Sharpe: Brady Gets Away With Poor Sportsmanship Because He’s White

We expect athletes to act with maturity and class on and off the pitch, even when facing defeat. They are respected individuals. It is not often the case.

Just look at Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who during a regular-season matchup with the New Orleans Saints ran over to his opponents’ sideline and yelled profanity at a coach:

Tom Brady went to Saints’ sideline and spoke… Lol pic.twitter.com/Yym1JBoVLX

— ✯✯✯✯✯ (@FTB_Vids_YT) December 20, 2021

Now obviously this is wrong, and often Brady does not have to own up to his actions or get punished in the same way that less famous players might (he wasn’t fined for his actions and felt little remorse afterward). But Shannon Sharpe, co-host of Undisputed, thinks Brady gets a free pass when he displays poor sportsmanship because he is white.

“There’s a lot of things that he does that get written off as ‘that’s passion, that’s competitiveness.’ That’s bulljive!” Sharpe argued on Undisputed. “…There’s no possible way that a Black quarterback can do some of the things that Tom Brady did and get away with it.’

It’s likely true. Because there is no black QB who’s appeared in 10 Super Bowls in three different decades, won seven of them and was named MVP in five. A black player does not hold the records for starting at quarterback (363) or winning at quarterback (277). Nor is there a black QB with 96,969 career passing yards, or 707 career TD passes. These statistics are also not available for white players. Brady is unique and a great GOAT. If nobody else in the league has as long a behavioral leash as Tom Brady, it’s not simply because he is white. He’s royalty.

Athletes with large personalities who are able to influence their sport and have a lot of impact on it often get taken advantage of and hold them to different standards from the rest. It is not right, but this happens. This double standard is apparent regardless of skin color.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron Jam is a notorious example of poor sportsmanship. He yells at officials and criticizes league officials for making decisions intended to improve the league. James avoids responsibility due to his position within the NBA.

What’s the point? Is it possible to say with certainty that Brady is exempted from punishment because his skin colour? This is the obvious answer.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, people should be judged by their content and not their skin color. Lebron and Brady should both be subject to the same standards of behavior as the rest, but it is not fair that we assume they should be treated differently based on their skin colour. You should at least verify the stats.