While watching the NFL combine on television today, an uneasy feeling came over me. The combine bares a strong resemblance to a slave auction. Watching (mostly) Black men in various stages of undress, run, jump and get measured by (mostly) White men, conjures up images of African slaves on the auction block.
I understand that these young men stand to become multimillionaires depending on their draft positions, but swapping the cotton field for the football field does not change the relationship that these Black men will have with their wealthy White owners.
The NFL combine is quite dehumanizing and more befitting a race horse or show dog rather than a Black man.
(image on bottom: slave at auction)
(image on top: Maurice Stovall at NFL combine)
9 comments:
The images are really compelling. Note that in the modern picture, the Brotha' is shirtless, but in the slave picture, the Brotha' has on clothes. I know the slave pic is someone's perspective. But the two pics presented side by side here is interesting.
Unfortunately this is considered by some a "real" black man. As if those of us that do not pursue proffessional sports are not.
I think the buck in the modern picture is much better.
Dude, get over yourself. Geez, we will cry over anything! It's a combine to test athletic prowess and physical ability. I find the comparison highly offensive as a Black man. He could very well have been in a doctor's office getting a physical. There are other things, many self inflicted that denigrate us as a race that you can focus on. This is as inane and ridiculous as you could have found.
It's true, the NFL Combine is EXACTLY like a slave auction. Let's not fool ourselves, we have not progressed as a society in the nearly 150 years since the so-called abolition of slavery. Black men are still willingly subjecting themselves to submission to white owners, white owners are still exploiting black men based on physicality and breeding, like work horses and farm animals. In those decades since slavery, it could be argued that black men have indeed become dumber. So-called freedom has poisoned the minds of black men, making them subservient and complicit in their standing. Whereas black slaves needed to fight and think for their lives, free blacks need not to tink at all. There is a good argument for bringing back slavery, if only as a necesssary evil to push forward and improve the self-realization and intellect of the black man. It's true that enlightened slavery is superior and preffered over ignorant freedom.
This is by far a very poor historical comparison. There are millions of men across the world that would want the opportunity to showcase their hard work and abilities for a chance to financial security and playing a game that they love!!! This is a dream come true for many. Slavery was a nightmare!!
Lost because y'all see money....
Hi, I'm wondering if you have the copyright to the Maurice Stovall image; I want to use it in an article that I'm working on. I would appreciate it if you could please email me at my "anonymous" email address and then I can give you my actual email and more details about what I'm doing: wizkidd180@hotmail.com
Dueteronomy 28:68
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