Shedeur Sanders Starts On Sunday. Here’s Why It’s A Big Deal
On Sunday afternoon, when Shedeur Sanders takes the field for the first time as a starter with the Cleveland Browns, he will carry with him the collective hope and promise of Black America that’s rooting for him because he’s ours.
His lineage, his celebration, his confidence, all of that is us. So this isn’t a typical rookie taking the field storyline. For Black America, this one hits different. This is a cultural moment wrapped in shoulder pads, cleats, and generations of “we told y’all” energy.
Because this has everything to do with Doug Williams’ Super Bowl win and Steve McNair’s unapologetic unstoppability, and Lamar Jackson being one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and critics still debating if he can throw.
Shedeur isn’t just playing quarterback; he’s inheriting a legacy of Black athletes who’ve always been the embodiment of Black Americans who’ve faced glass ceilings, unfair employee evaluations, and scrutiny for being flamboyant.
White America has always hated confident Black folks. See: Muhammad Ali, FloJo, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, etc.
The list is as long as the quips of announcers questioning their “maturity,” calling celebrations “flashy,” or deeming self-assuredness as “cocky.”
For decades, Black quarterbacks weren’t even allowed to be quarterbacks. Literally.
Teams didn’t draft Black quarterbacks. Coaches didn’t trust them. Scouts evaluated them for their athleticism and not their abilities. Hell, before Jackson would go on to win two MVPs for playing quarterback, he was asked if he’d play wide receiver.
So every time a Black QB breaks through, the weight is different. The stakes are different. The scrutiny is different. So we root for Shedeur in the same way that we root for anyone Black who shows up in white spaces and has their talents doubted.
We feel the same way Issa Rae did when she said she’s “rooting for everybody Black” at the 2017 Emmys. We all know how hard it is to get there and how hard it is to stay. Shedeur Sanders is the only fifth-round draft pick (and he should’ve never been drafted in the fifth round) who other NFL players are openly rooting for.
Because we’ve been there. It’s what drove the Black Lives Matter movement, in which Black folks rallied to stop police brutality and end the overpolicing of Black people. Black folks are trauma-bonded and married to a past that we didn’t ask for but are doing the best to manage. We always have, and for better or worse, we openly cheer for anyone who, like us, has worked twice as hard to get half as much.
We love Shedeur in the same way we loved his Daddy. Don’t believe me? Then explain why his jersey is still one of the highest-selling NFL jerseys next to Super Bowl champions Saquon Barkley (Eagles) and Jalen Hurts (Eagles); second-year sensation Jayden Daniels (Commanders); and one of the most thrilling quarterbacks, Josh Allen (Bills). Shedeur Sanders (Browns), a late-round draft pick who was buried on the depth chart at the beginning of the season, yet his jersey is a top seller.
So yeah, when Shedeur steps out there? He’s carrying the ghosts of every Black quarterback who was told to switch positions. Everyone who has never gotten a fair shot. Everyone who was benched the minute they made the same mistake their white counterparts made every Sunday.
Let the record show: Black quarterbacks don’t just play the game. They rewrite it.
I’m sure Sanders would love to just quietly make his way into the league, but that’s not who he is or who he was raised to be. He doesn’t get that luxury when his father was one of the most flamboyant, outspoken, vicious defensive backs in the history of the league.
And white America hates him. They are obsessed with him. Every speeding ticket, necklace, haircut, interview, and IG Story is not only discussed, it’s dissected by sports panelists and critics who want nothing more than to be proven right about their conclusions.
So on Sunday, Shedeur’s not just debuting. He’s debuting as the most-watched, most-discussed, most culturally loaded rookie quarterback in the NFL. And Black America can’t wait for our cousin to show out and finally win the job we all knew he was qualified for.
SEE ALSO:
Shedeur Sanders, Proud Black Men, White Fragility, And The NFL Draft
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Shedeur Sanders Starts On Sunday. Here’s Why It’s A Big Deal was originally published on newsone.com
