Snubbing Ray Lewis
Disney racism taints Super Bowl win
By Monica
Moorehead
Once again the specter of racism has raised its ugly head at
the most exalted sporting event in the United States--the Super
Bowl.
On Jan. 28, American Football Conference champions the
Baltimore Ravens beat National Football Conference champions
the New York Giants by 34-7 during Super Bowl XXXV.
A big reason for the Ravens' stunning and unexpected
championship was their awesome defensive team. Many sports
commentators have proclaimed their defense as the best
ever.
The heart and soul of the Ravens' defense is middle
linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis, who is African American, is only
the third defensive player to ever be named the Super Bowl's
Most Valuable Player. The middle linebacker is considered to be
the main play-caller for the defense.
It has been a time-honored tradition for the Super Bowl MVP
to make a commercial for Walt Disney World that could then lead
to other corporate endorsement deals for the athlete.
But not in the case of Ray Lewis.
Accused of double murder
Just a year ago, during all of the hoopla surrounding Super
Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta, Lewis was accused of the double murder
of two young African American men outside of a nightclub.
For weeks following his arrest, footage of Lewis wearing
shackles on his ankles and wrists as he was brought into an
Atlanta courtroom was splashed all over the electronic and
print media.
The prosecuting attorney didn't have enough evidence to
convict him. In order to end his ordeal, Lewis agreed to plead
guilty to obstruction of justice and was released.
He was just another Black man caught up in the vicious cycle
of the racist criminal justice system--except that he was also
a well-known football player.
Lewis had hoped to put the ordeal behind him. But to no
avail.
Once the Ravens won the AFC championship, the mainstream
media dredged up the case, demanding that Lewis come clean with
what he knew about the murders. Their reasoning was that since
no one else had been arrested, he must be hiding some evidence.
This became the number-one story prior to the Super Bowl.
To his credit, Ravens' Head Coach Brian Billick, along with
other teammates, defended Lewis before the Super Bowl. The
media then attacked Billick for defending the player.
The case of Kerry Collins
Compare the media's biased treatment of Lewis to Kerry
Collins, the Giants' white quarterback.
Several years ago, while Collins was quarterback of the
Carolina Panthers, he used racial epithets against some of his
Black teammates while intoxicated at a bar.
During the media blitz before the Super Bowl, Collins was
treated with kid gloves. They asked him about his alcoholism
but said nothing about the racist incident.
Instead of choosing Ray Lewis to be Disney World's
spokesperson, the corporate giant instead chose the Ravens'
white quarterback, Trent Dilfer.
Disney representatives declined to comment on their choice.
But Bob Williams, president of Burns Sports, a business that
hooks up athletes and corporate sponsors, stated: "Disney feels
there'd be a terrific downside to having Ray Lewis associated
with the Mouse. He can hurt the Disney image of families and
children."
This is the same company founded by Walt Disney, a reported
Nazi sympathizer during World War II. This is the same Disney
that produced numerous movies using racist stereotypes of Black
people.
This is the same Disney World that didn't want to provide
full health-care coverage for its workers and their same-sex
domestic partners. The workers were forced to go on strike to
win their rightful benefits.
This is the same Disney that super-exploits sweatshop labor
for profit in Haiti and elsewhere.
The true image of everything associated with the Disney name
is racist, anti-gay and anti-labor. How dare the Disney bosses
accuse Lewis of projecting a negative image?
Disney's racist record
In fact, this isn't the first time that Disney has opted to
have a white quarterback represent it over a Black MVP
winner.
In 1989 Joe Montana was chosen over his teammate Jerry Rice.
In 1998 John Elway was chosen over Terrell Davis.
Disney wants to preserve the supremacist image of the white
quarterback even though Black quarterbacks are now making
tremendous inroads into that still-privileged position.
Dilfer must also share some of the blame for this slap in
the face to Lewis.
Why didn't he decline Disney World's offer? Why didn't he
call a news conference to denounce what they did to Lewis? Why
didn't he extend a hand of anti-racist solidarity to his
teammate who had been taking so much heat? All of the media
would have had to pay attention.
Dilfer caved in to this insult to Lewis not only because he
lacks any kind of anti-racist consciousness, but also because
he's thinking about increasing his own visibility with
corporate sponsors. Prominent professional athletes receive
many millions of dollars from corporate endorsements--much more
than their annual salaries as players.
That's what professional sports in the U.S. is all
about--making the almighty dollar and saying to hell with
important social issues like fighting racism, sexism and
lesbian/gay/bi/trans oppression.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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