In one of the finest cross-sports interactions in recent times, last year, LeBron James and Lamar Jackson made an appearance on the famous talk show, The Shop. Both superstars squared up for a wholesome conversation, discussing various matters from personal and professional lives. As both individuals are icons of their respective games, they also talked in detail about the racial bias in the world of Sports.
Advertisement
Today, the NFL and NBA fraternities attract a massive number of athletes from diverse races and backgrounds. While there have been a lot of positive changes in the last two decades, LeBron and Lamar do reckon that the historical racial bias, although to a much lesser extent, still exists in the NFL world.
Lamar Jackson & LeBron James reflected upon the racial bias in the sporting world
When the Ravens quarterback entered the NFL arena, critics were just not ready to accept him as a true quarterback. He was even made to do wide receiver drills in the NFL Scouting Combine despite clearly stating that he was a passer. Eventually, Lamar did prove his worth by winning the Heisman Trophy in his sophomore season.
Despite all this evidence and Jackson’s incredible record as a dual-threat prospect, scouts were not ready to accept his position. LeBron James, who also feels he has been sidelined from the “best scorers in NBA” debate, addressed Lamar’s sentiment on The Shop and mentioned that the racial bias still exists in the Sporting world. “It’s dying off, but it’s still there,” James said, per SI.
On “The Shop,” there was a discussion about the racial issues faced by black QBs in the NFL.
LeBron James: “It’s dying off, but it’s still there.”
Lamar Jackson: “It’s still there. That’s why I need that championship.”
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) March 4, 2022
Without a second thought, the quarterback also acknowledged LeBron’s statement, and claimed that this is why he is desperate to win the Lombardi at any cost. “It’s still there(racial bias). That’s why I need that championship,” Jackson claimed. Even though the Ravens QB is deprived of a Super Bowl title, he silenced almost all his critics by winning the coveted MVP honors in 2019 at just 22 years of age.
It was an unbelievable beginning for Lamar in the NFL. In fact, he made his haters accept and understand that a quarterback can get out of the pocket and rush the ball to the end zone. Conventional game plays may not allow this play, but the ever-evolving nature of football welcomes such creative moves. And Jackson is a pioneer in making that happen.
How do the statistics look for black representation in the NFL?
When we look at the last season, there has been an exponential rise in the number of black athletes in the NFL which is encouraging to see. Around 57.5% players in the National Football League last season were from the African-American community. The numbers are soaring in terms of athletes, but when it comes to the coaching staff and head coaches, only 9.4% are black.
There has been a significant improvement if we talk about black representation among the quarterbacks. This season, the first round witnessed three signal-callers in the top 10 belonging to the African-American community. Moreover, the historic Super Bowl LVII witnessed the first-ever clash between two black quarterbacks. Certainly, it will open more gateways and help in decreasing all the existing gaps.
