Brian Hartline’s teammates think he’s underrated because he’s white

[CF DolFan]

While I don't see this as a big deal it is reality.  Seems like this comes up every year or so about someone. I guess the fact remains, like blacks at the QB position have become, until it becomes a regular occurrence it will be a topic of discussion.

Brian Hartline’s teammates think he’s underrated because he’s white
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/11/brian-hartlines-teammates-think-hes-underrated-because-hes-white/

When Jordy Nelson was breaking out for the Packers last season, his fellow wide receiver Greg Jennings said that he thought Nelson got underestimated around the league because he’s white.

According to some members of the Dolphins, Nelson’s big 2011 season hasn’t changed much on that front. Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post writes that Hartline, who ran track for a time at Ohio State and has shown he can get behind defenses, keeps hearing that the Dolphins need to get some more speed at receiver while hearing himself described as being “deceptively fast.” Wide receiver Davone Bess and quarterback Ryan Tannehill think that their teammate’s skills get downgraded because, like Nelson, people are put off by a white wide receiver.

“Yeah, man. Definitely,” Bess said when asked if people underrate Hartline’s speed because of his skin color. “He can run. That’s good that they sleep on him, because come game time he can open up on them.”

“I’ve had that label before, too. It’s just kind of a stigma that comes with it,” Tannehill, who played receiver in college before moving to quarterback, said of the “deceptively fast” label. “If it helps you, then it helps you. I don’t know if teams underestimate him or anything, but he’s making plays for us, and it doesn't matter what color you are.”

While preconceived notions about race have surely contributed to some judgments about Hartline, who leads the NFL with 514 receiving yards, his sneak attack on the NFL this season has had much to do with preconceived notions about the Dolphins passing game as well. The combination of a rookie quarterback that draft pundits said would need a lot of grooming and an unheralded receiving corps led many to write off the Dolphins’ ability to move the ball through the air before the season started.

That was obviously premature and we imagine that teams watching film on Hartline now are more concerned with his ability to beat defenses deep than they are with the color of his skin.

[Fins4ever]

Not gonna open up that can of worms, but just think how good Brian would be if he could jump? lol

[badger6]

Not gonna open up that can of worms, but just think how good Brian would be if he could jump? lol

Go on open it up, worms don't bite, lol. Don't really think it matters how you are rated, performance is what really matters.

Ha, ha, reminds me of the Tosh.0 episode where the guy said that "It's OK to make a movie called White Men Can't Jump, but if you made a movie called Black Men Can't Swim." It would be labeled a racist and Jackson, Sharpton, and every other fruitcake would come out of the woodwork like roaches to stand up and protest such oppression. Gotta love to good old double standard in this country !!!!

[Fins4ever]

Go on open it up, worms don't bite, lol. Don't really think it matters how you are rated, performance is what really matters.

Ha, ha, reminds me of the Tosh.0 episode where the guy said that "It's OK to make a movie called White Men Can't Jump, but if you made a movie called Black Men Can't Swim." It would be labeled a racist and Jackson, Sharpton, and every other fruitcake would come out of the woodwork like roaches to stand up and protest such oppression. Gotta love to good old double standard in this country !!!!

AMEN BROTHER AMEN!

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

[badger6]

	Logged

[MikeO]

Totally agree with CF, It is like blacks and the QB position. They are still underrated on some level. A white WR faces the same type of "stigma"

Not fair but it's just how it is

[Spider-Dan]

Like usual, has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. Movies and reality are two different things.

Weren't you just talking about the movie "White Men Can't Jump"?  You know, the one where the white guy is the amazing basketball player that has a racket hustling people who judge him based on his race?

[badger6]

Weren't you just talking about the movie "White Men Can't Jump"?  You know, the one where the white guy is the amazing basketball player that has a racket hustling people who judge him based on his race?

No, I was referring to the name of the movie and how if the situation was reversed that the black double standard would raise it's ugly head in the real world. Nice try though....

[Spider-Dan]

In that case: I doubt a movie called "Black Men Can't Swim" about a black man who is incredibly great at water polo would elicit calls of racism in the real world.  I mean, if we're going to compare apples to apples.

As for Hartline, you're going to see white WRs pigeonholed as slow, just as you see black QBs pigeonholed in the Mike Vick role, or converted to WR or RB.  I mean, look at Tannehill; he was converted from WR to QB, but the majority of those conversions are black players that go in the other direction (e.g. Antwaan Randle El, Brad Smith).

[Landshark]

In that case: I doubt a movie called "Black Men Can't Swim" about a black man who is incredibly great at water polo would elicit calls of racism in the real world. 

More like a black man who is incredibly great at water polo but can't do the double pump fake before he shoots the ball.  Gotta have some flaw to his game.

[DZA]

i never understood that whole thing about Black people cant swim,  i can swim. I grew up in the Virgin Islands,  as with many who are native to an island where you pretty much had to know how to swim. Well, to say many who grew up in the Caribbean  are pre-dominantly of african decent.

And as far as white people cant jump, growing up in south Florida, I played Basketball at North Miami Sr, and the many schools I faced, I seen some White guys that can get up on the Boards. 

Like the argument says a lot of the stigma comes from WR position being dominated by Black Athletes which phases out the minority. Just like QB being dominated by White Athletes for a time.  Its gonna be that same when its comes the the K or P position.  How many Black athletes you see playing Kicker or Punter.  Quite a few.  How many White athletes you see at the Cornerback or Running-back .  Its one of those  issues you will hear from time to time because its not Very common

[Landshark]

Like the argument says a lot of the stigma comes from WR position being dominated by Black Athletes which phases out the minority. Just like QB being dominated by White Athletes for a time.  Its gonna be that same when its comes the the K or P position.  How many Black athletes you see playing Kicker or Punter.  Quite a few.  How many White athletes you see at the Cornerback or Running-back .  Its one of those  issues you will hear from time to time because its not Very common

A few friends have told me at different times that whites are naturally built more in the upper body and blacks are naturally built more in the legs.  Not sure if that is true, but if it is, it explains why the majority of quarterbacks are white and the majority of receivers and running backs are black.  It also explains why the majority of white quarterbacks are drop-back passers and the majority of black quarterbacks are scramblers.   

[Spider-Dan]

Such a theory presumes that QBs are selected primarily based on arm strength, which I would call a stretch.

If I had to make a guess, I'd say that:

1) virtually all NFL skill-position players were multi-sport stars
2) white players are more likely to grow up also playing baseball (which places a high emphasis on precision throwing with power)
3) black players are more likely to grow up also playing basketball (which places a high emphasis on jumping and burst footspeed)

I would imagine that an extremely high number of NFL QBs were also baseball pitchers through high school (though I have no statistics to confirm that).  Furthermore, the arm mechanic for throwing a football is much more similar to throwing a baseball than it is to shooting a basketball.

[Landshark]

Such a theory presumes that QBs are selected primarily based on arm strength, which I would call a stretch.

If I had to make a guess, I'd say that:

1) virtually all NFL skill-position players were multi-sport stars
2) white players are more likely to grow up also playing baseball (which places a high emphasis on precision throwing with power)
3) black players are more likely to grow up also playing basketball (which places a high emphasis on jumping and burst footspeed)

I would imagine that an extremely high number of NFL QBs were also baseball pitchers through high school (though I have no statistics to confirm that).  Furthermore, the arm mechanic for throwing a football is much more similar to throwing a baseball than it is to shooting a basketball.

Good analysis there.  I've heard of quite a few high school quarterbacks also being pitchers.  Also the thing about blacks growing up playing basketball places a high emphasis on jumping and foot burst speed hones their skills at that, which makes them naturals for running back and reciever.