ESPN analysts discussed the issue of race in sports on Wednesday (not surprising) and actually highlighted a salient point of truth (I’ll give you a second to pick yourself up off the floor).
On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless discussed the Cam Newton comments on race, and being an African-American quarterback, when Bayless said that some of the discussion made him feel “guilt and shame on what went on before” his time. Stephen A. then answered back, saying it was that sense of guilt which got Barack Obama elected.
Here is the conversation:
STEPHEN A. SMITH: “You cannot deny is the fact that [Cam Newton] feels the way that he feels. You have to deal with that, and by asking him — the more you ask him and implore him to be specific, then you’re asking him to engage in a level of history that he may not want to go down that road. And more importantly, the more specifics you ask for the more you’re trying to knock down his perspective. You’re not going to knock down his perspective because what he feels is what he feels. You have to deal with what he feels as opposed to what you interpret his facts to be.
SKIP BAYLESS: “Ok. If I deal with it, then it makes me feel guilt and shame [about] what went on before me.
STEPHEN A. SMITH: “And that’s not right.”
SKIP BAYLESS: “I can’t fix it. I try to be the best I can be right here, right now and in the present.”
STEPHEN A. SMITH: “well, let me tell you this. I would make the argument that’s how Barack Obama became the president of the United States. 69 million people voted for this man. There’s only 30-plus million black necessary America so where the other 30-plus million come from? It came from a generation of folks who obviously felt a level of guilt because of what has happened in this country historically. So —
SKIP: maybe we just thought he was the best candidate. is that possible?
STEPHEN A.: No. nNot 30-plus million. 30-plus million? Come on, now. Again, this is what I’m talking about because what iI’m trying to say to you of course there are many millions who obviously felt he was the better candidate.
SKIP: Twice.
STEPHEN A.: Twice. But there is no question that there was guilt on the part of at least a small segment of this nation, which includes millions, who obviously felt that way. What I’m trying to say to you is when something like that is a fact, then obviously it speaks to what has happened historically.
Ironically, had Obama not been elected the line would have been that we are a nation of ‘white racism,’ not ‘white guilt.’ However, there’s much truth to be found in what Smith says here. After all, the President was certainly not elected because of his long and distinguished list of personal and career achievements.
