There is at least one professional athlete who may miss out on this year's Super Bowl festivities. The NFL has been the subject of controversy for years as analysts and pundits debate why there aren't more Black head coaches in a league where the majority of players are Black. Recently, Snoop Dogg expressed his ire with both the NFL and the NBA for what he alleged to be racism, stating, "We still slaves and they still the masters."
Amid recent news regarding former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores suing several NFL teams as he cites racial discrimination, Chris Bosh has emerged with an essay detailing why he will be boycotting the NFL due to their lack of inclusivity among the coaching staff.
"Over the last few weeks, I’ve watched the discrimination behind that disparity play out in real time," wrote Bosh. "I’m happy anytime anyone gets a job, but it sure seems like the white guys are having an easier time becoming head coaches and general managers nowadays, while Black coaches are held to an entirely different standard.
"Do you wonder why, the very week Flores was let go, the Texans made a similar claim when they fired coach David Culley? “Philosophical differences” was the reason given for his removal—never mind the fact that Culley put up the same record with a rookie QB that his predecessor had with Deshaun Watson. Taking on the job during a turbulent time for the franchise, and putting in that performance should warrant another year—at least in my mind. Why didn’t the Texans see it the same way?
"Know what those fired coaches have in common? They’re Black men, and they were overqualified for their jobs. Culley was the oldest first-time head honcho in the league. Flores spent a decade helping lead the Pats to multiple Super Bowls before he could get a promotion. So when you watch them get fired, while some of their white peers continue to ascend no matter what, it’s worth pointing out that football has a bias problem. Are Black coaches truly given the same deal as the rest of their contemporaries? Are they granted the same opportunities? The same salaries? Are they cut the same amount of slack? I’ll let you guess the answers there—or research them yourself."
Bosh also stated that although he is speaking about Black men in the league, "the same is true for women and all people of color: if you’re a fan of the game, it’s probably not because you feel represented by it."
In the caption to a post shared to Instagram, Bosh reiterated points included in the essay and added, "Watching the way the NFL is treating Black coaches has me pissed off. Plain and simple. Until they fix this, I cannot keep spending my weekends supporting the league." With the Super Bowl around the corner, it will be interesting to see how others respond to this declaration.
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