A new book by Jerome Bettis that won't be released until next month is the big topic in these parts, where the lives of most white people revolve year-round around their mostly black Steelers.
From the excerpts of the book publicized so far, Bettis does a lot of whining. He thinks Kordell Stewart was treated unfairly by Bill Cowher and the Steelers front office when in reality Stewartwas babied to a sickening degree because he was hyped early on as thefirst of the "new era" of super-athletic running black QBs that was supposed to quickly sweep over the NFL, a fanciful notion that Cowher did his best to fulfill.
Bettis complains that he himself was treated unfairly by the team, and by the fans on occasion, even though Bettis was treatedlike a king by the team and the community as a whole, far more than he deserved. One local sportscaster, Mark Madden, ripped on Bettis for years, calling him over-rated anda two-faced hypocrite who was totally unlike the public imagehe and the media carefully crafted for him. Now the drunk white fans are realizing he was right.
What strikes me, yet again, is the huge gulf between the perceptions of blacks and that of many whites, even some of the drunk white fans who otherwisenever have a clue. The entire run-up to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, and the Super Bowl itself, was centered around Jerome Bettis. He was honored and praised again and again.And in the gala coverage leading up to his retirement from the NFL following that season,the networks were fighting each other to employ him, ala the way they fought over Tiki Barber.
In short, no American could ask for better treatment than what Jerome Bettis received, yet he's still an ingrate filled with barely concealed racial resentment. Blacks demand that whites love them unconditionally, and when they do it's still not enough. It's never enough. But the ever-loyal and ever-duped white fansstand waiting and ready to worship the next black athlete presented to them as their idol by the media.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07234/811164-13.stmEdited by: Don Wassall
From the excerpts of the book publicized so far, Bettis does a lot of whining. He thinks Kordell Stewart was treated unfairly by Bill Cowher and the Steelers front office when in reality Stewartwas babied to a sickening degree because he was hyped early on as thefirst of the "new era" of super-athletic running black QBs that was supposed to quickly sweep over the NFL, a fanciful notion that Cowher did his best to fulfill.
Bettis complains that he himself was treated unfairly by the team, and by the fans on occasion, even though Bettis was treatedlike a king by the team and the community as a whole, far more than he deserved. One local sportscaster, Mark Madden, ripped on Bettis for years, calling him over-rated anda two-faced hypocrite who was totally unlike the public imagehe and the media carefully crafted for him. Now the drunk white fans are realizing he was right.
What strikes me, yet again, is the huge gulf between the perceptions of blacks and that of many whites, even some of the drunk white fans who otherwisenever have a clue. The entire run-up to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, and the Super Bowl itself, was centered around Jerome Bettis. He was honored and praised again and again.And in the gala coverage leading up to his retirement from the NFL following that season,the networks were fighting each other to employ him, ala the way they fought over Tiki Barber.
In short, no American could ask for better treatment than what Jerome Bettis received, yet he's still an ingrate filled with barely concealed racial resentment. Blacks demand that whites love them unconditionally, and when they do it's still not enough. It's never enough. But the ever-loyal and ever-duped white fansstand waiting and ready to worship the next black athlete presented to them as their idol by the media.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07234/811164-13.stmEdited by: Don Wassall
