Michael Vick Isn't Black or White, He's (Eagle) Green

Last week, ESPN the Magazine pondered what it would be like if Michael Vick were white. The article actually spent more time refuting that notion as ridiculous, because, well, it is ridiculous. Crazy Photoshops aside, Michael Vick is black.

But does it matter that he's black? Honestly, does it matter that Michael Vick is a black quarterback, or does it only matter that he's the starting quarterback for a Philadelphia Eagles team that many people are picking to go to the Super Bowl? To me, it doesn't matter. But I'm white, so maybe it's not supposed to matter to me. Being white, I'm not supposed to qualify Vick as a black quarterback. That would be, in a way, racist. Vick is just a quarterback, and the color of his skin shouldn't matter to me, a white person. It certainly shouldn't enter the conversation about him signing a six-year, $100 million deal three years removed from doing squat thrusts in a prison yard. But it just seems to keep coming up.

(To be fair, that prison yard line is complete poetic license. I don't know if the Leavenworth Penitentiary had an outside weight-lifting facility for Vick to use; I just thought is sounded good. I do know, thanks to Google Maps, Leavenworth has a football field, softball diamond, tennis court, multiple basketball courts, beach volleyball area and what looks like a dozen outdoor squash courts. And shuffleboard, presumably for those with a bit longer sentence than Vick had.)

The fact remains that to most Eagles fans, it doesn't matter that Vick is black, as long as he's good. Heck, at this point, it doesn't even matter that Vick in an ex-convict, just as long as the only thing he's trying to escape is an oncoming blitz. It's just…well…some in the national media still want to make Michael Vick into a story of race and redemption when it really doesn't have to be. It can just be about redemption.

The lede to ESPN.com's latest Vick story—by Jemele Hill, a fantastic writer for the Worldwide Leader whose work I respect immensely—references the previous article by Touré by qualifying the fact that a lot of African-Americans in this country, "innately believe that white people's actions -- whether they are failures or successes -- are perceived differently by the mainstream."

Would people look at Vick differently if he were white? Again, it's an impossible question to answer and unfair to pose. Yes, Vick's socioeconomic background (and lack of a father figure) may have had something to do with why he got into dogfighting in the first place. Yes, Michael Vick was in prison, and the perception is that prisons are full of black guys with tattoos. (Fun fact: according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the population of Federal prisons is 58.6 percent white and 37.9 percent black. Word is probably getting out about the squash courts.) I'm not trying to say that the over-arching story of Michael Vick's life should discount his race or ethnicity.

I'm saying it shouldn't matter now. 

Hill used Vick as a launching pad into a deeper conversation about Cam Newton being asked by Panthers owner Jerry Richardson to avoid getting tattoos and piercings. Hill asserts that, based on public perception of black men with tattoos and piercings leading a "thug" lifestyle, it might be smart for Newton to play along. It's just good business.

That may be true too. Actually, it is true. For the most part, it is smart to play the game. But, see, Hill brought up Allen Iverson, and that's where this whole notion of race spins its wheels for me.

Hill reminded us of the unfortunate and despicable situation in 2000 when NBA's HOOP Magazine airbrushed out Iverson’s tattoos for their cover (something, as a graphic designer for athletic teams in the past, I have been asked to do and refused every single time because of that specific situation). But Hill took it too far, using that ridiculous decision by an editor of the NBA's magazine (or, heck, David Stern himself) as anything close to resembling public sentiment. 

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"The same goes for appearance. The Denver Nuggets' Chris 'Birdman' Anderson, who is white, has so many tattoos that you can barely see his actual skin. And despite a troubled past that includes serious drug abuse, he's a fan favorite who is characterized as a free spirit. But that wasn't the way a lot of people felt about Allen Iverson, whose tattoos and diamond necklace were airbrushed out when he appeared in the NBA's publication, HOOP magazine, in 2000."

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Chris Anderson is a free spirit. So was Dennis Rodman. That's the better comparison. Anderson, like Rodman, is a cartoon character. Iverson is one of the most important figures in the history of the game of basketball. Yes, people around the country hated Iverson and it could have been because of his style. But not where I live. Not where Iverson played every game. I may not be black, but I am from Philadelphia (well, South Jersey, but go with me), and I can say without a doubt that Allen Iverson is one of the handful of most beloved athletes—public figures—in the history of this town. Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, Doctor J, Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Bobby Clarke, Charles Barkley, Brian Dawkins, Chase Utley and Allen Iverson. That's the list. (Note: not actually the list.)

People in Philadelphia love Allen Iverson because he was real. Yes, there are outliers who didn't like him or thought he was too rough around the edges or didn't pass the ball enough. But nobody ever questioned that Iverson wasn't real. Donovan McNabb suffered from constantly being compared throughout his career to someone as real as Iverson. The tattoos, the hair, the flamboyant crossovers and insane defensive work ethic…the voice that sounded like he smoked nine cigarettes in the hallway…it's who Iverson is. And we loved him for it.

That's the level that Vick can reach in Philadelphia. He may still be "that black guy who went to prison" in other parts of the country. He may still be "that guy who killed those dogs," but in Philadelphia, he can suddenly be something more.

Enrico Campitelli, the lead voice behind Philly's most popular sports blog, The 700 Level, said, "I think there's still a vocal minority who feel the need to comment negatively on anything at all related to Vick and when they see him get rewarded financially they freak out even more than usual. But most view Vick's turnaround as a positive. You can't change the past, and most people I know certainly don't condone it, but it's also really good to see a guy make the best of a second chance that he was lucky to get."

Andy Reid said the same thing on Tuesday. "This is a great story all the way through. This is really what America is all about—a second chance."

The Eagles didn't ask Vick to hide who he really is. And yes, of course Vick has been coached by a team of PR people. But you know what? He seems real. Michael Vick seems real, and the town of Philadelphia, by and large, has embraced him. Unlike the guy before him, and no matter what some in the media keep writing, it really doesn't matter to most people if Vick is black or white anymore. He's green now, for the rest of his career.