In the article “Lunch Pails and Thugs: The Richard Sherman Saga, Sport Literature, and the Racial Discourse of American Sports”, found in Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature XXXI: 1& 2, Matthew S. Tettleton writes about the categories and stereotypes of black and white athletes based on outbursts in interviews and their play on the field. The topic of race it seems has always been brought up in pro sports in America, going back to 1947 when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the immediate aftermath of the 2014 NFC Championship Game, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman interview with Erin Andrews created headlines after he yelled into the camera and called out San Francisco 49er receiver Michael Crabtree. Sherman who in the interview called himself ‘the best corner in the game’ is not the first athlete, black or white to show arrogance. Boxer Muhammad Ali famously said he was the greatest of all time as did golfer Phil Mickelson but what was shocking in this case was the  level of intensity that Sherman displayed. It was something that I don’t think America had ever seen before in a post game interview. In the days following and the lead up to the Super Bowl, “the ensuing public reaction on Twitter was sadly predictable” (47)with the majority of the criticism being directed towards Sherman. There were some online who called Sherman- who is black- a thug.

Sherman’s very public outburst brought the topic of race and sports back to mainstream media. Race itself is a social construct and something America deals with. And when it comes to sports, there are different narratives and stereotypes associated with each athlete based their skin color and background. At times, according to Tettleton there is no escaping these stereotypes. For example “we hear about black players being categorized according to the traits that mark their blackness” (60) while there are stories of “white athletes lauded for their work ethic, intelligence, teamwork” (60) and this is something that has been brought up over time. However by writing and understanding about where every athlete comes from, it allows us to get a better understanding of where they come from and in response we learn about ourselves as well.