Posted by Dan Ewert : 10/22/2002 12:28:00 AM (Archive Link)
You may recall about a week ago, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens pulled a little stunt in the game against the Seahawks in which he immediately pulled a pen from his sock after making a touchdown, signed the ball, and gave it to his financial advisor. He’s been derided by some in the media for his ostentatious action. Owens, though, defended it thus, “You have a white guy as an announcer and sportscaster. Me, I’m black. I do it and I’ve already done some stuff in the past. Were (African-Americans) more expressive than the white guys. You look at the skilled players. We’re the ones that get into the end zone. We get in the end zone more than they do.” Simply put… it’s a race thing. The white guys just don’t understand the celebratory spirit of black players. You will recall that Terrell Owens is the same guy who spiked the ball on the Cowboys’ midfield star during a Thanksgiving Day game… twice. It’s unfortunate that Owens has to cover up displays of classlessness and vulgar pomposity with the excuse that he’s black and that’s what black people do. He’s actually serving to establish a stereotype for all black players. I don’t recall Barry Sanders ever doing something like this after a touchdown. I don’t see Priest Holmes doing it now. Players score touchdowns every week without behaving poorly. It’s like the old saying, “When you get in the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.” Anyway, Owens’ comments can also be construed as racist… what do you think the public response would be if Brett Favre said something about how white guys tend to be the quarterback more often?