Letting My Hair Down

Even though I was a fairly decent football player in high school, the NFL is easily my least favorite professional sports league.

The ridiculous violence that permeates every play along with the the master/slave dynamic between players and executives really make it difficult for me to enjoy the sport. When I watch the NFL, I see a high-stakes reflection of the worst aspects of the black experience in America. The tenable employment status, the horrible working conditions and the overriding of sense of exploitation are all too familiar.

Something just ain't right about pro football.

Most recently, I've been disgusted by the way the player's union has abdicated its responsibility to protect the interests of its members. The NFL's braintrust has initiated new policies that allow the NFL commissioner to suspend players indefinitely if they are arrested for a crime or involved in a serious controversy. No conviction is needed for the suspension, and players are not paid while they are on suspension.

These moves were made in response to media speculation that the league was being overrun by "thugs" who didn't know to be grateful for the "privilege" of playing professional football. These big black bucks apparently were sullying the reputation of the game and the commissioner needed to take a hard stance against them in order to reassure the mainstream American fan base that is the lifeblood of the league.

And that's one of the reasons why the NFL is now considering this new rule.

Look closely, the NFL, a sports league, is considering enacting a rule that prohibits its players from having long hair. A league built by a game that often shortens the lifespans of its players by at least ten years, and is overrun by physiques that could not be achieved without the rampant use of illegal steroids and human growth hormone, is worried about long hair.

Something is wrong there.

Look, don't hit me with the argument that every employer has the right to dictate how employees can wear their hair. As this link from The Root.com proves, employers can't just set arbitrary and discriminatory rules about hair. And make no mistake, this new rule will disproportionately affect black players because of their penchant for wearing their hair in long dreadlocks. Sure, some white players and other minority players will be affected, but they are collateral damage.

In my mind, this rule is for the unruly and unkempt niggers.

Oh, NFL supporters will deny this fact vehemently. They'll claim that the new rule applies to everybody, and that it's an effort to protect players from being dangerously tackled by someone grabbing their hair. They'll note that the new rule allows long hair as long as it doesn't cover the name on the back of a player's jersey.

And they'll be wrong.

Just like the NBA's dress code and like those nightclubs that don't allow white t-shirts or sneakers, this is a rule designed to make white folks comfortable. It's not about safety, it's not about helping fans keep track of the players on field by being able to see their names. It's about removing any whiff of "thug" from the NFL experience. It's about ensuring that NFL players don't resemble those dangerous negroes lurking behind every tree waiting to rape and pillage. It's about making white people feel comfortable with niggers killing themselves for their entertainment.

Period.

And you know what? I'm really not surprised. I'd actually have to be extremely out of touch with the realities of life in America to be surprised that rules are being enacted to make white folks feel good. What really bothers me, although it also doesn't surprise me, is that this story has not generated more outrage among black fans of the NFL.

Too many of us are becoming comfortable with these increasingly frequent reminders from mainstream America that being "too black" is unacceptable. (Just ask Rev. Wright about that.) Many of us even seem to have internalized that viewpoint ourselves. Far too many black folk just want to fit in, to have a good time, to enjoy what everybody else enjoys without all that extra drama.

I guess I must be Kay Slay.

Because, it's becoming much more difficult for me to blind my third eye and just enjoy things. I can't watch most television shows because the lack of acceptable and important black characters is appalling. Ditto with movies. I can't watch the news, or read most magazines because my experiences are conspicuously absent. And often when I watch sports I have to mute my television to get away from the inane and bigoted comments of sports announcers.

All black folks need to make a commitment to repel this increased push to make everything associated with black culture the default negative. Too many black folks are in the vanguard for the wrong side in this battle. We must speak up against all attempts to make wholesale assimilation the only path to success.

This hair thing is just the beginning.