A sports story
Date: 05.02.16.
Word Count: 311
The New Yorker is known for tackling social issues whilst applying journalistic principles to conversational pieces.
In this article Carvell Wallace discusses why there have only been six black punters in the history of the NFL. He explores the current hiring policy through the exploits of Oakland Raiders, African American, punter Marquette King.
The punter is part of the Special Teams section of a football team’s roster. They typically are only used when a team is facing a fourth down situation(their last chance to make 10 yards before the possession is turned over) and have to punt the ball down the other end of the field away from their goal line.
Marvell has raised a very interesting topic and one which transcends race and social status. The New Yorker is seen traditionally as a high-brow publication, yet Carvell uses very simple language. The topic of football is not something that you would associate with The New Yorker but the racial and human interest angle make it more than just a sports story.
It’s an interesting piece because at first you think it might be an indictment of the NFL for discriminating against black athlete’s when in fact Carvell argues the opposite. He explains how African-Americans traditionally don’t try out for these positions and that in fact the life of a punter is one of the least glamorous and financially unattractive to any athlete regardless of race.
However, the piece is not entirely full of praise for the NFL. Carvell does highlight the high cost of training camps for place kickers in the United States. This would surely be an obstacle to any aspiring kicker from a disadvantaged background.
He also points to the lack of jobs for these specialists, as there are only roughly 60 kickers in the whole league.
This makes King’s success all the more extraordinary.
