How Many Starting NFL Quarterbacks Are Black?
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In response to a recent study, it was found that only about 1 in 10 starting NFL quarterbacks are black. This is a startling statistic, considering the amount of black athletes in the NFL. Some people believe that the reason for this discrepancy is because of the way that black athletes are stereotyped.
NFL History
black quarterbacks in the NFL. The league has made significant strides in recent years to promote diversity, but the numbers show that there is still a long way to go. In 2018, there were only six black starting quarterbacks in the NFL. That number dipped to five in 2019, but increased to seven in 2020. Though the numbers have fluctuated over the years, they have never been consistently high.
The first black NFL player
The first black player in the NFL was Jackie Robinson, who played one game for the Manchester Wolves in 1921. However, Robinson is best known for his outstanding career in Major League Baseball, where he became the first black player in 1947. The NFL’s color barrier wasn’t broken until 1946, when Kenny Washington of the Los Angeles Rams became the league’s first black player.
In the 70 years since Washington broke the color barrier, the number of black starting quarterbacks has slowly but steadily increased. Currently, there are six black starting quarterbacks in the NFL: Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals. That’s nearly 10% of all starting quarterbacks in the league!
The number of black NFL players increases
The number of black NFL players has increased steadily over the past few decades. In 1978, there were only six black quarterbacks in the league. By 1995, that number had increased to 21. And in 2016, there were 58 black quarterbacks in the NFL. That’s nearly 10 percent of all quarterbacks in the league.
NFL Today
In the National Football League (NFL), there have been only 22 black starting quarterbacks since the league was founded in 1920. That number increased to 28 in 2002, but then decreased to 20 in 2014. Today, the NFL has only two black starting quarterbacks: Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks.
The number of black starting quarterbacks
With the NFL season underway, there’s been a lot of talk about the lack of black starting quarterbacks. Only four out of 32 teams have black quarterbacks as their starters. That’s down from six last year.
Some people say the low number is a sign that the NFL is racist. But others say it’s just a coincidence. They point out that there are plenty of black backup quarterbacks and assistant coaches in the NFL.
So what do you think? Is the low number of black starting quarterbacks in the NFL a sign of racism? Or is it just a coincidence?
The number of black NFL players
The number of black players in the NFL has increased steadily since the 1970s. In 1971, there were only 13 black players in the league. By 1981, that number had increased to 62. In the 1992 season, there were 175 black players, comprising 20 percent of all NFL players. In 2001, an estimated 223 black players were in the NFL, comprising 28 percent of all NFL players. And as of 2013, an estimated 70 percent of NFL players are black.