some portly black kid who thinks he can beat his white classmates on the track just because DeBerry said so. Thanks for the confidence booster, Coach, maybe you should say something about black folks more often.
And, in fact, it may not be black people to whom DeBerry owes an apology. In actuality, it is whites and those of every other non-black ethnicity. If you're a white kid that wants to be a pro football player or athlete in any sport, DeBerry is basically telling you that you won't have what it takes because of your race.
Maybe the best thing that could come from DeBerry's big mouth is that more black kids end up playing at the Air Force Academy, one of the finest academic institutions in the country. Of the 82 Falcons on the football team, only 13 are African-American. The war in Iraq could be a turn off for many recruits and their families. And if you can meet the academic standards to attend Air Force, you can probably also meet the same standards at Stanford, Colorado, Duke, Northwestern and Vanderbilt, too, where the social life is much more attractive, literally and figuratively, unless you really want to be in the military.
But if DeBerry really believes that black folks are truly fast, he should stick to his guns and get more on his team, which is 3-5, with losses in five of the past six games.
By you theory, Coach, more speed on your team means more wins.
And it also means more black kids given an opportunity for greater academic success. For once, after years of pain from racist wounds, here comes a stereotype tossed out from a white man that may finally work out in a black man's favor. Thanks Coach, we were long over due.
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