Template:Did you know nominations/List of black quarterbacks


 * The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as |this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Cwmhiraeth (talk) 05:26, 13 April 2019 (UTC)

List of black quarterbacks

 * ... that black quarterbacks have been historically excluded from professional football because of a perceived lack of intelligence and other racial stereotypes? Washington Post, "In pro football’s portion of the civil rights struggle, the last positions to be desegregated were center, middle linebacker and quarterback. Those three spots, not coincidentally, required the greatest intellectual acumen, because they involved calling the blocking assignments (center), defensive alignment (middle linebacker) and the entire offense (quarterback). In the late 1960s, white supremacist perceptions still kept blacks from quarterbacking an NFL team. No black player could possibly be smart enough, have the required strength of character or possibly give orders to white teammates."; ESPN, "While nearly 70 percent of players in the NFL are black, they currently make up 25 percent of the league's 32 starting quarterbacks, a slight uptick from recent years. There are a number of reasons for this disparity, ranging from socioeconomic forces to stereotypes about who should play the role. Many gifted young black quarterbacks are encouraged to switch positions-some in high school, and others-as may be the case with Louisville's Lamar Jackson-as a prerequisite for playing in the NFL. They're also compared with one another when they have little in common (take, for example, the notion that EJ Manuel, hardly a prolific rusher, is "the same" as [Tyrod] Taylor) and are often described as leaning on their athletic gifts or being unable to read defenses. This spring new research from the University of Colorado found that people were more likely to believe a white quarterback was smarter than a black quarterback, even when cues were offered that both were exceptionally intelligent. Taylor recently told The Buffalo News that he believes he's criticized in a different manner because of his race. "It's always going to be twice as bad just because of who I am -- an African-American quarterback.' 'A lot of us aren't viewed as passers -- we're viewed as athletes,' says [Michael] Vick, who mentored Taylor, his fellow Virginia Tech alum. 'I think it's unfair and unfortunate.'"; Deadspin magazine, "Even after integration, there were still few blacks in the league. ... It was always thought that blacks couldn't be quarterbacks, that they lacked the intelligence and charisma to lead a team. So most black quarterbacks, even the ones who excelled in high school and college, had to switch positions in the NFL, or else escape north to play in Canada. ... Only a few black quarterbacks had ever even seen NFL action to that point [1987]. None had ever led his team to a Super Bowl. ... And so Warren Moon went undrafted in the 1978 NFL draft, packed his bags, and took his talents to the CFL, like so many black quarterbacks the NFL had turned down."; The Undefeated magazine, "Since the first black quarterback was allowed to play in the NFL, he’s been told he couldn’t be counted on. ... Black quarterbacks, so they’re told by critics, aren’t intelligent enough to play the position. They can’t read defenses or keep their composure in the pocket; their skills don’t “translate” from college to the pros. From Pop Warner to college, these quarterbacks — even Moon, as he was coming out of Washington — are told to switch to the skill positions of running back, wide receiver and defensive back. It’s where their 'natural athleticism' is better suited."
 * ALT1:... that quarterback was among the last positions in American football to be desegregated? Washington Post, "In pro football’s portion of the civil rights struggle, the last positions to be desegregated were center, middle linebacker and quarterback."
 * ALT2:... that black quarterbacks are twice as likely to be "benched" as white quarterbacks, even accounting for age, experience, and other variables? Source: Journal of Sports Economics, "When controlling for injury, age, experience, performance, team investment, backup quality, and bye weeks, Black quarterbacks are found to be 1.98–2.46 times more likely to be benched."
 * ALT3:... that black quarterbacks' success is more likely to be attributed to physical prowess, while white quarterbacks' success is more likely to be attributed to mental prowess? The Undefeated magazine, "Black quarterback success is more likely attributed to superior athletic skill by football broadcasters, research has shown, while white quarterbacks are deemed successful more because of their intellect."; Howard Journal of Communications, "Black quarterbacks were primarily described with words and phrases that emphasized their physical gifts and their lack of mental prowess. Conversely, White quarterbacks were described as less physically gifted, but more mentally prepared for the game and less likely to make mental errors."
 * ALT4:... that it wasn't until 2017 that all 32 NFL teams had started at least one black quarterback? Source: Sports Illustrated, "It took until 2017 but all 32 NFL teams will finally have a black starting quarterback."
 * ALT5:... that in 2017, almost 70% of NFL players, but only 25% of starting quarterbacks were black? Source: ESPN, "While nearly 70 percent of players in the NFL are black, they currently make up 25 percent of the league's 32 starting quarterbacks, a slight uptick from recent years."
 * Reviewed: This is my third DYK; I will QPQ at 5.
 * Comment: Thank you for taking the time to review!

Created by Levivich (talk). Self-nominated at 21:52, 16 March 2019 (UTC).




 * Earwig score is rather higher than I would like. Some word-tweaking would help.

Note that the proposed hooks will be run without the image (which is properly licensed).
 * I would normally add "(pictured)" to the hooks, but the image is not explicitly referred to in any of them. I would have thought that a fine hook would have been:
 * ALT6:... that Fritz Pollard (pictured) became the NFL's first black quarterback in 1923?

Anyhow...


 * Main: okay, but, well, duh. May still be too confrontational for Americans.
 * ALT1: okay, but the article is a bit of an Easter egg, and "among the last" is WP:WEASELly. Not recommended.
 * ALT2: okay
 * ALT3: okay
 * ALT4: okay
 * ALT5: okay

My preferred hook is ALT4. Hawkeye7  (discuss)  21:06, 9 April 2019 (UTC) (Maybe there's a shorter/better way to say that?) Leviv&thinsp;ich 04:35, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
 * , thank you for taking the time to review! I did some word tweaking and got Earwig down to 50.3%. Seems to be hitting now on variations of "first black quarterback", quotes, and the lists of teams (which are in chronological order). Do you think it needs further improvement? I hadn't even thought of a hook along the lines of ALT6. What do you think about something that combines ALT4 and ALT6, making the point that the first was 1923 but it wasn't until 2017 that the QB position was finally "integrated" league-wide. Maybe :
 * ALT7: ... that Fritz Pollard (pictured) became the NFL's first black quarterback in 1923, but it wasn't until 2017 that all 32 NFL teams had started at least one black quarterback?
 * Symbol confirmed.svg ALT7 approved. Good to go.  Hawkeye7   (discuss)  06:31, 10 April 2019 (UTC)