There are a couple of interesting storylines in this year’s super bowl coming up this Sunday. It is the third time in four years the Kansas City Chiefs have been there. Two brothers are playing on opposite teams for the first time as Travis and Jason Kelce will both be on the field trying to beat one another, and their mom just hopes both teams have fun. But one of the more interesting things to me that I saw is that this is the first time both starting quarterbacks for the teams are black.
Robert Griffin III, who played quarterback in the NFL had this to say about this historic moment, “Historically, Black QBs have been told they can get it done athletically but not mentally. That stereotype has always been wrong. Now, for the 1st time, we have 2 BLACK QBs IN THE SUPER BOWL. They beat you athletically, with their arm and their brain.” Sports have long been an area of social progress. Sports stars have huge platforms for their voices to be heard, and this is a particularly intriguing moment. Because the power of myth is incredibly strong. And for most of football’s existence, while some may not have said it out loud, the stereotype Robert Griffin mentions has been held up as true.
When we live lives as if some myths are true, we miss the opportunity to have our minds changed. There is the myth that we do not have enough. The myth is that people don’t need church. The myths about different abilities and different people. A myth is something everyone agrees is true, and it becomes a guiding force in our lives. We need myths, but we need the ones that God teaches us. As for the bad ones, like the ones that say black QBs will never be the best QBs, those walls can tumble down.
Peace,
Jordan