Mixed People Monday – Colin Kaepernick

The guys is a true baller.

The star San Francisco 49ers quarterback, was adopted, but his biological mother is white and his father is black.

Mixed Couples – Jason Taylor & Katina Taylor

The happy couple.

The former NFL player (and Dancing With The Stars contestant) and his wife have three children.

Obama Speech During Football Game Flushed Out A Lot Of Racists

Some people’s priorities are really screwed up.

This is what I call bi-level stupidity.

When the President addressed the grieving people of Newton on Sunday night and his speech was broadcast to the nation, television stations broke into regular programming to cover it.

This didn’t sit well with the neanderthal segment of the Sunday Night football crowd who couldn’t believe a football game was being interrupted by a tragedy involving 26 people being killed. And worse still, they were incensed that a part-black man was doing the interrupting.

It was just too much for their brains. So some of them took to Twitter and here was the result:

Trust me there was much more where this came from (if you’re in the mood to read more click here).

Amazing how little it takes for some people to show their true colors. And their stupidity.

Mixed People Monday – Arian Foster

A student of Buddhism and Eastern philosophies.

The Houston Texans running back is half African-American and half Mexican-American.

ESPN Host Talks Crazy Racial Ignorance About RG3

This is one of the most ignorant foray into ethnic analysis I have ever seen on a sports program.

Rob Parker, on ESPN’s “First Take” was trying to explain why he has problems with Robert Griffin III, D.C.’s black quarterback, who just the day before rightfully said he “refused to be defined by race.”

Talk about making a fool of oneself.

Here is an article on what RG3 said that sparked that ignorance. It is an excellent statement on ethnicity and sports.

The Overreaction File – Terry Bradshaw Was Not Being Racist

Terry is just a funny guy.

Sometimes people need to relax and recognize that not everything is meant to be racist.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Terry Bradshaw became the subject of some controversy after a joke he made during Fox’s NFL studio show didn’t come out as he intended.

On Sunday, Bradshaw was discussing highlights of the first half of the Miami Dolphins-Indianapolis Colts game with fellow Fox studio analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson. During a clip that showed Miami’s Reggie Bush making an impressive 18-yard touchdown run, Bradshaw said: “Look at this, Jimmy — like he was chasing that bucket of chicken that the wind was blowing the other day.”

Many wondered if that comment held an element of racism as Bush is an African-American.

During the segment, Strahan (also an African-American) suggested that the comment had been directed at Johnson, quipping: “I’m glad you’re talking about Jimmy and not me.”

And on Monday, Bradshaw was quick to apologize, confirming that Johnson was the target of his remark.

“[I'm] so sorry if I hurt anybody and I’m shocked I’m in this position,” Bradshaw told USA Today.

He said he meant to say “you” (as in Johnson) instead of “he” (as in Bush) and hadn’t realized he had made the mistake until Monday morning, when Fox staffers played the tape for him.

“I can’t defend myself,” Bradshaw said. “I’ve never been in a situation like this. I don’t know how to react, except to apologize for something I didn’t know I said. I’ve been upset today. It’s not me. I’m shocked.”

He added the comment was part of a running joke Sunday.

Johnson’s “big thing is chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken. He won’t share it with anybody,” Bradshaw said.

For his part, Johnson echoed that sentiment Monday on Twitter: “Terry Bradshaw was referring to me about ‘chicken’..I eat 4 pieces on the set every Sunday! Now I’m in trouble with my wife.”

I can understand that since viewers didn’t know the context at the moment he said it, it could have been misconstrued. But once it was  explained, people need to let it go. Clearly there was nothing there.

Redskins Name An Insult To Native Americans

Why is this ok?

I have been saying for years that Washington, D.C.’s football team needs to change its team macot name, “Redskins,” to something that is not a direct slur for Native Americans. Unfortunately, not enough people get worked up over this slur being used every football game in a public way and over the air. But I am glad to see that a couple of papers have weighed in on the issue. This is from an article from Yahoo Sports:

There’s long been arguments about the political correctness of the Washington Redskins’ nickname — some feel that it is a pejorative term, and many Native Americans find it offensive. The “Redskins” nickname was given to the team in 1933 by then-owner George Preston Marshall, supposedly in recognition of head coach Lone Star Dietz, who may have been part Sioux. That Marshall was a known and avowed racist who greatly opposed the integration of the NFL doesn’t do a lot for the argument that the team’s nickname is an innocent conceit.

According to the article, The Kansas City Star has long since stopped referencing the team’s name in its reports, but now a local D.C. paper has also changed their policy:

The Washington City Paper has decided to use the term “Pigskins” instead of “Redskins” when writing about the home team. The Washington City Paper is an alternative weekly with a circulation estimated in 2009 at 71,000. The new name was decided by a poll of the paper’s readers.

By the way the nickname or mascot name the paper is going with is Pigskins. Aw hell, now there’s something else to complain about. Bad choice. But I do think that is better than the current team’s name.An editor at The Kansas City Star said it best about the craziness of having an NFL team with a name like “Redskins” which was definitely used in a derogatory manner when used back in the day:

…Ifind it inconceivable that the NFL still allows such a patently offensive name and mascot to represent the league in 2012.

I couldn’t agree more.

Here is the full Yahoo Sports story.

Skip Bayless Wasn’t Necessarily Wrong For Saying Whites Root For The White Guy

Was he wrong?

You may have heard about the controversial remarks (again) by TV sports commentator Skip Bayless, who said basically that White football fans in D.C. would root for the second string quarterback to start over the Black guy, Robert Griffin III. Here’s his quote:

I’m going to throw it out there. You also have the black-white dynamic and the majority of Redskins fans are white. And it’s just human nature, if you’re white to root for the white guy,” Bayless contended. “It just happens in sports. Just like the black community will root for the black quarterback. I’m for the black guy. I’m just saying, I don’t like the dynamic for RG3. It could stunt his growth in the NFL.

You know what? I’m not mad at Bayless for what he said. I think there may well be some truth to it, whether we like hearing it or not. I certainly know that from a minority perspective, it is absolutely the truth that very often we will pull for a certain player to do well because he or she looks like us. Often, this has to do with breaking down barriers or because we want someone to serve as an inspiration to others, especially young people. Think Tiger Woods when he burst on the scene. Think Doug Williams winning the Super Bowl as the first Black quarterback. Obviously, think Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers.

Do I root for Black athletes more than White ones? No. But I do sometimes. And that’s true for me rooting for other minority athletes as well. Is it racist to do so? I don’t think so. But maybe it is. To me, as I said above, I do it usually because I want to see more people of color succeed as a way to show we can compete with anyone in anything.

So then is it wrong, if Bayless is right, that Whites will root for the White guy? I guess I really couldn’t argue with that if I do a similar thing at times, no matter how noble I think the motivation might be for me. I do hope that in time we all get to a point, where equality in sports, and other areas, is such that we can always root for a team or player simply because we like them or they are on our favorite team, regardless of what their ethnicity is.

Looks like we aren’t quite there yet. Here is a link to a larger article on the controversy.

Mixed People Monday – Tony Gonzalez

The Atlanta Falcons star poses with his wife and son.

The future NFL Hall of Fame tight end is an ethnic mix of Hispanic, Afro-American, Jamaican, Indian and Cape Verdian.