Here is the text without any extra lines or markup:
NEW ORLEANS — History will repeat itself on Sunday.
For only the second time, two Black quarterbacks will face off on the NFL’s biggest stage, the Super Bowl. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts reunite two years after they first achieved the feat, which at one point in the league’s dark history seemed impossible.
This time, Mahomes, 29, and Hurts, 26, meet with far lesser fanfare. Two years ago, each fielded repeated questions about the significance of their historic meeting, which took place 35 years after Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Now, although reporters from all over the world peppered them with questions about every topic imaginable, the two scarcely heard mention of this moment in Black history.
As the 2024 season began, 15 of the league’s 32 starting quarterbacks were Black. Seven of the 13 highest-paid quarterbacks in the league are Black. Quarterbacks of color at last are fully on equal footing with their White brethren, and Mahomes sees his meeting with Hurts as the reminder of an invaluable lesson for the NFL and for society.
There remains a hesitancy among owners and team presidents to entrust Black men with the running of their teams. And when teams do hire a person of color to one of those roles, those men don’t receive the same wholehearted support, investment and patience as White coaches or lead talent evaluators.
This winter, the Titans fired general manager Ran Carthon after just two seasons. He acquired quality talent through the draft and free agency, yet Tennessee struggled as first-year head coach Brian Callahan worked through growing pains.
The lack of genuine commitment limits their teams and the league, just as the old narrow-minded thinking about Black quarterbacks did for generations. A removal of biases and prejudices around leadership positions could improve the league similarly.
As they face off on Sunday, perhaps Hurts and Mahomes can serve as symbols of hope, not only for current and future quarterbacks, but also people of color aspiring to NFL leadership positions.
Source link
