Jalen Hurts' father explains the history being made in Super Bowl LVII
The 2023 Super Bowl is going to mean more, and yes — much like the rest of football– it has everything to do with the quarterbacks. For the first time in NFL history, two Black quarterbacks — Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs — are going to […]
The 2023 Super Bowl is going to mean more, and yes — much like the rest of football– it has everything to do with the quarterbacks.
For the first time in NFL history, two Black quarterbacks — Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs — are going to face off in the NFL's premier event.
The two quarterbacks meeting in the Super Bowl can signify just how far Black football players, specifically Black quarterbacks, have come in the struggle for equal opportunity in the NFL. Still, the fact that it is 2023 and the NFL is still hitting these types of "firsts" is also an indictment of just how far the league has to go until it will be truly equitable (see the Panthers not retraining Steve Wilks for proof of that).
Often, Black quarterbacks have been dismissed with harmful rhetoric that limits their full potential. It is why Josh Allen earns high praise, while Lamar Jackson is told he is not worth the investment. It is why Baker Mayfield receives endless opportunities to prove he is mediocre, while Geno Smith had to wait until he was 32 to get a real shot. And, it is why Black quarterbacks are given such a small timeframe to prove they are worth it, while Sam Darnold enjoys a half-decade of awful starts and disappointing finishes.
Life as a Black quarterback isn't fair. It never has been. But that is why this year's Super Bowl is special. For the first time, the NFL must put away its last vestiges of White supremacy to embrace the reality that two Black quarterbacks have led their team to the top of their sport.
What Jalen Hurts' father had to say
It's something Averion Hurts, Jalen Hurts' father, knows is a big deal.
“I think it’s huge,” Averion Hurts said. “We understand how it was and how it’s been for a long time and the narratives that used to be out there on what African Americans could do at the quarterback position.”
In 2021, the NFL had 11 starting Black quarterbacks. And in 2020, Mahomes became the third Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. This year, Hurts could become the fourth Black quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy. But only time will tell that story.
Related Philadelphia Eagles reading
"Jalen Hurts' college coach explains why he knew the QB would be great."
"Eagles Pro Bowler responds to Giants player's diss."
Feature image via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
