Hero’s Welcome
RGIII’s injury is courageous and disturbing—disturbing because of his almost demonic need to be victorious at any cost. Like President Obama he came to Washington to slay the dragons, to win, to be victorious and to become almost immortal. Like President Obama, who now has a second term, RGIII now realizes his fantasy narrative about changing football culture in Washington D. C. might be over.
The Washington Redskins lost a playoff game to the Seattle Seahawks 24-14. Despite using sleight-of-hands, and quick timing, like the master illusionist Houdini, combined with a keen vision of the opposing team’s defense. His illusionist, almost magical moves, made Ware, the Dallas Cowboy’s premier defensive player, look like a deer in headlights.
RGIII is still being celebrated, like a Roman Gladiator for staying in the coliseum’s arena despite his injury. For now, however—during his post-op period, the coliseum will nervously wait to see if this incredible football talent will go back into the blood thirty arenas.
Football addicts like me realize that RGIII refusal to sit on the bench was not about medical science. It was not about brain damage or CTE {chronic traumatic encephalopathy} which allegedly caused six former or current professional football players to commit suicide in the past two years: Junior Seau, Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling, Kurt Crain and O.J. Murdock. Like the ancient Roman Gladiators RGIII relished the existential idea of staring injury and death in the face as a sign of Spartacean nobility. Not sitting on the bench had nothing to do with the 9 billion dollar a year profits of professional football. It is something far nobler; I think it’s our collective fanaticism for our sport icons to win at any cost. In week 10 alone, Jay Cutler, Alex Smith and Michael Vick suffered concussions. All brothers in a death sport.
Historically America was founded on violence. The First Seminole War (1817-1818) began with a U.S. invasion of east Florida (where Baylor College is located) to punish hostile Seminole Indians, whose territory had become a refuge for runaway slaves. If we fast forward 195 years later—on April 26, 2012 in New York a Baylor quarterback, whose ancestors were slaves, Robert A Griffin III was selected as a first round draft choice for the Washington Redskins.
God bless America.
Article First Appeared in The Black Truth News Volume 4 Issue 2 Feb. 20th 2013