Racial Profiling in Athletics - Paskorz Thread Spinoff

[punishment]

Originally Posted by AlbuquerqueIrishFan

I heard that a white running back hasn't run for 1,000 yards in the NFL for over 25 years. Don't know if that's true, but it is a valid point. But, this is college and I say play 'em where they will be best, no matter what the color.

Didn't that white running back from the redskins get 1000 years. I can't remember if it was Riggs or Riggins. Although, that probably was about 25 years ago. Jeez, time goes by fast.

[EnviedOne]

Originally Posted by punishment

Didn't that white running back from the redskins get 1000 years. I can't remember if it was Riggs or Riggins. Although, that probably was about 25 years ago. Jeez, time goes by fast.

Yep, a couple times with the last being in 1984.

[IRISHFLORIDIAN]

Hello everyone!
I'm new to this forum but have been reading comments for a couple of weeks now and find most of the posting very informative and interesting. However, without offending anyone I would like to share my 2 cents worth. I am from Florida and played high school football for a 6A school and played with whites and blacks and our team was very integrated. Our runningbacks were black as were most of our other competitors. They also were our runningbacks in little league as so on and were very good. We also had very fast and elusive white players that may have been just as good but were slotted in other positions in little league and junior high because of ignorant reasoning that is being accepted as fact on this forum. Again, Im not starting a fight because I believe there are athletic reasons that the majority of rbs, wrs, and dbs are black but there are also other preconcieved notions that continue to push younger whites away from these positions and American sports in general. If everyone hasn't forgotten, blacks only make up about 12% of thye population and whites about 75%. Are you telling me that out of the millions of white athletes in this country that none can compete and play rb at a high level in the pros? Im not saying that Paskorz is the guy but try to keep an open mind like our liberal friends tell us about other issues.
Thanks

[Indydomer]

What about Brock Forsey Jiggs. He played a couple games in the bears backfield when every other rb was hurt. He had one good game.

And am I old or should everyone know who Jon Riggins is? One of the best GAMES ever in the history of any runningback.

[punishment]

Originally Posted by IRISHFLORIDIAN

Hello everyone!
I'm new to this forum but have been reading comments for a couple of weeks now and find most of the posting very informative and interesting. However, without offending anyone I would like to share my 2 cents worth. I am from Florida and played high school football for a 6A school and played with whites and blacks and our team was very integrated. Our runningbacks were black as were most of our other competitors. They also were our runningbacks in little league as so on and were very good. We also had very fast and elusive white players that may have been just as good but were slotted in other positions in little league and junior high because of ignorant reasoning that is being accepted as fact on this forum. Again, Im not starting a fight because I believe there are athletic reasons that the majority of rbs, wrs, and dbs are black but there are also other preconcieved notions that continue to push younger whites away from these positions and American sports in general. If everyone hasn't forgotten, blacks only make up about 12% of thye population and whites about 75%. Are you telling me that out of the millions of white athletes in this country that none can compete and play rb at a high level in the pros? Im not saying that Paskorz is the guy but try to keep an open mind like our liberal friends tell us about other issues.
Thanks

I would imagine that most coaches would allow their players the opportunity to try out for whatever position they like, regardless of race, and then have the best players play at any given position.

But I think the same issue also arises with black quarterbacks, and why it is that people are always trying to convert black qbs into wide receivers. Even several people on this forum have suggested that Demetrius Jones should be moved to wide receiver, when the scouting reports on the guy are that he has a great, accurate arm.

But who knows, I think there is some truth to your statement though, as far as preconceived notions of what positions certain players should be playing. I mean, if there was somebody who did not knw who Jeff Samardzija and Vince Young are, and you were to show him a picture and ask him to guess who the qb was, and who the wide receiver was, i think we all know what his answer would be.

[punishment]

Originally Posted by Indydomer

What about Brock Forsey Jiggs. He played a couple games in the bears backfield when every other rb was hurt. He had one good game.

And am I old or should everyone know who Jon Riggins is? One of the best GAMES ever in the history of any runningback.

For some reason I always get John Riggins and Gerald Riggs confused.

[EnviedOne]

Originally Posted by IRISHFLORIDIAN

Hello everyone!
I'm new to this forum but have been reading comments for a couple of weeks now and find most of the posting very informative and interesting. However, without offending anyone I would like to share my 2 cents worth. I am from Florida and played high school football for a 6A school and played with whites and blacks and our team was very integrated. Our runningbacks were black as were most of our other competitors. They also were our runningbacks in little league as so on and were very good. We also had very fast and elusive white players that may have been just as good but were slotted in other positions in little league and junior high because of ignorant reasoning that is being accepted as fact on this forum. Again, Im not starting a fight because I believe there are athletic reasons that the majority of rbs, wrs, and dbs are black but there are also other preconcieved notions that continue to push younger whites away from these positions and American sports in general. If everyone hasn't forgotten, blacks only make up about 12% of thye population and whites about 75%. Are you telling me that out of the millions of white athletes in this country that none can compete and play rb at a high level in the pros? Im not saying that Paskorz is the guy but try to keep an open mind like our liberal friends tell us about other issues.
Thanks

Welcome to the forums! You definitely have a good point. I don't think anyone is saying it can't be done here. I think we're all just saying that it rarely is done and that can be attributed to various reasons, some of which you mentioned.

When you think about discrimination in the workplace, there most certainly is reverse discrimination going on when it comes to athletics. I know of many fine white athletes that were pushed off into other positions because of the preconceived notion that only the good skilled position players (wide receivers, running backs) are African-American.

The same can also be said for the quarterback position where many African-American kids are told to find another position because it is a historically white position. That certainly doesn't make it right, nor fair, but the trends and statistics mentioned make it very alarming. Certainly, the odds are stacked against the white running back, the black quarterback, and so on.

Again, welcome to the boards!