ESPN’s Andscape website made a hard push for racial identity politics to kick off the NFL season, focusing on the apparent importance of race among NFL quarterbacks.
Andscape, an ESPN-owned site, is self-described as “a Black-led media platform” that is purposely pushing “the diverse stories of Black identity.”
It’s about page also cites its stated goal of pursuing the “shared mission of illuminating the culture and experience of Blackness.”
To start the NFL regular season, Andscape lived up to its mantra and delivered overwhelmingly racially fueled content focusing on black NFL quarterbacks. The ESPN outlet declared that not only is the sport in the “era of the black quarterback” but that black quarterbacks need to work harder to get the same respect as white quarterbacks.
‘Quit writing about it, quit talking about it, quit shoving it in everyone’s face.’
Jason Whitlock of “Fearless” called out the strange reporting and declared that “the media is actually destroying sports,” not the actual competitors. “It’s the media.”
“They’re doing a story, ‘half of quarterbacks are black.’ Black. Black. Black. The blackity blacks are doing blackity black,” Whitlock hilariously continued. “No one cares!”
Whitlock then downplayed the narrative that glass ceilings are continuously being broken.
“[They’ve] won Super Bowls, played in Super Bowls, inducted into the Hall of Fame, MVPs, first-round draft picks … but ESPN and Andscape can’t find anything else compelling to do than tell everybody ‘hey half the quarterbacks in the NFL are black.’ Black. Black.”
The host added that the angle being taken by ESPN diminishes the sport, their platform, and the accomplishments of the players.
Whitlock recited the beginning of one of Andscape’s two leading articles titled, “The Era of the Black Quarterback.”
The piece claimed that for years sportswriters contacted black quarterbacks for commentary whenever another black quarterback would accomplish a feat.
“Then, suddenly, reporters stopped calling,” Whitlock mockingly read. “Quit writing about it, quit talking about it, quit shoving it in everyone’s face,” he continued.
The “Fearless” commentator then assured ESPN that Americans, including black Americans, are not as obsessed with race as they are.
“They don’t tune into sports thinking they are going to get a replay of ‘Roots’ and ’12 Years a Slave,'” he said.
Another leading article on the ESPN site included an interview with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts; the article mentioned his race nearly two dozen times.
This included commentary on apparent unequal treatment of black quarterbacks, an alleged “black quarterback fraternity,” and that black quarterbacks have inherently learned not to “remind the audience that [they’re] black.”
In terms of any potential racial disparity, it doesn’t actually seem like the NFL has any at the quarterback position. As of the start of the 2024 NFL season, 15 of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the league are black, while 16 are white. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is of Samoan descent.
Fritz Pollard was the first black man to play in the NFL in 1920 and also the first coach in 1921.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Fearless, Nfl, Espn, Racial politics, Sports