Views... Visions... Perspectives...

I just finished reading Howard Bloom’s 2010 book, The Genuis of the Beast: A Radical Revision of Capitalism. I’ve spent the last year studying businesses and management, to figure out how these potentially ‘soul-less’ machines can serve humanity in a prophetic way. 

Howard Bloom pulled concepts from history, social science, biology, philosophy, economics and business to re-imagine a capitalist system that honours humanity in a pure form. His message is clear and powerful. Below are my favourite quotes from the book, that can hopefully help you re-imagine capitalism the way it has for me.

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“We need to wake up capitalism to its mission.”

“If you crusade for the people that you serve, if you find their feelings deep inside yourself, and if you let that self-discovery bring new parts of you to life... you can have a power that feels eerily like ‘the Force.’”

“A message more potent than words is a message too potent to kill.”

“It took the Beatles in the 1960s to set signers free so they could do something outrageous, write their own songs and sing them. Which means that when the Beatles sang, they sang with all their heart. They opened up something potent in themselves, something the emotional selves in us responded to.”

“serving others is the real purpose of the deadened institutions... if you serve others with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your intellect, you may be loathed, you may be hated and you may be mocked, harassed and handed, but you will succeed.”

“Our material goods elevate our dreams... Our dreams can carve out new realities.”

“the future of the human race is hidden in our fantasies.”

[On ‘meaning’]: “the sense that your group can achieve great things... and by dedicating yourself to the group’s goals, you will uplift your group’s standing.”

“nature rewards those who oppose her most.”

“if you believe in something, that you feel could upgrade the quality of lives, and you fail to sell it, you’re robbing humanity.”

“exercise the animals of the brain. But by all means keep them chained.”

“If you want to make money and earn it, too, if you want to contribute to humanity, dream your ass off, sell your visions, than make your fantasies come true. You will radically upgrade the dreams of those who come after you.”

“You have to realize a bottom line - no matter what business you’re in, you’re in the business of nurturing souls. Even if you sell toilet paper, imagine a world without toilet tissue and you’ll realize that you’re in the business of giving new powers to your fellow human beings.”

“Marx left a hideous legacy... he promoted the notion that capitalists are vampires driven by greed. Meanwhile, no one produced a countercreed. No one - not even Adam Smith - told capitalists the obligations of their state - to uplift, console, empower, and delight. To give identity and validate. To elevate their fellow human beings. No one told capitalists that profits come from prophetic leadership. No one told them their task is messianic.”

“To earn your daily keep, you must feed the need of others. That is the moral imperative of capitalism.”

“We buy commodities, practical things that fill our basic needs. And we buy emotion: we buy passion, uplift, consolation, validation, new powers, and identity. We hunger to buy meaning, but that is in short supply.”

“This is the end of the age of objectivity... This is the age that will finally couple reason to our passions... If we’re to go to the next level in business, in the economy, in society, and in our personal lives, this will be the age of immersion in the feelings of those you serve.”

“For business, this is the age that asks of you what only artists and saints have formerly been required to achieve... This is the age of empathy. This is the age of epiphanies and vision... This is the age of goals and purpose. This is the age of identity. And if we all work hard enough, this will be a turning point for Western Civilization. This will be an age when a capitalism of the soul finally makes its imperatives explicit.”

Who Are You?

That’s the title of a reading I was given back in September on my first day of class. Who are you? A bold question. I’m sure for many, that question would be uncomfortable or intimidating, but it wasn’t for me. Because I’d already answered it before.

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Since I was 15, my friends and I have created music together. We’re a ‘band’, but the ‘band’ has always meant more to us than being ‘a band’. It’s an outlet, a forum, a dialogue for us as people. When we started playing music, it would’ve been easy to pay a local-studio to record us playing worse versions of our favourite songs, but that never seemed appealing. In our lives, we were all set up with opportunities and possibilities for our future; although, school, sports or work never fully felt like a real platform. Instead, it was our basement, stacked with instruments, amps and microphones that gave us what we needed: a blank canvas. A place to get to know ourselves. Without limits. Uncompromising. 

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In my reading, Who Are You?, the author, Derick Jensen, suggests everyone is searching for their story; learning how to fill the gap between birth and death. While it seems like the default is to look for happiness in pleasures and for satisfaction in 'upward mobility', Jensen proposes that we’re meant for something quite different:

“…service to something greater than [ourselves] is far more likely to lead to a joyful and satisfying life.. [and] it all starts with the question: What’s the biggest and most important problem I can solve with my gifts and skills”

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Our work as WindfallFound has served us as a way to explore our story; to both understand it and communicate it. When looking at the blank canvas, we were forced to ask, 'Who Are We?'. The process of writing songs, crafting recordings, playing concerts... it was all a dialogue for answering that question. And through it all, we've gotten to know ourselves. We've started to know ‘the biggest and most important problem’ that we can solve, so that each of us can move towards that 'joyful and satisfying life'. This is likely the first of a few reflective posts about the band, so I'll wait to elaborate on what that looks like. For now, I only want to establish one thing: Our goal for WindfallFound has always been to establish who we are; it's been a process of realizing ourselves and where we fit in the world. And by answering that bold question, hopefully whatever we send out to the world can help others answer it too.

"Happiness is not a situation to be longed for, or a convergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we can help ourselves"

Let’s start from the ground - take away all the ‘industry assumptions’ and see what this should look like.

Music seems to be at its most ‘democratic’ stage. Within seconds, I can go on YouTube and access every song that has ever been created, without any cost to myself. I am no longer limited to what the radio plays for me or what record companies sell to me. Barriers have been lowered and the control has shifted. Music fans are more powerful than they have ever been.

The assumption in this power-shift, is that artists and record companies have become losers. But intuitively, you’d think that more music in fan ears would mean success for artists. As you listen to the industry wonder, ‘how do we get people to pay for music again?’, you have to think they’re asking the wrong question. If you start from the first principles, you’d assume that fans experiencing music is the top priority of a music industry. Maybe the internet has threatened the model created for The Beatles a half-century ago, but it seems that the industry’s tears have blinded them to the new opportunities of this ‘democratic’ age. If people like Jay-Z (and his Tidal-crew) really cared about ‘changing music’, they would look at what is truly best for music. Finding new ways to pry money from fans doesn’t seem to be the solution. A healthy system would be able to create a win-win, where there’s value provided to both fans and artists.

The irony of the ‘suffering-industry’ conversation is that the solution already exists. Leading the true industry revolution are artists who have rejected the traditional model and happily given power to their fans. At the forefront are indie-rap icons like Tyler, the Creator, Joey Bada$$ and Chance the Rapper, who have demonstrated how music can work in the internet-age. Traditionally, record companies had all the control, taking music to fans and selling it at the point of access. Audiences won’t stand for that anymore, and no amount of Tidal-propaganda will convince people to pay for something they can get for free. This shift in power demands a shift in marketing strategy, as the old-school ‘push’ can’t work if people aren’t willing to pay. These millennial rappers, by giving their music away for free, have soundly navigated the realities of the new industry and created a ‘pull’ that gets audiences coming to them. Free music pulls fans  into the world of the artist, engaging and connecting them with the music, at which point they are willing to spend money (on merchandise, concert tickets, etc.). The ‘pull’ seems to be the win-win. Fans get the free access they want and are able to experience music without barriers. For artists, its the best opportunity for their music to be heard, with the engagement they create eventually becoming profitable.

Not convinced it would work? Like I said, it already exists. A quick example: Tyler, the Creator released his critically-acclaimed album Bastard for free online. After being downloaded over 500,000 times (equivalent to a Gold Album), his music connected with audiences and built him a cult-like fan following. While earning nothing off Bastad directly, he’s since built a multi-million dollar fortune off of tours, subsequent music and merchandise. [Watch the video to see it happen]:

adidas Originals x Kanye West. The official description announces it simply as, “the world’s first ‘solutions-based’ clothing line”. While his critics may interpret a Kanye-designed shoe as another egotistical venture for the bold (and often reckless) celebrity, West explained the line as being “bigger than who I am” during his release show last month. Kanye’s vision for the adidas collaboration represents another fearless challenging of the status quo, equal to that which awarded him success and critical acclaim as a musician. But now, he has a new stage: sportswear.

Specifically, sneakers. The Feb. 21 international-release of the adidas Yeezy Boost serves as Kanye’s most recent venture into shoe design, but these Yeezys have new meaning. The line is confronting an ambitious challenge, as West aims to create meaningful social change by combating the alleged damaging nature of the current shoe industry.  

Kanye’s influence has shook up sportswear before, as a past collaboration with Nike inspired a shift in the commercial approach to selling basketball shoes. After their 2009 arrival, the Nike Air Yeezys instantly became a trophy of urban culture, but they retailed for $215 (incredibly high for the time) and only a limited number were produced. The exclusive nature of the shoes created intense demand, as the Air Yeezys sold-out quickly and resold for over $1,000. A business success for Nike, they have since continued to recycle this model for the sale of basketball shoes, as Retro Air Jordans and other desired shoes are sold for over $200 in extremely limited quantities.

In his Feb. 26 interview with the BBC’s Zane Lowe, Kanye pointed out the broader problem with this high-priced, limited release strategy. He explains that these ‘exclusive’ products encourage social separation, feeding America’s currently destructive issues of wealth inequality and classism. Its easy to find stories of murder over Jordan or Yeezy shoes, as these tokens of culture seemingly cause more social dismemberment than empowerment. In addressing the issue, West stated, “exclusivity is the new N-word… Nothing should be exclusive. Everyone should have an opportunity to drink from the same fountain”.  

As a harsh-commentary on the sportswear industry, Kanye said, “there are so many things that are meant to wear the people, instead of the people wearing it”. His perspective is grounded in a belief that culture becomes ‘a part’ of a person. Through a shoe, a sports team, a song, or other artifacts of culture, people are provided a resource for individual identification and self-expression. This is obvious, for example, every time you hear a sports fan refer to their favourite team not as ‘them’, but as ‘we’. In that way, culture is who you are. To express this, anyone can listen to a Kanye West album (nearly all CDs are priced the same), and anyone can cheer for their favourite team on TV. But with shoes, product exclusivity and extreme price-points allow access to only a slice of the population. This system is encouraging separation for the sake of profit, rather than empowering people through culture. Kanye’s vision is to level these barriers, and create common ground through a product desired, and accessible, by all.

... Life is much more than running in the streets. 

I've been applying to graduate schools that require a 'Statement of Intent'. In that I have to explain 'What I Want To Do'. Here's some of what I said:

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When I look out into the world, what do I see? Science encourages us to look at the world in front of us as if we’ve never seen it before, and little over a year ago, I stared and asked myself the most important question: ‘so what?’.  Our modernized system has resolved the primary question of survival, but now, are we satisfied with maintaining our existence, or could there be another evolutionary step that can move our world forward? Societies need people willing to reach upward, as artists, creatives and critical thinkers are challenged to leap above the status quo and ensure existence does not compromise progression. I am inspired to be a contributor. I will strive to develop my knowledge and perspective to ready myself for pursuing the meaningful progression human evolution requires.

    Why is knowing ‘the meaning of life’ the most complicated idea in existence? Shouldn’t it be simple… I don’t assume any other creature on this planet struggles with their ‘meaning of life’. We are born into the mould of a person programmed to live, but just saying our purpose is ‘to live’ seems too simple to capture the essence of our being. But to that simplicity I say, why not?

    A friend once told me that when he’s struggling with ideas, he’ll think of our world as if people were just lions in the wild. At first, that seems like the silliest and least insightful approach to any type of idea or decision, but there’s an underlying genius here. While there are obvious differences between us and lions, a basic understanding of our brain structure shows inherent similarities. Through evolution, humans developed intelligence and reason that other animals don’t have, but the instinctual and emotional structures that make-up a lion’s brain remain untouched within us. Our neocortex (i.e. logic, abstractions, language, perception) has merely been added and stacked on top of the simpler brain areas that exist in other mammals. Thus, hiding underneath all of our complex thoughts and ideas, is the mind of a lion.

    Obviously none (or few) of us act exclusively like lions, but our brain operates in a way which makes this simple, instinctual mind the core of what we do and who we are. The basic, lower parts of our brain (emotion, aggression, motivation) have strong communication with the cortex and logic center, so that when our animalistic brain says we’re hungry, our logic brain can identify that we need to cook dinner. But, our logic centre has next to no ability to communicate to the lower, animalistic parts of our brain (think, you can never make yourself dinner and then just tell yourself to be hungry). So, if you picture your brain as two characters, a lion screaming and that wimpy friend everyone has who is way too logical, our brain process is the lion constantly screaming at your wimpy friend and essentially telling that wimp what to do.

    Now, that lion can’t just maul the wimpy friend if they disagree; we are people, since we’ve evolved to use our logic as an advantage in balancing our lives. Although, problems are beginning now that we’re relying on our upper-brains more than ever (picture a team of a hundred wimps who can now stand-up to the lion). The best example of this is stress, where people’s bodies prepare for death as they worry about life demands that don’t even exist yet (i.e. ‘their future’ or ‘that exam next week’). These imagined stressors are constructed by over-complexities in the logical brain, and our bodily reaction to them causes heart problems, diabetes, depression and other disorders. Our society, which demands that people concern themselves with ‘their future’, or ‘that exam next week’, puts everything on our logical brain, and in a sense, denies our nature as beings whose emotions and instincts are ultimately the catalysts for who we are.

    This is where the ‘meaning of life’ becomes so ambiguous. If asked, your wimpy friend would probably give you a long-winded lecture, speaking to love, achievement, success, and countless other ‘buzz-words’ which can logically rationalize our being. If the lion could speak, it would probably answer no more than, ‘to live’. Inside that idea ‘to live’, is packed all those emotions, instincts and desires that your wimpy friend tried to describe, but consider that language exists only in the upper-brain, so any word he’s using is just our logic trying its best to define those animalistic ideas from our lower-brain. So it’s this crossing point where we struggle; the ‘meaning of life’ isn’t at all a foreign language, since its programmed inside of us. Although, the definition is essentially foreign to us, since the words for it are from a geographically different place within us.

Throughout my most recent involvements in football, I’ve been bothered by the obvious, but inherent issues within the playing of the sport. I thought the solution was clear, but any change was outside of my reach and beyond my level of influence. Although, it is this position that made Sunday night’s Superbowl so much more significant than the blow-out most people were dissatisfied by. To me, the Seahawks didn’t just beat down the Broncos, but more importantly, they used the Superbowl’s stage to teach every follower of football how the game should and will be played. 

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During football's evolution, it seems that tackling as a defender became more tied to the weapon-like use of helmets and shoulder pads than the unpadded technique that remained from the game's rugby roots. I didn't live through this era, but it is my assumption that Football’s speed and physicality was taken to new heights by progress with padded equipment. Defenders were able to overlook technique thanks to their hard-shell helmets and shoulder pads; losing care for the safety of themselves or others, as attacking in padding allowed them to use their bodies like legged wrecking balls rather than skilled athletes. 

The game evolved to a point where acts of clear intent to injure were not only acceptable, but celebrated. The now prevalent ‘helmet-to-helmet hit’ seems to be a symptom of this; I’ve personally seen it throughout the levels of football (ex. a coach tells me something along the lines of: ’put on that helmet, and smash someone with it’). Tackling with skill apparently became irrelevant if you were able to lay you opponent on their back with them feeling more pain than yourself. 

Only recently have the consequences of this twisted sport culture begun to reveal themselves. The susceptibility of football players to serious head trauma, knee injuries and other lasting damage has brought about a collective ‘step-back’ by players, parents and other of the sport’s essential stakeholders. It seemed football, while still beloved, wasn't sustainable in its current form. I believed the sport was in need of a revolution; to have someone show that football can stay true to its essence, but incorporate finesse (for the sake of safety) into the sport’s speed and physicality. 

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For the past few years, football has been changing, but on the opposite side of the ball. The up-tempo, spread offence is the latest innovative trend in a league known for its ‘copy-cat’ nature. Defences have fallen behind, as adapting to new rules (introduced to reduce hits to the head and injuries for offensive players) magnified their difficulty stopping the quickness and skill of offences. Nobody epitomized the offensive renaissance more than Peyton Manning, who championed this style of football en route to becoming one of the NFL’s most successful and celebrated players. In this 2014 season, he seemed to truly master what had become known as ‘the new NFL’, as his team’s used skill to exploit the defensive finesse that was apparently absent. But...

...enter the Seattle Seahawks, as Pete Carroll’s team proved that football can be played differently. The Seahawks demonstrated the focus to detailed and sound tackling that had been missing, along with other defensive techniques that allowed for aggressiveness and dynamic play without the uncontrolled danger. In all three levels of their defence, the Seahawks play with finesse, which can be best emphasized by the lack of diving or dropping of their heads while tackling. During the Superbowl, they jammed, shed, pressed and tackled with equal or greater power than any other defence in football, but what was truly different, was that it was done with skill. 

I'm trying something new. One of my most inspirational high-school teachers said the greatest question in the world is "so what?". I like to ask that of a lot of things, but I'm going to start off with an album (particularly, one most people haven't given any critical thought to).  

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At a surface level, The Heist may seem like any other pop-rap album, made up of stale beats and clunky rhymes. Although, to look deeper into the album, its clear that the actual sounds  of the songs are only a piece of the appeal. People tend to believe they enjoy music becomes they ‘like the beat’, or it ‘sounds cool’. Although, with music like the Heist, it appears something else is at play. 

As a student of sport studies and lover of music, its long been apparent that the ideas and philosophies of a culture tend to express themselves through different ‘structures’. People may not play a basketball game, write a song, script a movie or choose an outfit consciously because of their culture’s ideology. Although, these people-driven structures are outlets for a person to show how they feel and what they believe; which for the majority of people, is some-what similar to others within their culture. So when a rapper writes a song, in a way they are merely a messenger of their people’s greater ideas. That is, the music is merely an outcome of the emotion and energy of a culture, to which everybody within can be apart of and can connect with. 

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ album is a perfect example of this for me, as I am drawn into the concept of their artistry, in spite of the actual musical element. While I’m a fan of rap, the surface level of the Heist doesn’t really appeal to me; I have other music to listen to that ‘sounds’ a lot better. However, that hasn’t stopped me from connecting with their music. I’ve really enjoyed listening to Macklemore discuss an idea, one I have personally been exploring recently.

As I’ve written about before, the mindless numb that has infected much of the first world is an issue that is not often discussed, but is hurting people (including myself) in our ability to become our best selves. His open discussions of substance addiction have made Macklemore an unofficial spokesperson for re-awakening and individual redemption, as he openly shares the suppressing effect drugs, commercialism, media and materialism have on our human potential. 

Macklemore is able to holistically capture this concept within the first three songs of the album (based on my interpretations). ‘Ten Thousand Hours’ is a statement of how after being brought down by addiction, he will rise up and work to create something that is authentically him. ‘Can’t Hold Us’ while seemingly a goofy club-track, serves as an anthem for Macklemore’s empowerment of people. The song asks, ‘if we can liberate ourselves, what can we become?’ And with ‘Thrift Shop’, Macklemore provides one mere hypothetical answer to this question; suggesting we break away from the value we put on clothing and instead, embrace what we think is cool, fun and authentic. If we liberate our style from the ideals of other people, media or corporations, it will serve as one way to relieve our numbness.

Throughout the rest of the album, Macklemore explores some of the different structures in his life that have suppressed him. Concepts include love (‘Thin Line’), equality (‘Same Love’), religion (‘Neon Cathedral’), materialism (‘Wing$’) and media (‘Jimmy Iovine’). In the last few songs, Macklemore suggests that we attempt to rebuild; using his liberation from addiction as an example of how we are able to change and empower ourselves. 

I view this type of message from an album as a cry from our greater culture. These problems are obviously alive but somehow lying under our awareness, and it takes particular people to bring them forward. One of the most telling lyrics of this is in ‘Starting Over’, when Macklemore claims, “God wrote ‘Otherside’, the pen was in my hand”. While referencing the previously released rap-song-description of his addiction problems and redemption, Macklemore implies that a greater force was the creator of the message. With his religious issues (i.e. ‘Neon Cathedral’), maybe the the traditional ‘God’ isn’t being referenced, but instead an energy  brought forth by people; Macklemore is merely penning lyrics written by the greater culture. 

“Yesterday’s history. Tomorrow’s a mystery. Today is a gift and that is why its called the present”.

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While it is sometimes best to explain things through science and theory, I think there is value to not knowing how things in the world work. Not accepting an idea, perspective or behaviour because its ‘logical’ or someone in a lab coat says its right, but believing simply because it makes sense to you. 

Practicing Yoga represents that to me. The teaching of ancient philosophies and utilization of energies within the body are neither logical or scientific. Although for myself and the others who have seriously practiced Yoga, both undoubtably make sense. Last week I realized something about myself which is so intangible that it would be hard to explain through any type of theory. However, looking past those lenses to consider what merely ‘makes sense’, I was able to come to a realization; an intangible idea that Yoga has been teaching people for thousands of years in this same irrational way.  

“Presence”. 

Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed more moments than ever where I lose any type of worldly focus. I find myself constantly losing myself in music, as headphones compliment my long walks to class, as well as time spent at the gym, studying and eating. I also often end up swimming in deep thoughts about my life, the people around me and the greater world, which are undoubtably provoked from all the new ideas and experiences I’ve been exposed to while studying abroad. These moments are positive in proportion, but too many of late has left me as stressed and anxious as ever; numb from my lack of focus and enjoyment towards what is happening right now. 

(Discretion with this clip is advised if you are sensitive to strange injuries or don’t want to watch Brad Pitt be awesome) 

“This is the greatest moment of your life, and you’re off somewhere missing it”. 

Fight Club is largely a story of numbness; people consumed by media and materials who use fighting to come back into contact with reality. That is, their present. In a similar way, yoga poses and stretches are used to creates bodily stress, in order to force your mind back into the present. Yoga acknowledges that there will be positive and negative moments in our lives. However, to truly experience our lives, we need accept the present moment, whether it be full of pain or pleasure. 

What I’ve been looking for over the last few days is a playbook of strategies which will help me to stay present and make the most of the current moment. Like implied by both Yoga and Fight Club, I think that the key to bringing your mind into the present is to utilize the tangible thing you can most often control; your body. In the same way ‘totems’ help Inception characters find their reality, doing pushups, playing basketball or going for runs have helped in the discovery of mine. What I’ve found is that the presence encouraged by physical activity, without any additional distractions from music or TV, is able to ripple throughout my day. Being able to live in that distinct moment liberates the mind to live in the moments that will inevitably follow. 

To preface this post, I want to acknowledge that this is not my idea. I believe I just found an interesting and accessible way to express and explain it. 

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During a football game last week, there was an interesting situation where the Minnesota Vikings had to choose between two quarterbacks. While the choice seemed like an ordinary football decision, I saw it as representative of the state of the Quarterback in today’s football. The decision to play Josh Freeman, a physically talented, but streaky thrower, over Christian Ponder, the incumbent starter, showed a lack of complacency by the Vikings and a willingness to risk high cost for the potential of high benefit. I believe this demonstrates a way in which football minds have become more advanced in the way they handle the talents of people; an approach if applied to other parts of society, could help our ability to grow and progress as people. 

I’ll first address college football though, and what seems like a non-stop flow of talented Quarterbacks. With players including Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel and Tajh Boyd likely entering the NFL, what will happen to the Quarterback position to which there are only 32 jobs available? With an already loaded talent pool, how will there be room for the talent continuously flowing into the NFL?

It seems that the state of Quarterbacks will be effected in the same Darwin-ian manner that causes creatures to evolve over time. There will be a progression, where the standards for what was average become insufficient, and the standard for what exceeded expectations previously becomes average. That is, what was considered a starting Quarterback in past years of football will no longer be acceptable. In this way, the expectations for Quarterback play will evolve; a progression of talent where overall ability will continue to grow, and the bell-curve of Quarterback talent will be pushed forward. 

What is interesting about this, is that in this way football contrasts much of science, which is most often focused on what is average. As described by Shawn Achor in an amazing TED Talk, education is tailored to benefit the average student. If a child ever scores below the average on a reading or writing test, schools attempt to raise them to the average and make them ‘normal’ again. Opposite of this, if a child is above the average, there isn’t a system in place to foster their ability, and they are forced to fit into the boxes of what is best for the average student. What Achor suggests, is that if we study and foster what is average, the bell-curve of ability will remain still, because there won’t be a system to make anyone more or less than what is average. 

If however, we hope to continue to evolve and grow as people and a society, we need to focus on improving this ‘average’. Football has found away to do this, as the sport system in place is able to properly utilize those who are above the average. For example, what if the exceptional talent of Johnny Manziel (as obvious in the video below), was told to play in an average offensive system, like a Pro-Style Running Offense? Manziel’s above-average talent would have been boxed into the expectations of an ‘average’ Quarterback, and Manziel likely would not have succeeded to the same extent; he would have likely stayed average. Instead, football minds have been able to use creativity and study how to best utilize the talent of these positive outliers, which has progressed the overall ability of Quarterbacks within football. 

The result in the NFL is that the expectations of the average Quarterback are improved. Potentially in the past, Christian Ponder would have been a successful Quarterback. Although with the exceptional talent either in or entering the league, the expectations for players are higher than ever; an indicator that  the bell-curve of Quarterback ability has been pushed forward.

Before you read this and potentially judge my opinions, consider that they are 'my opinions'. I am far from educated on this topic, however I am hoping to share an insight that struck me as interesting, and I hope it makes you think a bit more about this issue, and similar topics. Lets get into it.

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Studying at a school outside of Canada, and living significantly closer to the southern United States, Ive begun thinking a lot about diversity and race. A class of mine this semester focuses on diversity, and has liberated my thinking about race's affect on society and how its influence can be expressed through culture's various tangible components, such as sport.  

This has led me to take notice of two interesting events that have occurred in the world of football over the last week. I’ve thought a lot about their sporting significance, but also what these stories represent in the greater environment of racism and prejudice in America.

Both these stories focus on Quarterbacks, the most visible position in football, and the changing influence of race on the perceptions of athletes by coaches, fans and media. With lots of talk about Terrelle Pryor being named starter of the Oakland Raiders, and Tajh Boyd leading Clemson to a prime time victory, thrusting himself into becoming a Heisman Trophy favourite, there has been surprisingly little discussion about their racial status as African Americans. The stereotype of athletic, but unintelligent and unsuccessful 'Black-Quarterbacks', which followed players such as Michael Vick and JaMarcus Russell, seems to have faded. This not only represents a change in conventional thinking of professional football's decision makers, but also a change in our overall social ideology. 

From my perspective, this culture shift in football, sport, and greater society, has been driven by the Washington Redskins' celebrated, colored quarterback, Robert Griffin III.  

RG3 (Griffin III's iconic nickname) has quickly changed the landscape of Quarterbacking, taking the NCAA and NFL by storm with his unworldly combination of speed and athleticism, but also intelligence and throwing ability; assets not traditionally seen or associated with ‘Black-Quarterbacks’. Nobody can question RG3's ability to play Quarterback as effectively as a man of any race, and he has been acknowledged for his ability receiving both the Heisman Trophy and the NFL Rookie of the Year award. 

What Griffin III represents however is much larger then his extensive individual accomplishments on the football field. His ability to blaze the trail for African American Quarterbacks and overcome racial prejudice will likely resonate throughout the greater social ideology of North America, even if it can never be measured or operationalized.  

In football, he has created a new standard for Quarterback play, greatening the need for a player to have the athleticism to test defences by running the ball, but also have the intelligence and throwing ability to beat them through the passing game. In society, he has demonstrated that an African American can be a leader and intellect. I am unaware of outside research or academic dialogues considering this type of diversity, but in a sport context, RG3‘s counter to conventional football thinking is groundbreaking.

In football culture, having a Black-Quarterback is no longer a situation to be nervous or resistant towards, but an asset that is celebrated and desired. This is best demonstrated through the accomplishments of Pryor and Boyd, who likely either directly or indirectly have been prejudiced on their way to becoming successful Quarterbacks. However, the change of ideology in football has helped these able individuals be provided with the opportunities they deserve. This ideological change is no doubt a consequence of what RG3 has proven as a ‘Black-Quarterback’ and his ability to begin evolving the way football’s conventional wisdom views racial diversity in leadership and intellectual positions.

When considering society, it will be impossible to know how many 'every-day' Terelle Pryors and Tajh Boyds will be given opportunities for leadership or intellectual positions because of what RG3's accomplishments have taught us about the true ability of minority individuals. However, if people can view what Griffin III can do on a football field as an African American, implicitly attitudes may begin to shift, spreading throughout other industries and social institutions. 

Repeatedly in my diversity class individuals claim racism and prejudice will never leave our society. However, if what Griffin III has done in football can resonate within that community, it is certain that his accomplishments, or that of similar individuals in other institutions, can have the same impact within the greater community. 

You often see RG3 posters spoofing Obama's 'Hope' campaign, but when studying diversity, what Griffin III has accomplished as a 'Black-Quarterback' really does give me hope that one day we can overcome racial prejudice.  

Originally posted: September 6th, 2013, at

Positive Psychology.