Men's board

[SoonerNorm]

I heard many fans say they were excited when Blake and Capel were hired. After disappointing multiple seasons they were equally glad to see them leave. How can a person who likes a black coach when they are hired suddenly become a racist when they don't produce and get fired? I don't believe anyone on this board thinks Sherri should be fired but there are some who are disappointed in recruiting and some of her decisions this year. I suspect Sherri would agree with that.

I can also assure you there were plenty of Sooner fans very disappointed in Stoops following the UT and Baylor games. Not because he's white but because they didn't like the play calling. If Bob had do-overs I seriously doubt he would repeat the same gameplans in either game. I also doubt Sherri would approach some of the games she's lost the same way.

We all want her to finish strong...white, black, man, women, it doesn't matter. What does matter is winning at a high level and doing it the right way.

 

[sybarite]

You may well be excited upon the hiring of a black coach and still be somewhat racist. The thing that makes it appear as racist is that Blake and Capel became the poster children for all that was bad. With most coaches, you move past it. There are people who just spit venom when they speak of Blake or Capel, and, to some extent, Sampson.

It reminds me of a very close friend of many years who happens to be a very uneducated black man from East Texas, now living in Cedar Hill. He is a very close friend, and he knows it. We have shared problems and solutions. We have eaten at each other's homes on holidays. We are the first that we turn to in crisis. Yet, he admits that he still, based on a lifetime of sixty years of dealing with whites, believes that there might come a situation and a time that I would get angry and call him a N------. Racism is a lot more firmly embedded into our community than we want to admit, as is sexism. There are many times that I see a post and question if the author of the post realizes how racist or sexist that post appears.

For some reason, it seems necessary to make Capel and Blake more evil than just saying they were ineffective as coaches. Why is that?

 

[SoonerNorm]

I have black friends who have complained about Stoops. Never once have I thought they must be racist. Two of them also complained about Blake. It still never occurred to me they might be racist. Some people bring up racism even when it doesn't exist.

 

[sybarite]

But, quite often, it does. Growing up in a small all-white community, I didn't know that anyone was racist. When you see what people say and do, yeah. It exists.

 

[gosooner2]

But, quite often, it does. Growing up in a small all-white community, I didn't know that anyone was racist. When you see what people say and do, yeah. It exists.

Sure it exists. However in the case of Blake and Capel they were just really bad coaches. The only football coach even close to being as bad as Blake was "Smellsofbourbon"oh wait he was white!Blake drove the program off a cliff and had he stayed longer "knowing what we know now" we would probably have gotten the death penalty. Capel may learn to be good although most Dukies do not make great coaches doesn't matter what color they are. Why are we even talking about this and what ever happen to Courtney Walker! She is gone lets get on with life. Watch what happens this year, if things do not improve and next year is a repeat then is the time to get nervous.

 

[sybarite]

The venom that I see posted about Blake and Capel are more than just that they were bad coaches. It is more like they have become a symbol for hatred. It isn't just a dissatisfaction with their coaching ability. It reflects on their character, as though they intended to destroy OU. Some of it could be just that they were a disappointment. Some is far beyond that.

 

[SoonerNorm]

If blacks complain about Stoops or Sherri would you assume they are racists too?

 

[sybarite]

If blacks complain about Stoops or Sherri would you assume they are racists too?

Possibly. There are blacks who are racists. Actually, racism and sexism is so embedded, along with other attitudes that tend to discriminate against other groups, that it is difficult for us to recognize them ourselves. I think we all have some element of racism (or other ism) within us. We have to learn not to let it affect us, just as we had to learn to be racist when we were taught (South Pacific, "you have to be carefully taught.").

When you are the one being discriminated against, you have a tendency to learn the signs more easily. African-Americans are more aware of anti-African-American racism. They have grown up with it and know the code words. Hebrews are more aware of anti-semitic attitudes. When you watch it, you do learn the terms that people use. Some words do become identified with a specific group. And, yes, I have seen racism against whites, but it doesn't carry the same weight in this country because the power structure has always been white male.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

I grew up in a small town in SW Oklahoma.

Racism was pretty pronounced, but I saw more discrimination against Catholics than anybody -- led by Baptists.

 

[sybarite]

I grew up in a small town in SW Oklahoma.

Racism was pretty pronounced, but I saw more discrimination against Catholics than anybody -- led by Baptists.

Where are you from? I saw the same discrimination, but there were no African-Americans in town. There were only about five Catholics.

 

[gosooner2]

Where are you from? I saw the same discrimination, but there were no African-Americans in town. There were only about five Catholics.

I grew up in a small town in Northern Oklahoma and there the discrimination was against Native Americans and it was bad!

 

[badger]

If blacks complain about Stoops or Sherri would you assume they are racists too?

Totally. It's why we can't beat Baylor in either sports.

At this point, there's no other explanation to losing to Baylor in football. Unheard of in the early aughts, and now we can't stop.

THANKS OBAMA grrrrrrrrrrr