Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Great Black Hope:
I have never been more unqualified to do a review.
Quick synopsis:
The story of NFL quarterbacks Doug Williams, Vince Evans, and the controversy around Black quarterbacks.
Fact for Non-History People:
In 1968, 24 out of 32 cornerbacks were Black. However, the entire league was only 25% Black at the time.
Fact for History Nerds:
In 1977, there were only 5 games of over 300 passing yards by an offense. By 1980, there were 54.
My Take on The Great Black Hope:
I know what you are thinking.
You (very sarcastically): “Brendan, you are the perfect person to review a book about Black NFL quarterbacks. I’ve always wondered what a pasty, uncoordinated history nerd would think about a book on this topic.”
Me: “Ok, first of all, I played football in high school. The fact that I was one of the worst football players to ever exist is immaterial. I am a huge football fan and have loved the Giants since I was born (and even now when they SUCK). And I’m not pasty. I was at the beach recently so I would argue I am closer to a lighter shade of super white. And none of this has to do with book reviewing so back off, dude.”
Now that you and I are back on track, let’s talk about The Great Black Hope by Louis Moore. The basic gist is this. The NFL, for a very long time, did not think Black men could be quarterbacks for various racist reasons and actively made them switch to other positions on the field. I remember this controversy from when Rush Limbaugh (yes, that Rush Limbaugh) made comments on ESPN (because he WORKED there at one point) about this topic and had to immediately resign after. (Seriously, does everyone remember when ESPN hired him? The early 2000s were WILD!) Moore traces these issues back much further than that incident and what was most eye opening about the subject was the number of quotes Moore could pull from major newspapers for decades about this subject.
Moore makes the narrative an easy read from a prose perspective. He’s done some excellent research, and I think he definitely makes his arguments for the most part. There are certain sections where I felt he tried too hard to not make it the fault of certain players he was talking up. Football historians could probably have a field day arguing about the merits of all the Black quarterbacks listed in here, but most are well before my time.
The book is best when Moore focuses on his two main QBs which are Doug Williams and Vince Evans. This is almost a dual biography of the two and the narrative somewhat revolves around a game they played against each other. The game is not nearly as impactful to the overall narrative because there is still a good amount of story left after the game. It’s not a problem as the book is interesting throughout.
As for how impactful these two men had on the Black communities around them, I am completely unqualified to answer that question. All I know is that I’d kill to have Patrick Mahomes on my team, and I wouldn’t dare ask him to change positions.
(This book was provided as a review copy by PublicAffairs.)
Verdict:
A must for any football fan. Buy it here!
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