For the 57th time, the NFL will determine the Super Bowl champion. For the first time, teams’ top quarterbacks are black. Why now? “There are many reasons for this and probably none of them are good.”
Quarterbacks are always the focus. Especially before the Super Bowl, the most important football game of the season. The focus on Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts from the Philadelphia Eagles is even sharper than usual before the duel on Monday night (0.30 a.m. CET): At the 57th Super Bowl, both regular quarterbacks are for the first time black.
Why did it take so long? “There are many reasons for this and probably none of them are good,” said NFL boss Roger Goodell at his annual press conference.
Clumsy racism, fear of new things, no will to change or even quite banal the inability to recognize unfamiliar talents and abilities – the list to which Goodell alluded is long. “Up until a few years ago, black quarterbacks were retrained to be receivers. That stigma that black quarterbacks just aren’t as good as whites is gone. There are now two black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. Milestone”, said the German-American Amon-Ra St. Brown from the Detroit Lions of the German Press Agency about this “milestone”. He is black himself, has a mother from Germany and a father from the USA.
Big topic in US media
The historical dimension of the game has been a topic in the US media since the pairing was established. Mahomes prevailed with the Chiefs against the Cinncinati Bengals around white quarterback Joe Burrow and entered the Super Bowl for the third time in the past four years, Hurts and the Eagles didn’t have much trouble against the San Francisco 49ers because Brock Purdy injured early and substitute’s substitute’s substitute, Josh Johnson, suffered a concussion.
Jakob Johnson also finds the premiere in Glendale, Arizona, “remarkable”. Black quarterbacks were often assumed to be at too great a risk of injury on their own runs because of their qualities and were not believed to be able to lead a team over a long period of time, said the Stuttgarter, who recently played for the Las Vegas Raiders. “Although you noticed years ago in college that the trend was going in that direction. This era has definitely started in the NFL now. It will definitely be an exciting Super Bowl with two fierce quarterbacks in a matchup.”
Because neither Mahomes nor Hurts would be there at State Farm Stadium if they weren’t one thing above all: damn good. For years, Mahomes has been doing things the NFL isn’t supposed to — crazy runs, throws from the side, or not even looking in his teammate’s direction. He’s one of the legitimate contenders to face the NFL following the retirement of superstar Tom Brady, whom he suffered his only Super Bowl loss to date two years ago.
Before this season, people were even more critical of hurts, even the Eagles fans weren’t sure – until the 24-year-old delivered a season that could make him MVP: Most Valuable Player of the Season. That’s probably why Chiefs coach Andy Reid recently put it this way: “The biggest thing is that they’re really good. Both are phenomenal players and I’m happy for both of them.”
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
