Outside the Lines: Race

So, I was watching Outside the Lines on ESPN today and they were doing an episode about black quarterbacks and the struggles they face in the NFL. The piece was primarily focused on Donovan McNabb, who has been catching a lot of heat over the past few weeks.

It was a good show that raised a lot of good points. But, I don't really get the primary issue... What difference does the color of the man's skin make? Isn't the only important thing his performance on the field? And why in the hell did that guy from the NAACP call McNabb an Uncle Tom for trying to develop his passing game???
Perhaps my naivete is showing here... But I just don't get why any of this is being brought up. Perhaps I was lucky in having been raised by parents who emphasized the necessity of judging a person based upon their actions and their character and not their skin, or social class. Perhaps this is not a lucky thing. It seems like I've been doing it wrong.

I had no idea that McNabb, or Culpepper, or Vick were any different than Brady, or Manning, or Favre (that's for you, 8). These 6 QB's all have one thing in common... They are all VERY good at their jobs... What difference does their color make...

Now, understand... My eyes are not closed to the fact that there are many in white trash people in America who probably do not like black athletes in a position of leadership like QB. To them it threatens the idea that white folks are somehow inherently better than everyone else.
And there are many non-white people in this country that look up to these "minority" athletes. And rightly so. It's good that there are role models who look like Brady, and McNabb, and Tony Gonzalez, etc... More of our nations youth have some one to identify with that way.

But really, when it comes right down to it, does McNabb's color make him any more or less of a QB? His game, his record, his skills are what TRULY sets him apart from other players in the NFL... Don't they?
Like him or not, he is a very good QB. That he is black shouldn't make him more or less susceptible to criticism.

A very smart man once said that he had:
"...a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality."

If anyone is reading this, I would sure appreciate some insight. Oh yeah... Joey Harrington sucks no matter what color he is...