MVP - Vince Wilfork

Racism.  Damn if I just don't hate this insidious aspect of our culture, or any culture for that matter.  If there is one thing about our species that points to the truth of a higher being with a twisted sense of humor having set all this up, it would be that there is more than one race of humans on this planet.  Sure there are physical aspects that separate us aesthetically, but essentially all of the races start out with the same tools.  Jeez, the fact that we can all interbreed ought to be a strong clue indicating there really is no difference between us other than the ones we come up with in our minds.

But then I have to consider the fact that ethnic prejudices, religious prejudices, and which side of the tracks prejudices are also part and parcel of our collective makeup.  Not a one of them makes a lick of sense to me.  Not a one.

I am sure some anthropologist or archaeologist could quantify, specify, and explain based on exhaustive study of runes, ruins, and the interactions of some tribe buried deep in the Amazon why the need to discriminate exists as part of our collective makeup.  Frankly I just don't care why we are assholes to one another based on stupid criteria, I would just like to see us stop doing it.

I only bring this up because of my recent lurking on sports forums.  The recent debate on who should be anointed the MVP(Most Valuable Player) of the NFL(National Football League) this year has pushed racism into the mix.  There are really only two contenders, a white guy and a black guy.   They have both had great seasons, but on paper, the white guy has by far the best stats.  If we were color blind and used just the stats to base our choice on, the white guy wins hands down.  But to be fair, the black guy offers more excitement potential.  The white guy is a machine I think.  He makes it look easy.

Sports fans are found everywhere in every corner of the globe and exhibit every positive and negative of our species.  Sports fans probably represent one of the best cross sections of our country there is without the baggage of religion, political slant, economic status, or intelligence level.   At any sporting venue out there, you have Whites, Blacks, Asians, doctors, truck drivers, Baptists and Jews all sitting on the same side and rooting like Hell for the team of their choice.  When the game is on, they all cheer in the same direction.  But when it comes time to pick a favorite player, many of them fall into the stupid trap of putting race in front of record.  Subjectivity overrules Objectivity and emotional baggage often tips their choice one way or the other.

A recent sports article I opened online pretended to offer an objective look at who the Pros themselves thought should be MVP.  The problem with it was the sample group used.  In my opinion this article was nothing but a race baiting ploy to ferret out the racist tendencies on both sides.  Several of the player responses were the responses of black players who have a history of having a black chip on their shoulder.  And the comments that followed from an obviously mostly white group of readers were sprinkled with idotic responses that must have satisfied the authors need to prove that racism was not dead in this country.  Like we needed another reminder. 

Of the two who are in contention, I would have to pick the white guy.  Not because he is white and I am white, but because in my opinion, he is the best choice.  Added into my decision is the fact that he plays on the team I root for.  If he was a black player, my feeling would be the same.  And if truth be told, my real choice would not be either of them, but would be a black guy who plays defense on the team I root for.  But he is just a huge lineman who plays his heart out every game and has for many years.  If I could pick, it would be Vince Wilfork.   It's not his accomplishments that matter to me so much as his ethic as a ball player.

Am I just trying to prove or disprove my racist tendencies?  I hope not.  I cannot deny that over the years I have had racist thoughts pass through.  That they just passed through and did not settle in is what is important in the scheme of whether I am racist or not.  Because when it comes right down to it for me, content of character wins out every time. 

Later................................................