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The White Flight From Football
City Lab ^ | February 1, 2019 | Alana Semuels

Posted on 02/04/2019 3:11:45 PM PST by GuavaCheesePuff

Shantavia Jackson signed her three sons up for football to keep them out of trouble. As a single mother who works the night shift at a Home Depot warehouse 50 minutes away from her house, Jackson relies on the sport to shield the boys from gang activity in her rural Georgia county. They began in a local league five years ago when they were still little, their helmets like bobbleheads on their shoulders. Now 11, 12, and 14, they play in games across the region. Jackson says she passed up a daytime shift at Home Depot so that she can drive them to games and cheer them on.

Over time, the boys’ coaches have become mentors, making sure their athletes get good grades and stay off the streets. They take the boys on field trips to the beach and to Busch Gardens. Jackson’s eldest son, Marqwayvian McCoy—or Qway, as she calls him—has particularly thrived. Jackson says Qway has been diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar disorder, which sometimes manifests in bursts of anger and an inability to focus at school. Now his teammates help him when he gets stuck in his studies and look up to him for his prowess on the field. They’ve nicknamed him Live Wire because he can hit so hard.

(Excerpt) Read more at citylab.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Society
KEYWORDS: alwaysaboutrace; dainbramage; footballfield; nfl; nfldecline; racecardplayer; raceobsessed; sjw; sports; whiteflight
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To: RedMonqey

Harry Carson, HoF linebacker for the great Giant teams of the 80s has openly stated that his grandchildren will not play football. As for being men 55 years ago I played CYO roller hockey. . Didnt need football to toughen me up.


41 posted on 02/04/2019 4:38:42 PM PST by xkaydet65
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To: CodeToad

After the Super Bowl yesterday some talking head was complaining that so many black coaches had been fired - and he even admitted they had no success. He went on to say teams were interviewing blacks for coaching jobs without any intention of hiring them (because now the NFL requires the interview).

I believe white people in general don’t see any point in watching 3 1/2 hours of commercials with 12-13 minutes of football in between, and it is very clear the NFL is targeting low-information people now. Just look at the commercials themselves; you’d think white women and black men were the only ones watching.


42 posted on 02/04/2019 4:41:20 PM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: dfwgator

I dont know if they are bitching but the powers that be are not happy. Euro players are far better honed in fundamentals. Their game is team oriented.
Also of interest there are more Euros and Foreign born whites than American whites in the NBA. One reason... the AAU meatmarket hoop leagues focus on individual results. The coaches just roll the balls out. Few white players this side of Pistol Pete do not fare well in that environment.


43 posted on 02/04/2019 4:44:33 PM PST by xkaydet65
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To: Flavious_Maximus

Heisman winner Kyler Murray is far too small for the NFL, but he seems intent on trying rather than take $5 million up front from the Oakland A’s. That’s not whitey’s fault.


44 posted on 02/04/2019 4:46:53 PM PST by jjotto (Next week, BOOM!, for sure!)
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To: kearnyirish2

(because now the NFL requires the interview).


That’s been the case for maybe twenty years.


45 posted on 02/04/2019 4:49:03 PM PST by sparklite2 (Don't mind me. I'm just a contrarian.)
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To: subterfuge
Yes. White parents have begun to steer their kids toward safer sports and away from football, while black parents still tend to think football gives their kid a shot at making good.

What, you didnt read the article?

46 posted on 02/04/2019 4:50:29 PM PST by hinckley buzzard (Power is more often surrendered than seized.)
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To: Trailerpark Badass
First game of football was Rutgers v Princeton in 1869. Real blue collar.
47 posted on 02/04/2019 4:55:00 PM PST by hinckley buzzard (Power is more often surrendered than seized.)
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To: Trailerpark Badass
In1904 18 mostly preppy boys trying to be “men” died from football injuries. it was nearly banned but Teddy Roosevelt intervened and urged the introduction of reforms making the game somewhat safer. Now it doesn’t kill too many kids, it just gives them brain damage later on.
48 posted on 02/04/2019 5:04:24 PM PST by hinckley buzzard (Power is more often surrendered than seized.)
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To: Flavious_Maximus

That Pirates squad was from the mid-to-late 70’s. I remember them. I was a Philly kid attending college with a bunch of Pittsburgh guys. ESPN was just getting started back then covering the USFL, Big East B-ball, extreme sports and so forth. No baseball except maybe Sports Center.


49 posted on 02/04/2019 5:04:59 PM PST by Tallguy
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To: RedMonqey
"Play soccer with the girls."

You're an idiot.

50 posted on 02/04/2019 5:37:41 PM PST by tinyowl (A is A)
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To: RedMonqey

Twice now you’re an idiot. Does this continue all through the thread? All through your life too?


51 posted on 02/04/2019 5:40:21 PM PST by tinyowl (A is A)
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To: tinyowl

I am white, male and my 11 year grandson ain’t playing no stinking football


52 posted on 02/04/2019 6:18:25 PM PST by Kozy (new age haruspex; "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.")
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To: Responsibility2nd

Ha, ha. Me either, and that’s the point I was making. Now I’ll answer the whining OP.


53 posted on 02/04/2019 6:40:39 PM PST by subterfuge (RIP T.P.)
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To: hinckley buzzard

Thanks for that, but of course I didn’t read the article, which I’m sure you could surmise from my reply. I just detest a shitty excerpt. I expect more from FReepers.


54 posted on 02/04/2019 6:43:43 PM PST by subterfuge (RIP T.P.)
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To: Kozy
I grew up playing soccer and still play as much as possible. I guess that makes me a girl to Mr. Monkey.

American football is fine, and has risks, as does soccer but fewer, and I'm totally cool with people playing although I wouldn't let my kids play football unless they really fought me for it.

When looking long term at sports, it's wise to look at not just the character development and short term physical development, but the physical development long long long term, as in over the course of a lifetime.

This is really just a matter of choices. But if you want to live to be old, without significant permanent joint injury or chronic pain, soccer develops the body in terms of strength and flexibility in all directions, although soccer players tend to overdevelop their quads and should counter that with certain routines and exercises to avoid future knee issues and even shoulder issues that result from the front of he body being more closed and tighter than the back. All of this is 50 times worse for an American football player, although much of that too can be mitigated with balancing exercises. Still - I don't think I could get past the brain stuff if I had kids.

Mix soccer and yoga over a lifetime ... you can't do much better than that when it comes to 'where will I be physically, mentally, spiritually when I'm 80?'

Red likes to talk about how American football mixed him in with other races. With soccer, you mix with the entire world. I'm not an advocate of diversity for diversity's sake and certainly not forcing it, but the world is connected these days either way.

So soccer is a no brainer better choice unless there is, for some reason, a very specific love or reason to play American football ... in which case, that's fine if someone's done the cost benefit analysis. It's not a long term stock you'd catch me buying for me or my kids or grandkids.

I think American football is probably doomed in 25 years to be a niche sport - a relatively popular one for a niche ... but a niche all the same. Physical development is too unbalanced and there's no arguing with facts.

The fact is that you are born with one body, and it can be your friend or your enemy as you grow older, depending on how you treat it and develop it. No sport was designed specifically for that, so they are ALL unbalanced, even the ones that aren't contact sports, none are complete ways to take care of yourself. But soccer as a primary sport combined with some yoga is a hell of a lot more fun than just yoga, and a hell of a lot more likely to leave you comfortable at age 50, 60, 70 and beyond. Even if you throw aside comfort, soccer will make you live longer simply because it's a very natural cardio development with sprints combined with slower pace but endurance. Football -> unlikely to make you live longer.

You're doing your 11 year old grandson a huge favor. But make sure he later mixes in Yoga and learns how the body is engineered, then it's just like keeping a car running to 300K miles!

55 posted on 02/04/2019 6:55:39 PM PST by tinyowl (A is A)
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To: tinyowl

Grandson is a top age group water polo player. Second choice is basketball. His younger sister is All Star basketball player. Coaches are trying to get her into the pool for polo too. She is left handed and can swim. Other gd is All star pitcher. Last one 2.5 and she is an All State in driving me crazy.


56 posted on 02/04/2019 7:14:04 PM PST by Kozy (new age haruspex; "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.")
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To: GuavaCheesePuff

If there were no college, there’d be no football.
If there were no football, there’d be no brain damage.
If there were no brain damage, I wouldn’t be here tonight.

Judy Tenuta (I think)
May have been Julie Brown....


57 posted on 02/04/2019 7:14:46 PM PST by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Still bitterly clinging to rational thought despite it's unfashionability)
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To: Steely Tom; GuavaCheesePuff
Yes, isn't it though?

No father, you name the kid Marquayvin?

Schizoaffective bipolar disorder?

Getting hit repeatedly in the head is probably not a good idea.

But it's all Whitey's fault.

58 posted on 02/04/2019 7:19:43 PM PST by Eagles6
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To: Some Fat Guy in L.A.

“It could happen!!!”


59 posted on 02/04/2019 7:21:39 PM PST by sparklite2 (Don't mind me. I'm just a contrarian.)
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To: DaxtonBrown

Some Whites will still play football. Probably mostly in the South and “country folks” elsewhere in the U.S. Upper middle class and wealthy Whites won’t play football anymore.


60 posted on 02/04/2019 7:27:04 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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