Matt Ryan Or Michael Vick: For the Fans, Is It All About Black and White?
Is there a movement to change the demography of Atlanta Falcons fans?
Michael Vick is still the most talked about athlete in Atlanta and he isn’t even in the damn city! Since last Saturday there’s been a big debate about why the fans in Atlanta are not happy about the Matt Ryan pick at number 3.
All of the Falcons fans I’ve talked to (diehard and casual) that don’t like the pick only dislike it because they are not convinced Matt Ryan was the best player available when the Falcon’s pick came up. It’s no secret the Falcons need a quarterback, but it’s also no secret that the Falcons need to build the defensive and offensive lines. Most fans thought if Glen Dorsey was still on the board when the Falcons pick came up they would jump on him. That didn’t happen, and some of the fans are a little pissed about it.
All football fans know defense wins games. Look at what the New York Giants did in the Super Bowl. Their defense on Tom Brady made up for the fact that Eli didn’t have a great game. A quarterback is extremely important, however if you ask some of the most recent Super Bowl winners what got them there they’ll say defense.
Yesterday one of the radio shows had a big discussion about the fans not accepting Matt Ryan because he’s not black. White people pulling the race card, imagine that. CBS 46 anchor Gil Tyree sort of got the ball rolling on this debate.
This is a sample of what he had to say to Peter King after the draft:
“This city’s history is built on racial divide,” says Gil Tyree, sports anchor for WGCL-TV in Atlanta. “Michael Vick had a hold over this city that no athlete will ever have again. Everybody wonders, ‘Is Mike coming back?’ Or ‘When’s Mike coming back?’ These people won’t forget him. He’s a messiah here.”After Ryan was picked, Tyree led his sportscast by saying, “It’s now officially the end of the Michael Vick era.” Afterward, when he was asked how area fans would receive their new quarterback, Tyree said, “No matter what Matt Ryan will do, he’ll never be accepted.
Will he get a fair shot?
This is a little shortsighted for a number of reasons and I’m surprised Gil would paint so many fans with such a broad brush. While Mike Vick has had a tremendous impact on Atlanta and the NFL as a whole, he didn’t have every Falcons fan of color wrapped around his finger.
In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I am not really a Falcons fan. I watch them because I live in Atlanta and I’m forced to, but they are not the team I root for.
My personal rooting interest aside, I’m offended that all of the African American fans of the Falcons are being accused of hating Matt Ryan just because he’s white. While there is a large group of people who have decided to support Vick for better or for worse, there are a lot of fans who support the team above any of its players. These people are getting unfairly lumped into the same category as the others.
I know this may be hard to believe, but not all African American Falcons fans believed Vick was the be all, end all at the QB position. As far as I can tell, most Falcons fans (black, brown or white) fall into one of three groups where Mike Vick is concerned. There are about 40 % of the fans who loved Vick and everything about his game. They thought he was the perfect man to get Atlanta back to the Super Bowl. There are about 40% of the fans who thought Vick was playing the wrong position. They fancied him as a running back or a wide receiver. Then there’s the other 20% of fans who saw Vick for what he really was, a pretty good quarterback. They don’t think he was as great as those who loved him thought he was, nor do they think he was as bad as those who hated him thought he was.
There are some fans that choose alliances based on race, but they aren’t the majority. Most fans aren’t that ignorant. A lot of African American Falcons fans genuinely root for the team and not just one player as they’ve been accused of doing time and time again.
People are constantly making it seem like all African American Falcons fans aren’t as passionate about the team as they are about Mike Vick. That sort of thinking couldn’t be more ridiculous. Mike Vick did/does have a lot of fans, but his fan base is not exclusively comprised of people who are only pro Falcons as long as he’s on the team. There are a lot of fans who are old enough to have rooted for the Falcons when Steve Bartkowski was the QB. They also remember rooting for the team when they drafted Brett Favre. Let’s not forget about the people who rooted for the team back when Deion Sanders was a member of it. These are just some of the people that get lost in the shuffle of all this race related nonsense.
The implication that all African American Falcons fans can’t see past race is offensive and it needs to stop. Matt Ryan is going to have the same opportunity any other quarterback would with the fans in Atlanta. If he comes out and produces, real Falcons fans will love him. If he doesn’t produce, they’ll hate him. They’re pretty much going to treat him like the fans in other cities treats their quarterbacks. At the end of the day he won’t be judged by the color of his skin so much as he’ll be judged by wins and losses.
John,
This site provides a fair voice unlike the msm who often slobbs all over undeserving people. Mike had one person to throw to Crumpler.The offensive line was terrible. He didn’t have a consistent running game unless you include him. That being said he made lemonade out of lemons. Matt has been a very good quarterback for Atlanta. Having a good running game helps to make any offense successful since the defense has to respect it thus opening up the passing game. I hope Matt continues to do well. Please don’t come here crying bias unless you are willing to discuss the obvious bias in the msm. If you need me to provide you with examples of msm bias, I will be happy to do so.
John.
I do however share your vision of racial unity.
Mizzo,
I certainly left the Kings when they traded Webber. He made that team. From the basement to the top on the NBA. Then Webbs knee went and the Kings showed their gratitude by showing Webb the door. Well look at them now. Back in the basement. DAMN DAMN DAMN!
IT’S JUST THIS SIMPLE IF U WANT TO SELL TICKETS PUT VICK IN MATT OUT!
boobaby………… I dont think the falcons are having problems selling tickets. Put a winner on the field and the fans will come. I cant believe the racial over-tones in the posts above. Sounds to me like alot of people were dogging on Matt because of his skin color. Even mentioning that ANDRE WOODSON would have been a better pick. Face it, the facts state that the Falcons made the right move. Who cares if Matt is white or black……….. APPARENTLY alot of people. Draft a WHITE BOY and the malcontent starts to shine through. Can you honestly say the Falcons made the wrong decision now? The white boy can play. The best thing to come out of the whole deal is we still have the rights to VICK. Which means we get compensation if someone else wants him. Excellent move ARTHUR.
Unbelievable,
I agree with you the kid can play. Having one of the BEST running backs in the league to play with goes a long way in helping a quarterback. Most quarterbacks aren’t afforded that luxury. AHH …Vick didn’t have one or a great receiver and he still made lemonade out of lemons.I also wonder how many people have been arrested and sentenced to multiple years in jail for dog fighting since Mike was charged? I personally think hunting is cruel but I’m black and that’s not something a lot of us do so who cares about our opinion. I think animal cruelty of any kind is wrong. I don’t think most hunters are sharp shooters so there are a lot of injured animals running around that may die from bleeding to death or infection not to mention their young who are left to starve to death. Just ask Dick Cheney if you don’t believe me on that one. I hear he’s really a good shot. LMAO!!!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you seriously trying to say that white players are discriminated against on draft day? I sure hope not. The only racial bias I’ve seen in the NFL and by the media is toward black players. Everything they do is blown up like they are the worse people on earth. The white players however, in any sport are coddled or ignored for equal mistakes. How often do you see the benches in baseball cleared during a fight? But the brawl in Detroit was labeled some of the worst behavior by athletes in sports history. Over reaction…ahhhhh… HELL YEAH!!!!! Oh and Barry Bonds was also the first athlete to use steroids.NOT!!! We know that’s BS!! Here is another example of the media bias. Just this week Farve told the press he doesn’t care about what other people think at this stage of his career. I understand that and agree with him for feeling that way. I also understand McNabbs comments when he said that he’s been run over by some of the fans and media this year. The media jumped all over his comments and left Fave alone. GEEEEE…I wonder why? UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!
If you don’t get this site then move on. We provide checks and balances here to counter the often unfair treatment of people of color. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
I was just wondering what your thoughts are after the season is now over about the future of Falcons fans and Ryan and Vick. I thought Ryan had a great year with Atlanta and he showed that he is an NFL QB as well as a leader. He also showed that (for now) he can keep himself clean (which would be highly expected following Vick).
I thought the Falcons looked much better on the field this year than in many seasons probably dating back to 1998. While I enjoyed watching Vick, I never thought Atlanta would win until Vick learned from McNabb or other running QB’s how to be a leader, when not to run, and the value of passing instead of running.
Nonetheless, do you think that the Falcon fans will now gladly keep Ryan while Vick tries to come back to the NFL or do you see them longing still for Vick to play for the Falcons and replacing Ryan?
I think matt ryan blows and i hate him vick was wrong 4 wat he did but he still needs to play on the falcons they would be way better off with vick……
I believe vick needs another chance not only for hiself but for the falcons…matt ryan might be good but not good enough.
He’ll never be on vick’s level…he can’t run like vick..he really doesnt have the features to be a balanced QB.
in my opinion matt ryan should be #2 in the depth charts and vick put in #1 in the season 2009.
this has nothing to do with being black or white haha…vick’s just plain out better.
everybody makes mistakes…its all about forgiving and forgetting.LET IT GO! and act mature about the situation.
No need to continue to hate him and make his life worse then it is.
Personally i love vick and everything about.he inspired me to play football.even though i played a different position he’s basically the reason i picked up a football and put down the basketball.
I SAY VICK SHOULD BE BACK IN THE NFL FOR THE SEASON 2009!
Why ya’ll trippin? Vick was not the player in Atlanta he is his now. All he wanted to do was be the star, and not a leader. He didn’t understand the concept of being a “team”. Ryan is where he should be. And besides, Tom Brady is better than both of them. HAHAHA!!