Sowell at his best. Insightful as always.
This is a football story with both political and legal implications.
It was fourth down in a National Football League game, and the punting team came onto the field. The other team went into their formation to defend against the punt. Then, somebody noticed the man set to kick the punt was black.
“Fake!” one of the defenders cried out. That cry immediately was echoed by others, and the defending team changed their formation, to guard against the kicker either running with the ball or throwing it. But in fact he punted.
Why did anyone think he was not going to punt the ball? Because chances are no one on that field had ever seen a black football player kick. As someone who has watched NFL games for half a century, I have never seen a black player either punt the ball, or kick a field goal or a point after touchdown.
I have seen hundreds of black players score touchdowns, but not one kick the point afterward. I have seen a black president of the United States before I have seen a black kicker in the NFL.
Politicians, the intelligentsia and even the Supreme Court of the United States have been saying for decades that statistical disparities between racial groups indicate discrimination. If so, then the racial disparities among kickers in professional football exceed that in virtually any other job anywhere.