I really do hate people sometimes.
As my days on this planet diminish, it seems that at almost every possible moment I see events that make me lose faith in this world. Racism and a lack of equality have hindered the sight and minds of men and women for centuries, and it continues in this generation.
In the world of sports, racism is no exception. Since the earliest of times, athletes have been discriminated against because of the color of their skin as they try to play the games they love. As times progressed, discrimination has been put on the backburner of society - until now.
In America, people try to fix the situation in ways that actually make it worse with policies like Affirmative Action. Instead of trying to heal up the proverbial bullet wound, they are shooting society in the stomach again and again and again.
Take, for example, the National Football League's "Rooney Rule." The rule, named after Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is the league's own form of Affirmative Action. The rule requires all NFL teams to interview minority candidates for a head coaching opportunity prior to the hiring process.
While this rule is meant to provide a pillow to fall on for minority candidates, is it really helping? Absolutely not.
The "Rooney Rule," simply put, is throwing equality out the window. While trying to help out these men, we are basically labeling them as different because of the color of their skin. Is it fair to waste the time of one of these "Rooney Rule" examples when you know you are going to hire their Caucasian counterpart not because of their race, but because of their skill?
In 2007, the amount of minority coaches in the league hit seven due to the hiring of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Many credit his hiring to the "Rooney Rule" but I think that doing so is tomfoolery. I don't know about you guys, but personally, I would want my team to the best guy for the job. Caucasian, African American, Asian, or Long Island girl in Uggs and leggings, it doesn't matter to me. Win me a Super Bowl, and it wouldn't matter if you were purple.
Why should we encourage racism by pretending to help minorities? African Americans make up 65 percent of NFL rosters. This should give enough men the ability to be able to coach a team. If they aren't picked the first time, too bad.
One strange coaching example that is coming to fruition is brewing in Seattle. The Seahawks organization, coached by Mike Holmgren, is soon to be under a coaching change. Holmgren plans to retire at the end of the 2008 season, and he has already publicly stated that Jim Mora, the Seahawks' assistant head coach, will replace him.
What becomes of this situation should be interesting. The Seahawks, already knowing whose hands they want to leave their franchise in, found a loophole to get around the pointless "Rooney Rule" roadblock. While minority groups might get mad at this and try to fight it, why bother? The process is setting them back! Is one more representation in the NFL worth being labeled as a minority? I don't think it is.
At the end of the day, movements and ideals like the "Rooney Rule" need to stop. They are bad for the league, but more importantly, they are bad for society. Why should a black person be labeled as black? Why should a Hispanic person be labeled Hispanic?
They shouldn't be. We are all one people. Money-hungry fools like Dan Rooney need to think about the big picture and realize how they are hurting minorities by doing this. If one of these non-Caucasian men are worthy of a job, they will get one.
Those who feel that the "Rooney Rule" is helpful and necessary are absolute fools. Mankind needs to rid itself of policies and regulations such as these before the human race is taken over by hate and ignorance.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
