Second of two parts
First-time author Dr. Gary F. Green provided advance copies of his new book, “Playing the Game,” to the three featured panelists at last week’s book launch and panel discussion at United Theological Seminary in St. Paul.
The book explores the longstanding myths and overused terms tagged on Black athletes. Each panelist as a result shared their thoughts on Green’s book during the one-hour event that Green moderated.
“You’re bringing us into this conversation and saying how we can have a critical lens of examination of the dehumanization and commodification of Black athletes,” said Dr. Lakisha R. Lockhart-Rusch, who appeared via Zoom. She teaches Christian education at Union Presbyterian Seminary, where she also is a womanist play facilitator.
At the start of the event, it was announced that Green has earned tenure as pastoral theology and social transformation associate professor at United.
Green briefly described for the audience his journey from being a Division I football player to now a professor: “When I was growing up, first of all, I wouldn’t think about nobody’s academic anything. I was an athlete and I existed in a world where athletes were just beasts.”
Both he and Minnesota Vikings fullback CJ Ham discussed how the term “beast” used to describe how good a player is, but it also can have negative ramifications on Black players whenever used. Both said that perhaps the term should be permanently retired.
“I think the term ‘beast’ truly just undermines what we do as athletes and undermines our brilliance,” said Ham, a starter with the Vikings since 2017 and a 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee. “We’re talking about the hours spent in the gym, doing film study, just training our bodies to be able to react and perform in an extraordinary way.”
Ham also pointed out how too often Black and white athletes are selectively described by media, fans and others — the former has God-given skills, but the latter is smart and works hard to be the player they became. He asked why it can’t be both.
Lockhart-Ruschthen told the audience that “Playing the Game” “definitely expands the conversations as we think about play.”
On Green’s book, “For me, being Black and queer is kind of a triple consequence,” said United student Tamice Spencer-Helms, who also is a school admissions counselor. “So it would be too Black in white spaces but too gay in Black spaces, and so really feeling that there was not a path for me.”
She said the book opened her eyes, especially in reaffirming how society labels are hurtful and lasting.
“When you talk about the contrast between the way Black athletes and white athletes are talked about … if you listen to [former NFL star QB now commentator] Tom Brady talk about the game of football,” continued Green, “[he]will regularly talk about how the game is dumbed down, the quarterback [position] has become dumbed down.
“Tom Brady talks about … a game where you got more Black quarterbacks playing than ever in history,” the author pointed out. “Dual threat quarterbacks who can throw from the pocket but who can also move around when the pocket breaks down.
“Code switching is an example of that intelligence, and how this code switching [is something] that Black people often have to perform,” said Green. “One of the things that I see … is I see athletes as exemplars for human beings in general.”
“You just do it in such a brilliant way,” concluded Spencer-Helms of Green’s “Playing the Game.” “Thank you for doing it your way and making sure that it just reads clearly.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.