mmmm this is definitely food for thought. The non-threatening black man when it comes to sports was all but diminished (I think until Pacman) and replaced with a type of adoration. Sports and entertainment did allow for non-black people to view black people outside of the local skewed news reports on Negros.
The adoration you speak of is probably not unlike that of the Philistines applauding a blind and shorn Samson.
Interesting analogy Sub, but explain your meaning or reasoning if you please. I may be reading a little too literally the meaning of the actual story regarding the destruction of the Philistines.
In a nutshell, Samson was a defender of Israel who was misguided by lust and betrayed his mission for Delilah who turned him over to his enemies. In turn, the Philistines turned this fierce champion into a public farce. They didn't execute Samson; instead, they skillfully restrained him and used him for their own entertainment.
What I mean to point out is that the ideal black athlete isn't the indomitable Jim Brown or bombastic Muhammed Ali who were expressly concerned with the wellbeing of black people. It's the thoroughly individualistic, apolitical, and subdued figures of Tiger Woods, Tony Dungy, and Michael Jordan.
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