Posted on 10/28/2005 11:00:33 AM PDT by JZelle
Air Force Academy coach Fisher DeBerry has apologized for voicing a need to recruit more black athletes to fill the speed positions of his football team. This is not too far removed from a basketball coach expressing a desire to acquire taller athletes in the frontcourt. Both prototypes on the sports wish list fall under the heading of, "Duh." Perhaps the objection to DeBerry emanates from the ideal to have a color-blind society, a hopelessly impossible goal because of the highly visual nature of humans. You might as well be pining for the day that Vogue magazine routinely splashes plus-size models on its covers. If DeBerry is to be faulted, it is for stating the obvious. He should have spoken in code and left it at that. He should have said, "Our football team needs to get a whole lot faster."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
This just in, they dance better than white guys too.
>>>>When Larry Bird said the NBA could use several white domestic stars from a marketing standpoint last season -- a fairly benign observation that came with the support of Magic Johnson -- tongues started wagging at a feverish pace.
RACIST!!!!!
I'm pretty happy that our national military academies do not recruit athletes for athletic ability alone. It's just a freaking game, after all.
I've never given a thought to the ranking of our academy teams in any collegiate sport. Who cares. I want them producing high-quality officers for our military. These days, that takes a lot more than ball-handling ability or 40 yard times.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH! Where did it go? He made comments that can only be interpreted a complimentary and they object. The White guys should be screaming their heads off because they have been made to look pretty inept -- Do you hear them? I don't. Just what is the issue here. Why can't an American citizen give an honest opinion about something without being castigated? It is, after all, HIS opinion based on many years of observation. Who how there can proved that anything he said is inaccurate?
People need to grow up and save their engergy for battles over things that really count. This man is being treated unfairly.
"look at that little monkey go,"
-- H. Cosell 1983
If there are no physiological differences between whites and blacks, the only explanation for the disproportionately high number of blacks in sports is racism.
I agree with what you said Mineral Man. I want cadets that have the leadership ability and the smarts to do what it takes to win wars. The rest of it is just BS.
However, IMO, PC has raised it's ugly head once more.
Freedom of speech is not the issue here....
He made the statement as the Head Coach of the Air Force Academy's football program and not as an individual.
This statement did not reflect what the Air Force wanted to project so he is being called to task.
No different than if you stood at one of your company's meetings with your customers present and made a boneheaded (albeit accurate) statement....
Thanks for your comments. They represent a logic that seems to have escaped the kneejerkers.
Wasn't his statement a compliment? I don't understand the why there is such outrage over a positive attribute being applied to an entire race......
The Air Force coach's remarks were benign and nothing to get bent out of shape about. What is noteworthy, however, has been the amount of attention given to him by the MSM, which apparently never looses its zeal to link the military to racism, even though in this case absolutely no racism is evident and the coach is a civilian employee.
What is the difference with this, and what Hank Aaron said about the Houston Astros needing some black players on thier team to reflect diversity?
This Air force coach said nothing wrong when he recognized the speed skills of the black recruits as a benefit to his team, whereas Aaron just wanted diversity with no mention of skills the players would bring.
Boneheaded, yes. Worthy of his losing his job, no. I would fire him because they are losing, but not because of what he said. And, I understand about his position. There is no law against being stuck on stupid.
If anything, DeBerry is guilty of being a whiner. As of 2003, his record at the Academy is 149-83-1. What is he complaining about again?
This coach is guilty of being a white male.
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