3Lessons
Black Lives and Black Beauty
Black Codes and ZIP Codes
Get Up. Stand Up. Take a Knee.
INTRODUCTION ACTIVITY Images Courtesy of Colin In Black & White
I want Black and brown communities, particularly youth, to know we will face racism, we will face white supremacy, we will face oppressive systems, but we have the power to overcome them and the power to change them. I want them to know we don't have to accept the status quo, and, ultimately, I want them to be their full selves and to stand firmly in their full power."
– Colin Kaepernick
Power, Changing oppressive systems
Lesson Three prompts participants to get up, stand up or take a knee. The themes of this lesson are centered around money and power.
At the end of this lesson, participants will be able to:
Understand how NFL player salaries are dispersed, why ruling sports organizations use salary caps and why some players earn substantially more than others
Analyze the relationship between power and money in the NFL as a framework for the broader U.S. society
There is one activity in this lesson.
Image Courtesy of Colin In Black & White
Taking a Knee
On August 26, 2016, during the third game of the NFL season, Colin Kaepernick "took a knee" as a gesture of protest during the national anthem. After the game, he was asked to explain his actions. Kaepernick responded by saying, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
In this lesson, participants will examine power in systems, including sports.
Let's begin by exploring power.
Watch and Reflect: In Colin in Black and White, a comparison is made between the NFL Combine and the transatlantic slave trade.
Watch the video and answer the reflection questions below.
What historic or systemic factors could create an inequitable divide between Black players and non-Black owners?
When it comes to the ownership of professional football teams, does the race or ethnicity of the owners matter? Why or why not?
How does the power divide in professional sports mirror the power divide between ethnic groups in the United States?
In 2021, there were zero Black owners in the NFL and just two owners of color.
In 2021, there was only one Black NBA majority owner, former player Michael Jordan.
Let's begin with an exploration of the structural reasons that Black athletes make up a majority of players, but a minority percentage of coaches and general managers, and a minuscule percentage of owners.
Sports teams (also known as "clubs") have been modeled after elitist organizations like the "gentlemen's clubs" of eighteenth-century Great Britain and, later, the U.S.
In Great Britain, membership in these sought-after clubs was reserved for aristocratic men.
Fact: In 2015, The National Bureau of Economic Research reported that 15.7% of NFL players filed for bankruptcy within 12 years of retirement.
Sports club ownership aligns with this same model. In the United States, the ownership of sports teams is confined to wealthy white capitalists and is based on a plantation model of racial hierarchy. Wealthy whites own teams built on a hierarchical system in which most Black and brown people can be found at the bottom of the hierarchy, a.k.a., on the field.
There is a large gap between the proportion of Black players and Black owners in professional sports; that much is irrefutable. But what are the reasons? Discrimination? The "passing down" of teams from generation to generation? Stringent ownership guidelines?
Can this gap be rectified by filling quotas? Will it be rectified by dismantling the systems that keep the majority of power in the hands of the few individuals with power?
Previously, in this learning companion, we explored the "binary construction" of race. Race is an American construct that permeates every system in the country and persists today, even in sports.
In societies all over the world, power is wielded by the ruling class, and the United States is no exception. However, in the U.S., class is inextricably linked to race. The triple matrix of race, class and gender as sites of intersectionality is a byproduct of the inception of the country as a patriarchal, slave-holding nation. Those in power have the privilege to decide the rules.
In the Setting the Stage section of this learning companion, we also learned about the role that scientific racism plays in the world of professional sports. The antiquated belief that certain races are intellectually inferior could also influence ownership and power.
In the NFL, African Americans are disproportionately impacted by the race-based caste system mindset that permeates the league. The longstanding racial stereotypes of intellectual inferiority that buttress America's caste system influence the powerful network of largely White owners, front office personnel, league officials and agents. Such stereotypes impede the ability of African Americans to attain leadership roles in professional and college sports beyond the playing field. In short, America's race-based caste system mindset artificially limits the number of African-American NFL head coaches, general managers and upper-level personnel."
— Timothy Davis, Global Sports Matters
Activity. Follow the Money
In this activity, you are a Data Analyst.
Your challenge is to follow the money and seek answers to some key questions along the way. Once you've completed your research, you will then use the information you have gathered to reframe and retell the story of the NFL teams you have researched.
"Follow the Money" is great advice in your personal or professional life.
You could follow the money at home by tracking your spending for a month. You just might be surprised by how much you spend on entertainment or clothes. Following the money in a school district might look like reviewing the impact federal funding has on helping students learn. You can follow the money in local and state governments to see what leaders believe is most important to their communities. If you really want to know the values of a person or an organization, simply unpack, study and follow the money.
1. Select your teams here.
Solo Participants: Select your favorite team or a team in your state or in a neighboring state. Then select at least 1 other team for a total of 2 teams to research.
Pairs: Each participant selects 2 teams for a total of 4 teams to research.
2. Find and research the principal owners of your chosen teams using the team owners of the NFL list, and record what you learn on this chart. Ask these questions:
What are the owners' family names? What can you gather about how the families amassed wealth or gained power?
What is the race, gender, ethnicity and net worth of the principal owner?
Is the principal owner a former player?
What other businesses or companies does the principal owner operate, own or have a majority stake in?
How many majority/minority owners are there?
3. Examine the data and ask yourself:
How did owners get their teams? Did an owner buy or inherit a team?
Who tends to inherit a team?
Read about the way the NFL changed ownership rules requiring the principal or lead owner to own just 10%, so long as the family retains at least 30%.
4. Synthesize the data and ask yourself:
How much does an NFL team cost?
How much money does a person need to purchase a team as a lead or principal owner?
Where does the money/capital come from that is used to purchase a team?
5. Analyze the team's money. Ask yourself some critical questions about the team's salaries.
Review the team's financial breakdown (multi-year cap totals, player cap hits, top earnings, contracts and free agents).
What is the difference between guaranteed versus non-guaranteed salaries?
Which players get guaranteed salaries? You can read this article to help develop your analysis: The Art of NFL Contracts.
What other ways can players make money (NFL Player earnings on and off the field)?
What are salary caps (NFL Team Salary Cap Space Tracker, How the salary cap in the NFL works)?
How is salary dispersed between rookies, role players, star players, franchise tagged players and practice squad players?
6. Reflect on what you have learned so far about team members and their salaries, then ask yourself:
What do you notice about team members' salaries?
Who gets paid the least?
Who gets paid the most?
How does a player's salary relate to their time playing on the field on game day?
Who is considered a member of the team? Here's a hint: Team membership differs from team to team and ultimately owners decide who are team members. Check out this article for more insights.
How could players shift the power dynamic?
Is there anything wrong with the way things are operating now? Give a rationale for your answer.
Share your findings to process what you've learned. Whether you are working alone or as a member of a group, take a moment to talk with someone about this activity. You've likely learned a lot. Specifically, teach them what you now know about power, wealth, membership and ownership as it relates to professional sports.
Watch and Reflect: In the series, Colin meets an athlete who calls himself "the prototype."
The highest paid NFL players make upwards of $40 million a year. The lowest paid players, especially those with rookie scale contracts earn anywhere from 1% to 10% of the highest salaries. What could an injury mean financially for a lower paid player who isn't "the prototype?"
Interested in learning more? Look up your favorite team on Spotrac and review their salary sheet: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/.
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LESSON ONEBlack Lives and Black Beauty
LESSON TWOBlack Codes and ZIP Codes
LESSON THREEGet Up. Stand Up. Take a Knee.