For a few hours Saturday, things got in the way for the Kansas City Chiefs’ property.
BREAK: Patrick Mahomes says he refuses to play another game for Kansas City until they change the team name.
“The term Chiefs is offensive to Native Americans and I am sorry to have encouraged its use for 3 years. It’s time to change. “
It was the moment. Sh * t was finally about to hit the fan.
Unfortunately, we quickly realized that it was just a hoax. The tweet was fake, and Kansas City property became comfortable again.
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But….
What if it was real?
What if, for once in NFL history, only one player, particularly a black quarterback, who was untouchable by any measurable standard, drew a line in the sand and refused to move until what he gets what he wanted? This is precisely the type of Native American action leaders call players in Washington, DC, to do.
One or two things would happen. The Kansas City football team would have a new name. Or, the Kansas City football team would probably be the best player in the game.
Either way, the old, wealthy, white, male, male team owners would be shaken. Former Houston Texans owner Bob McNair is said to be driving to his grave as “the inmates“Would run the prison. And you can bet that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is somewhere reenacting the infamous scene from the 1992 Spike Lee movie “Malcolm X”, as a white police officer stands looking at the command Malcolm has over his disciples.
“It’s too much power for one man.”
To understand the magnitude of the big “what if” when it comes to bogus tweeting, you must first understand how the power dynamics between players and the league / owners have always worked.
Players do not have a good CV when it comes to taking a stand against the league. Throughout the multiple lockouts and strikes that have taken place, players have only had their demands met a handful of times, as they are usually on the lost end of “negotiations”.
Two of the most well-known work stoppages occurred in the 1980s, when the 1982 strike ended with the players’ revolt against their union. In 1987, the “crust” strike occurred, as teams played with an assortment of replacement players and veterans who were ready to cross the picket line.
And in 2018, a group of Hall of Fame members attempted to boycott the annual Hall of Fame festivities to receive health insurance and an annual salary. Within hours, it led to drama among the biggest players in the game as it highlighted the long story that NFL players have had when it comes to presenting a united front.
NFL owners are not used to giving in because they never had to. And that’s what drove the NFL Twitter crazy on Saturday, because for a few hours, it felt like the game had changed.
And although the owners are not preparing for impact yet, it looks like a storm could be preparing for offshore. Recently Mahomes began to speak of racial and social issues and was vocal in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, as good as join LeBron James’ “More than a Vote” campaign to fight the suppression of voters.
Earlier this month, Rob Parker asked “Where are the voices of the black quarters?»On this site. He wanted Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson to use their platforms at this important time, as they reached a level where they could never be blackballed – as Colin Kaepernick was – to solve the problems.
Since then, many of them have spoken, like Mahomes. They are no longer silent as in the past.
“You put everything [on the line]. For me, personally, whatever it is about air, politics or religion, I stay away “, said Watson last year.
“Why? Because there can be good and bad, yes or no, but in reality everyone will have their own opinion. You are fighting a battle that you cannot really win.”
Since then, Watson has joined the steps of Houston for George Floyd and requested removal of John C. Calhoun’s name, owner of slaves, of the Honors College of Clemson, his alma mater.
Much has changed during this pandemic. Trolling however did not. A few months ago, there was a fake tweet about Colin Kaepernick’s signature with the New York Jets that seemed so real that FOX Affiliate in North Carolina ran on their site.
And while Kaepernick is still unemployed and Mahomes hasn’t given Kansas City homeowners the ultimate ultimatum, the message is clear.
The power of black quarterbacks in the NFL is like no other, even when it comes to “fake news.”
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