At some point the well runs dry, right? At some point the schtick gets too old to keep trotting out there, yes? The sooner that day comes, the better, because I honestly don't think society is well-served with the ongoing Obamification of every industry, every field, every domain in the public square.
Yes, he's serious. That's ESPN commentator and former NFL safety Ryan Clark talking about Shedeur Sanders, the son of Colorado Buffaloes head coach, and former NFL star Deion Sanders. The younger Sanders had been projected to go as the number one draft pick in the upcoming league draft, but following the NFL combine, has seen his stock fall among league insiders.
There's a number of reasons for that, something Clark could have illuminated and highlighted if he hadn't been committed to the intellectual lazy, headline-grabbing option of crying race. As a long-time NFL fan myself, I wouldn't have believed a professional analyst actually said these words if I didn't see it for myself:
It is about the fact that the color of his skin sometimes at that position can be questioned.
By whom? Who is out there questioning a black quarterback's ability to play the game because of his skin color? No one. At least not of any consequence.
On opening day of the last NFL season in 2024, 15 of the league's 32 starting quarterbacks were black. That's 47%. Blacks make up just over 14% of the population, meaning they are overrepresented in that position. Even if Sanders falls in the draft, it's still projected that for the third straight year, the first two quarterbacks taken in the league will be black.
If anything, in a league that values athleticism, it's not typically black quarterbacks who face questions about their ability to perform.
Behold the unrivaled litheness and escapability of one of the great white quarterbacks of our generation:
[Warning: Peyton Manning says a bad word]
The reason that Sanders saw a decline in his draft stock likely has much more to do with his off-the-field arrogance and reputation for being a hard-to-work-with drama queen. Many of the teams drafting high are doing so because of a lack of locker room cohesion. Everyone knows you don't invite a diva into a group already struggling to gel and expect things to suddenly get better.
Notice that has nothing to do with Sanders' unchangeable race. It has everything to do with his changeable attitude. How much better off would everyone have been, including Sanders himself, if analysts like Clark would have focused on addressing those concerns? Instead, he went for the lowest hanging fruit in the hopes of generating controversy and attention.
To that end, Clark was successful. But, as it turns out, I may not be the only one ready to turn the page on worthless race-baiting hackery posing as analysis:
I don't expect Clark to be suspended or fired.
But maybe the pushback will prompt him to realize most of his countrymen don't want to live in Obama's America anymore.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
