I figured that this blog does not need to be about business or venture capital all the time. Hopefully people read this because they find some interest in what I'm saying. Yesterday I was catching up on some old Foneshows when I was driving (Foneshow really is, I believe, the ultimate commuting companion). One of my favorite commentators is Frank DeFord, who does a weekly program for NPR. One of the great things about Foneshow is that after you subscribe to a series, you call in and hear the most recent show in the series (like Frank's commentary from last week), then it will automatically cycle into the next most recent show that you have yet to hear. So on my way to Boston yesterday I was listening through some old shows and heard a great commentary from July 23, titled "Does Obama Owe A Debt To Blacks In Sports?" I've pasted the text below, but you can listen to it here and also sign up for the series at Foneshow here.
I've always been interested in race relations in this country and no matter what your political opinions, it's hard to argue that Obama's election as President is not an incredible marker for progress in this country. Watching Obama's victory speech at Hyde Park on Nov. 4 was a moving site for any person to see.
I also love Maine, but one issue I have is how white the state is. I worry a little bit about that with my kids -- growing up and not having a very multicultural experience. Sports is an area where I take solace in this concern in that I know my son looks up to people like David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury. And he's also learned more about the history of race relations in this country by reading about baseball and Jackie Robinson. DeFord's commentary resonated to me in several ways, but when I view it through my kids eyes, I can very much see what DeFord says. Obviously this resonates through people of all ages, but I think this event will forever change the next generation in boundless ways. There are no glass ceilings any more with race. And any child growing up now of any color or socioeconomic background can look out and know that anything can be achieved.
Anyway, I thought this commentary by Frank DeFord on black athletes and Obama was very good and worth sharing.
Morning Edition, July 23, 2008 ·Obviously, there are so many factors that have been applied, incrementally, to bring us to a place where an African-American can be elected president. But I cannot help believing that the ubiquity and esteem of the black man in sport has played a significant part in this transformation of the body politic's thinking.
You see, the way the black athlete has evolved in the public mind has made him something of a precursor for African-Americans in other visible fields. Originally, in fact, blacks in sport were confined strictly to the arena. Many of the biggest stars — Jim Brown, Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali — seemed downright threatening.
Endorsements invariably went to lesser white athletes, for advertisers simply assumed that a product's association with even a noncontroversial black player must be off-putting to white consumers.
But, my — as well we know — how that changed. By the 1990s, Michael Jordan was accepted as the most prominent pitchman on the planet, and he has been primarily succeeded by Tiger Woods.
From a cultural point of view, this sea change in attitude in sport signaled that race did not constitute that much of a difference in public figures — which, ultimately, of course, leads us to Barack Obama.
Similarly, I've always felt that the recent ascendancy of black movie stars — notably Denzel Washington and Will Smith — can be largely accounted for by the prior acceptance of the black athlete.
Whereas Washington and Smith usually are viewed as the heirs to Sidney Poitier, he was really something of an anomaly, a distant one-off, separated by so many years.
But the celebrated African-American athletes were, in effect, leading men themselves, so an audience that grew up with the likes of Jordan and — just as important — all the black stars who were local heroes for hometown teams, could so much more easily accept the same sort of Hollywood crossover.
It's also true that just as the black superstar was, for so long, denied the chance to be a personality, so was the smart black player denied the opportunity to lead.
Now, we don't get the chance to see most decision-makers making decisions. But we can watch coaches and managers pulling strings on the sidelines. Surely it was most influential to be able to see black men dispensing judgment in those visible positions, and to see that black coaches were, as a group, just as smart — and just as dumb — as white coaches. Vivid equality.
Look, maybe Barack Obama would be the Democratic nominee if there had never been a Frank Robinson and a Michael Jordan and a Tony Dungy and a Derek Jeter. But I really don't think so.
I think the black athlete has, ultimately, made a deep, if subconscious, impression on whites. He's been heroic, of course. But beyond that, it's he who has had the chance to show whites that he can be congenial — "just folks," just like the white guy next door — and that he can demonstrably lead people, yea, even to championships.
This evolved comfort factor for fans must have eased the path for Obama, with voters.
As a closing fillip, it's always said that Obama is different from the African-American politicians who preceded him. I agree. He reminds me more of Arthur Ashe than anyone in his own business.
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