The Football Fan Spot

ESPN the Magazine published a very controversial article this week. It first got buzz, and negative buzz I might add, for a photoshopped picture of what Michael Vick would look like white. I didn’t understand what the big deal was. As I white person, I would not be offended if someone photoshopped Peyton Hillis black (a white man playing a position where most players are black) or if someone had photoshopped Tom Brady black and even if someone had photoshopped me black. I’d be interested to see what I would look like black, honestly, just out of curiousity.

However, I read more into the article. The title had a lot of people angered. “What if Michael Vick were white?” My first thought was “uh oh.” Someone wrote ANOTHER article blaming Michael Vick’s arrest on the fact that he is black or any negative public reception after his return from prison on the fact that he is black. I find that notion to be absolutely racist because it suggests that all black people are bad people who do bad things and they can’t help it. I find that demeaning to black people. It also suggests that all white people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth and nothing bad ever happens to them. I also find that demeaning.

However, I read the article, and even though I wanted to hate it, I couldn’t. Someone had written an article about Michael Vick and race and I didn’t hate it. The reason behind that is because the article is, in fact, not about race primarily. It’s about Vick’s upbringing, which the author, Toure, ties to race with statistics that say that blacks are more likely than whites to be born into a single parent household in a bad part of town with little to no money, little to no adult supervision, and little to no positive role models. Let’s take a more in depth look at this article.

“Race is an undeniable and complex element of Vick's story, both because of his style as well as the rarity of black QBs in the NFL. A decade after he became the first black QB to be drafted No. 1 overall, about one in five of the league's passers is African-American, compared with two-thirds of all players.” 

I would agree with that statement. Look, I’m not trying to pretend that Vick isn’t black. All I’ve ever argued is that Vick hasn’t ever been received differently because of his race. Most people who don’t like Vick (me included) don’t like Vick because of what he did and because I don’t think just because he served his time, he’s necessarily a changed man. I would feel the same way if he were white or black or orange or purple.

There are people out there who hate Vick because he’s black. I’m not going to pretend that racism doesn’t still exist in America. It does. But it’s simply not that prevalent. Racism is never going to be completely gone, just like it’s impossible to ever have a perfect society. There are always going to be evils like racism in the world. However, would I characterize the American public as racist? Absolutely not!

That’s why I hate when people say “if Vick were white, people wouldn’t have a problem with what he did.” That statement assumes the worst in the American public. It’s also very close minded and can’t look past the fact that Vick is black to see him for who is he, a person who at one point in his life got enjoyment out of watching dogs fight to the death and torturing dogs to see how long they could last. That statement itself is racist because it refuses to look past Vick’s skin color to see him for the person he is, a scumbag.

Of course if Vick were white, people would have had a problem with what he did. Look at the reception of Ben Roethlisberger after what he allegedly did. You could even argue that Roethlisberger got a worse reception than Vick did. People freely hold up signs at Steelers road games that say “Rapelisberger”, but people are careful about what they say about Vick out of fear of being called a racist.

However, even though I don’t think race has anything to do with Vick’s arrest, sentencing, or his public reception after he was released, you can’t separate race and Vick completely because he is a black man playing a predominantly white position and playing it in a way that, as Toure himself says, is very “African-American.”

“I'm not saying that a black QB who stands in the pocket ain't playing black. I'm saying Vick's style is so badass, so artistic, so fluid, so flamboyant, so relentless -- so representative of black athletic style -- that if there were a stat for swagger points, Vick would be the No. 1 quarterback in the league by far.”

To this point, I agree with everything Toure has said. However, the very next line was where I thought the article was going to take a turn for the worst.

“But after his arrest for dogfighting, so many people asked: Would a white football player have gotten nearly two years in prison for what Vick did to dogs?”

Uh oh. Here we go. Toure is going to argue that Vick received worse treatment from the prosecutors because of his race. I think a lot of people reading this article thought that was what was coming next. After all, the title of this article is, “What if Vick were white?” However, I was pleasant surprised by the next line, Toure’s answer to this frequently asked question.

“This question makes me cringe. It is so facile, naive, shortsighted and flawed that it is meaningless.”

If someone had stopped reading this article after Toure asked if Vick would have received as long of a prison sentence had he been white, I could definitely understand how someone would hate this article and I think that might be to blame for the largely negative public reaction to this article. However, Toure scoffs at the notion that prosecutors would have given him a lighter sentence had he been white.

This article answers the question “what if Vick were white?” not by saying he would have received less jail time or he would have been received better by the American public, but rather by saying if Vick were born white, he likely would have had a better upbringing and likely would not have fallen into dog fighting. The key word there is likely. Nowhere does he assume that all whites are born rich and all blacks are born poor. He says likely and backs it up with statistics.

“72 percent percent of black children are born to unwed mothers compared with 29 percent of white children”

He then explores deeper Vick’s specific upbringing. His father was a cokehead, a dog fighter, and a negative role model and eventually he became estranged from the family, leaving Vick forced to find a new male role model and he did not find positive ones.

“Too many are left to define manhood on their own, so they gravitate toward the most charismatic and inspiring men in their world. Sometimes those men are gritty local sports coaches who teach them the value of hard work, but sometimes they're ghetto celebrities who are unsavory role models with bad habits.”

Again, I want to repeat that Toure does not say all whites have good upbringings and all blacks have poor upbringings. He says blacks are more LIKELY to have worse upbringings whites, and backs it up with statistics. He also, very importantly, does not say Vick’s upbringing excuses his actions, but rather serves as a root of his behavior.

“If Vick grew up with the paternal support that white kids are more likely to have (72 percent percent of black children are born to unwed mothers compared with 29 percent of white children), would he have been involved in dogfighting? I ask this not to look for an excuse but to explore the roots of his behavior.”

I total agree with this. Vick’s upbringing did have something to do with the mistakes he made. He may be a scumbag shithead, but you can’t argue that having scumbag shithead role models, particularly his father, growing up didn’t have something to do with it. It doesn’t excuse his behaviors, but it does provide a reason.

If you allow Vick’s upbringing to serve as an excuse for his actions, you are saying that human beings are powerless to their upbringing. We aren’t. We aren’t all dealt the same hand of cards when we’re born. Some are born richer, smarter, more attractive, in a freer country than others. Despite what some would have you believe, we are not all created equal. America is a land where all people have equal opportunity, but we are not created equal. It’s what you do with those cards that matters. Vick was dealt shitty cards, but he turned them into a life of fame and fortune, but also a life of crime and evil.

However, by saying Michael Vick’s upbringing had nothing to do with the way his life turned out, you are saying that all humans are created equal, that we are all given equal opportunities from birth, which is just stupid. Some people are just luckier than others from the start. Vick was born into a terrible situation and while he is still a scumbag, that at least provides us with insight as to why he is a scumbag, not to exonerate him from his actions, but simply to allow us to know the source of them, for knowledge’s sake.

That’s where I think the article goes wrong. This article is not perfect and I don’t know I necessarily like it as much as I am impressed with the article talking about Vick and race without completely pissing me off. Though Toure says his upbringing was not an excuse for his actions, he later goes on to say that Vick is “heroic,” not because of his race, but because of how he has risen above his upbringing. This is a statement I am completely in disagreement with.

I think people have been way too quick to forgive Vick, whether that has to do with his race or not, the fact is, he did something very, very bad and too large a percentage of America seems perfectly fine with that just because he’s served his time. Serving his time makes him a free man in the eyes of the law, but doesn’t mandate that the American public forgive him.

I have every right to hate him and call him a scumbag because I think what he did was the actions of a psychopath and that he hasn’t done anywhere near enough to prove to me that he isn’t still that same guy. I’m not saying he’s still fighting dogs, but how do we necessarily know he doesn’t desire to do so still and all that he learned from his time in jail is that dog fighting is bad because you get thrown in jail and lose everything and if that were to happen a 2nd time, he might not get it all back.

I want to share to some quotations from Vick in his recent GQ interview, arguably his most candid interview since he’s been released from jail, that start to show a side of Vick that he tries to keep hidden from the public view. This GQ interview is famous because in it Vick says Philly wasn’t his first choice, but a meeting with the commissioner changed his mind. I’ll get to that, but that’s not the main thing I got from his GQ interview. This is what I consider to be an eye opening snippet of the GQ article.

“Vick, well versed in his talking points on this matter, hesitates to make this a race issue. And yet: "Yeah, you got the family dog and the white picket fence, and you just think that's all there is. Some of us had to grow up in poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods, and we just had to adapt to our environment. I know that it's wrong. But people act like it's some crazy thing they never heard of. They don't know."

I ask Vick if he feels that white people simply don't understand that aspect of black culture. "I think that's accurate," he says. "I mean, I was just one of the ones who got exposed, and because of the position I was in, where I was in my life, it went mainstream. A lot of people got out of it after my situation, not because I went to prison but because it was sad for them to see me go through something that was so pointless, that could have been avoided."

What Vick is doing here is exactly what people thought Toure was doing, blaming his actions on race and upbringing, chalking everything up to the cards that were dealt and saying human beings are powerless to them. He also suggests that all whites are born into good situations and all blacks “grow up in poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods.” He also calls dog fighting part of black culture, which I think is a ridiculous and racist notion. Dog fighting is a part of thug culture. The only way dog fighting is a part of black culture is if you consider all blacks thugs. And Vick wasn’t done pissing me off.

“I ask him if he buys this argument, if he believes he was treated unfairly. Most people convicted of dogfighting don't spend a year and a half in prison. They aren't forced to declare bankruptcy. I ask him if he was sent to prison for too long.

"One day in prison is too long," he says.

Yes, but I mean for this particular crime.

He sighs. I'm not the first person who's tried to lead him down this road. "For a while, it was all 'Scold Mike Vick, scold Mike Vick, just talk bad about him, like he's not a person,' " he says. "It's almost as if everyone wanted to hate me. But what have I done to anybody? It was something that happened, and it was people trying to make some money."

Oh, fuck you Vick. Everyone wants to hate you? What have you done to anyone? Really? This is changed man Vick everyone is so eager to forgive. Really? This is as candid as Vick has been since his release and I think it shows that he is not a changed man. Vick, perhaps realizing what he had just said, tries to backtrack.

“He pauses and looks around. Time to step back from the edge. He's recovered so much ground that he's not about to lose it all again by taking things too far with some writer he just met. "But it's not fair. It's not fair to the animal. I know what to do now. I am strong as an individual, and I can handle anything."

He might have finished with that, but it was after he said that everyone just wants to hate him and what has he ever done to anyone? That is the true Vick. He might have only said it once, but that’s all that’s necessary to know that everything else, for the most part, including what he said afterwards, has been a lie. And the truth is, Vick isn’t sorry. He’s just sorry he got caught.

That is what was wrong with this article. The author turns Vick into a hero just because he’s out of jail, making millions, and winning football games. However, Toure’s article is in no way racist, but rather overly eager to forgive, which, despite what people will tell you, is a bad thing. Too much of anything is a bad thing and forgiveness is one of them.

You could also make the argument that Toure’s article is stupid because hypotheticals are stupid. If you change Vick’s skin color, you not only likely change what kind of family environment had he growing up, but his genes and likely his athletic abilities. I’m not going to sit here and pretend, for the most part, that black’s aren’t superior athletes to white’s just like I’m not going to sit here and pretend that blacks, typically, don’t have tougher upbringings. You take away Vick’s speed and he’s forced to just be a pocket passer and he’s not very good at that.

An interesting response to this article was “what if Tim Tebow was a velociraptor, would he still have an ugly delivery?” That question is just meant to demonstrate how stupid hypotheticals are, an argument I could buy. Along those same lines, Chris Chase, famous as the Yahoo sports writer whose article comments read at least a sizeable minority as “Fire Chris Chase,” actually published a decent article today.. Albeit, he didn’t actually write much, but he did compile a group of the best Vick photoshops including, what if Vick were an actual Eagle.

Again, this just furthers the argument that hypotheticals are stupid and unnecessary, thus making Toure’s article stupid and necessarily, and I could buy that argument. I also agree that Toure is way too quick to forgive by calling Vick a hero, but this article is in no way racist and for simply writing an article about Vick and race that is not racist, I have to give the man credit. Vick is still a scumbag.

Anyway, I want to end with the other, smaller take away from the Vick GQ article, that Vick didn’t want to go to Philadelphia, but changed his mind after meeting with the commissioner. Here’s the passage.

"I think I can say this now, because it's not going to hurt anybody's feelings, and it's the truth," Vick tells me a few weeks after the commencement ceremony. "I didn't want to come to Philadelphia. Being the third-team quarterback is nothing to smile about. Cincinnati and Buffalo were better options." Those two teams wanted him and would've allowed him to start, but after meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell and other reps from the NFL, Vick was convinced—and granted league approval—to sign with Philly. "And I commend and thank them, because they put me in the right situation."

Many people interpreted this as Roger Goddell telling Vick he couldn’t sign with Buffalo or Cincinnati because Goddell wanted Vick in Philadelphia, a bigger market, for financial reasons. If this were the case, Cincinnati and Buffalo fans would have major beefs. However, I don’t agree with that view that Goddell forced Vick to Philly for financial reasons. Vick was going to be the 3rd quarterback in Philadelphia. Anyone who argues that Goddell could have foreseen McNabb getting exiled to Washington, Kolb talking over the starting job and getting hurt, and then Vick taking the job and running with it (literally) to the point where he was the quarterback of a team that some are calling a Super Bowl favorite, is just stupid.

If Goddell was really only driven by money, wouldn’t he have driven him to Buffalo? He’s worth more to the league as a starter, regardless of the market. If Vick goes to Buffalo and revitalizes a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999, while simultaneously revitalizing his own career, that’s huge money for the NFL even if it is Buffalo.

The NFL is huge wherever it is (except Jacksonville). Markets don’t matter that much. The NFL is the most financially successful professional sports league in America with one if it’s best players in Indianapolis, a small market, one of its premier franchises in Green Bay, a small market, and no team in LA, one of the biggest markets in the world. Not to mention the Patriots, who, contrary to popular believe, are not in Boston, but rather Foxboro, a tiny town 40-45 minutes away from Boston in the middle of rural Massachusetts. Vick could have been a financial success for the league in Buffalo and don’t you think that scenario where he goes to Buffalo and revitalizes his career and the franchise is more likely than what actually happened with Vick, becoming the starting quarterback for a so called “Dream Team” in just 2 years.

I don’t believe Goddell, for once, was driven by money. If he did in fact drive Vick to Philadelphia or force him into Philadelphia, I think it was because he felt it was the best location for Vick personally. Philadelphia wasn’t going to force him into the field and into the spotlight early. Philadelphia has a strong coaching staff, strong locker room veteran leadership, a strong front office, strong ownership, all things Buffalo and Cincinnati lack.

Considering that, Buffalo and Cincinnati fans have no reasonable beef. They suck. Maybe if they didn’t suck and did a better job of running their organizations, going there would have been the right choice for Vick. What’s wrong with a man choosing the best choice for himself, even if he did need Goddell to help him see the light? Isn’t that what America is founded on, a capitalistic society that functions best when everyone chooses what’s best for themselves?

            Michael Vick is officially an NFL player again. ESPN reports that Vick has signed a 2 year deal for an undisclosed amount of money with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick has not played since 2006, when he was the highest paid player in the league as quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. Since then, Vick has served a 23 month jail sentence for hosting and funding a dog fighting rink in his home, as well as training dogs to kill, fighting dogs to the death, and euthanizing dogs unfit to fight.

            The buzz around the internet, at least with Eagles fans, is that Vick will add another dimension to an already dangerous offense. The Eagles will be able to do crazy wildcat things with Donovan McNabb and Vick together in the backfield, as well as the speedy Brian Westbrook and possibly even receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. To those people I say this, check your calendars. Week 1 is September 7th. Today is August 13th. The Eagles don’t have time to make major playbook changes in order to get the most out of Vick’s speed. The Eagles will play the same West Coast offense that they have for the past decade with Donovan McNabb and Vick, who ran a West Coast offense in Atlanta, will be McNabb’s backup.

            What Andy Reid and whoever else that was behind this move is hoping is that Vick, who is probably the best backup McNabb has ever had, will motivated McNabb. However, McNabb been very angry the last few times his status as franchise quarterback was threatened. When the Eagles drafted quarterback Kevin Kolb in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL draft, McNabb had some words behind closed doors for whoever made the decision, though he denied this accusation. Last November, when McNabb was benched midgame for Kolb, he had some more words for the person responsible. This move may just create a quarterback controversy where there wasn’t one, which is never a good idea.

            What could happen, though, is this. McNabb could get angry and piss and moan to the people responsible. And then, he could go out and lead the team to the Super Bowl. McNabb always seems to performance best when his back is against the wall. In 2007, after they drafted Kolb, McNabb had a borderline career year just months after knee surgery. Last year, after he was benched, he responded by winning the job back and leading what was once a 5-5 team to the NFC Championship. Or, he could just piss and moan. Either way, I wouldn’t take the risk of shaking McNabb’s confidence, though it could pay off.

            I also wouldn’t take the PR risk. Philly fans can be ruthless. They will likely do a combination of two things. One, they will set enormous expectations for Vick because of his name, which he will not live up to. Two, they will not like him because of the dog fighting arrest. Eagles fans have dogs too. You have to think that at least some will not spend their hard earned money to pay Vick’s salary by buying Eagles tickets. I’m happy that Vick gets another chance, but I don’t think he’s worth the risk for the Eagles.

Michael Vick starts home confinement this week and will start his 10 dollar an hour construction job in a month. In 2 months he?ll be released and a free man less than 2 years after he was suspended indefinitely by the NFL and indicted, and eventually convicted, on charges of animal abuse related to dog fighting. Vick was responsible for raising dogs to fight to the death, killing dogs that were too weak, fighting dogs to the death, and betting on dog fighting. However, he says he is a changed man now and Roger Goddell has to at least consider reinstating him when he has served his time, especially when you consider what Vick could do for the NFL?s ratings. I am for the idea of reinstating Vick not because of what it would do for the NFL?s rating, but because he has served his time for his crime and should be not punished any further. If he is reinstated, below are a few teams where he could likely end up and how he would fit in there.

San Francisco 49ers

Mike Singletary has not ruled out Vick is an option, which is a good thing considering the Niners don?t have a true starting quarterback. The Niners, who hired a running backs coach as offensive coordinator, are going to run a lot more this year. They drafted Glen Coffee in the 3rd round despite the fact that they have Frank Gore already to make up for this team?s lack of a strong passing game. Vick is a run first quarterback which would be a good addition to this offense. He would also be an upgrade in the passing game over Shaun Hill and Alex Smith.

New England Patriots

The Pats were interested in Pat White during the draft before losing him to Miami. The Patriots want to implement the wildcat offense and drafted run first quarterback Julian Edelman out of Kent State in the 7th round. Vick would be the best out there to run the wildcat for them. The Patriots are known for their history of reclamation projects, especially in recent years, see Randy Moss. They could take a chance on Vick and add another dimension to an already amazing offense. Vick could also help as a receiver as well.

Washington Redskins

Washington is clearly not happy with their quarterback situation as they have tried to trade Jason Campbell, unsuccessfully, many times this off season. Vick is from Virginia and good friends with DeAngelo Hall, who the Redskins just signed to a massive contract. The Redskins are known for taking risks on big name players and paying them way too much, so with the quarterback situation in flux, don?t be surprised if the ?Skins do that again with Vick.

Oakland Raiders

Al Davis likes everything fast. Vick is the fastest quarterback out there. Forget JaMarcus Russell. You only used a #1 pick on him 2 years ago. He can play left tackle or something like that. I am only half kidding. This is probably what?s going through Al Davis? mind. The Raiders love doing thing like this, the only question is, after spending so much money carelessly, do they have enough cap to get Vick.

Cincinnati Bengals

You have to mention the Bengals when you?re talking about convicted felons. The Bengals would do something like this. Vick could be a change of pace quarterback, help in the backfield with Cedric Benson, and add to a receiving corps that lost TJ Houshmanzadeh in the offseason.