Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey fighting against white running back stereotype
Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey believes his race plays a part how the white athlete is perceived. And he’s not wrong.
Christian McCaffrey broke the FBS record for all-purpose yards in a season last year when he amassed 3,864 yards, topping the mark set by Barry Sanders with 3,250 yards during his Heisman-winning season at Oklahoma State. He ran for 2,019 yards, was the runner-up for the Heisman and had a record-breaking performance to lift his team to a win in the Rose Bowl.
Simply, he’s one of the best players in college football but he believes he’s being unfairly labeled and stereotyped because of the color of his skin.
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“When you read about white athletes these days and white skill possession receivers specifically, one word you’ll always find is tough,” McCaffrey told Sports Illustrated. “You’ll rarely see explosive, athletic, stuff like that. … You get a little bit upset: ‘I ran the same 40 as this guy, and you’re calling him … .’ People do the eye test and underestimate me, so I do play with a chip on my shoulder.”
McCaffrey is the closest thing in the college game since Reggie Bush was at USC torching defenses as a ball carrier, receiver and return man. McCaffrey is doing similar, if not better things than the former Heisman winner who was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.
Bush was labeled as a game-breaking talent and an electrifying playmaker with unrivaled speed.
McCaffrey is deceptively quick and a tough runner with great intangibles.
Notice the difference?
White running backs are a rare commodity and they face a similar stigma to white cornerbacks and white wide receivers face. It’s something his dad, Ed who was one of John Elway‘s top targets for the Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos faced during his career and he saw it happen to his son.
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“There are immediate stereotypes about a white running back who grew up in the suburbs of Colorado,” the elder McCaffrey said. “When we’ve gone to camps or all-star games, he walks on the field and people look at him like he’s nothing.”
Stereotypes infiltrate daily society so why wouldn’t they creep into the world of sports?
It’s a sad reality but a reality that McCaffrey and so many other athletes face. No one is going to feel sorry for the white Stanford running back from a privileged family, though. African-American athletes have faced this stigma for as long as sports have existed.
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African-American quarterbacks were slighted because of overt racism, a belief they weren’t smart enough to read defenses, lead a team, be the face of the franchise and other ignorant beliefs.
Slowly those stereotypes faded as a proliferation of African-American quarterbacks found success in the NFL. Doug Williams helped change those narrow-minded views when he became the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
Then, guys like Warren Moon, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb were among the best of their generations and ushered in an era for Cam Newton and Jameis Winston to carry the torch into the next generation.
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Can McCaffrey do the same for the white running back?
I’m not going to bet against him. Not with his speed, vision, strength, agility, patience and work ethic. Those are the things NFL scouts need to evaluate when critiquing him, not the color of his skin.