Yahoo Sports :Adrian Peterson : NFL is like "Modern day slavery"

[Koolblue13]

...and white people are upset by the AP's comment. I find that ironic.

black people don't own slavery

[#98QBKiller]

2. ATL is a troll and will argue any point if most people agree with it, so we should just stop responding.

He is a troll. I've seen his strategy before:

a) pop into a thread and say something borderline retarded

b) not show back up when people question what he said

[HailGreen28]

AP should have to spend an entire year working a normal job, or worse, SERVE IN THE ACTIVE ARMED FORCES. Maybe that would beat some of the stupid out of him.

[2cents]

I would ask to be called out of retirement just to be his Drill Sergeant....

[jnhay]

What was Peterson's clarification? I hate how people rush to judge others and don't try to understand what the person is getting at. Heath Evans said the comments were "moronic at best."

Well, if you want to assume Peterson is talking about how slaves were whipped, torn from their families and made to work without payment, then I think you are the moron.

[Leonard Washington]

black people don't own slavery

I find it ironic b/c one can make a reasonable connection as to why blacks can be touchy about being treated unfairly. It's funny to me how white people in the US get just as upset or more over slavery when: (a) their ancestors weren't involved in slavery, (b) if there was slavery in the white's family, it has little bearing on the black's present complaint, (c) most modern comparisons to colonial slavery aren't rational, (d) there is no reason to feel guilty or threatened.

For the record I disagree with AP.

[HailGreen28]

What was Peterson's clarification? I hate how people rush to judge others and don't try to understand what the person is getting at. Heath Evans said the comments were "moronic at best."

Well, if you want to assume Peterson is talking about how slaves were whipped, torn from their families and made to work without payment, then I think you are the moron.

It's in the OP. AP's "clarification" in his quote was that he was referring to regular jobs as well. Like I said, it would serve him right to realize the difference between "slavery" and working a "regular" job. By working a regular job for a year. Or worse, REALLY become someone else's property, like servicemen do under Uncle Sam. AP is being a moron.

[authentic]

I mean they are putting their bodies on the line so the white man can become more rich...try escaping and you have to pay a huge buyout(or fine) so it has its similarities...

If making millions in the NFL is like a modern-day version of slavery, then i want to be a slave. Where do i sign up? Really! .................................................

[Aquariuzzz]

id like to see these nfl players take on real jobs just like that tv show where the CEO's take an entry level position in their own companies. i would have fun watching the likes of AP getting fired for disagreeing to leave a package because he wanted to see 10 years of mailing history for a customer..

[Brotherz]

What was Peterson's clarification? I hate how people rush to judge others and don't try to understand what the person is getting at. Heath Evans said the comments were "moronic at best."

Well, if you want to assume Peterson is talking about how slaves were whipped, torn from their families and made to work without payment, then I think you are the moron.

Please explain how we are taking "its modern day slavery" out of context here. I have read and re-read this quote and its a moronic and divisive statement that made without any thought to its ramifications.

Who is "rushing to judge" here? What are we supposed to be waiting for exactly so we can understand what AP meant by saying his $10,000,000 a year JOB that he can quit whenever he wants is similar in any conceivable way to SLAVERY? There's no rush to judge at all. There's no other information to gather.

So please, by all means translate AP's comments to us and explain to us dummies how the NFL is even remotely like slavery as that term has been used in the US historical venacular? I am all ears.

---------- Post added March-20th-2011 at 10:08 AM ----------

I find it ironic b/c one can make a reasonable connection as to why blacks can be touchy about being treated unfairly. It's funny to me how white people in the US get just as upset or more over slavery when: (a) their ancestors weren't involved in slavery, (b) if there was slavery in the white's family, it has little bearing on the black's present complaint, (c) most modern comparisons to colonial slavery aren't rational, (d) there is no reason to feel guilty or threatened.

For the record I disagree with AP.

White people are just responding the way they have been conditioned to respond. We have spent the better part of the last 5 decades learning about how horrible white people were to an entire race of individuals. We learned about ancestors that literally OWNED other human beings. Then we learned about the struggle to erase or at least blur the horrible remnants of that period of time by creating equality.

We learned about segregation. We learned about white and black water fountains. We learned about riots and cops using fire hoses on people who were just trying to get equality. We learned about a struggle that our white ancestors were responsible for. To this day we hear about white people who might be more qualified for a job not getting it due to affirmative action and we are told its to make up for this horrible period of time. Its essentially our responsibility in this generation to pay the debt of our ancestors who performed these horrible acts. Its a painful legacy for some white folks to deal with. We learned about how black people struggled and were lynched in the south. How they died for this equality. How they were treated as property by some of our ancestors. Its a horrible chapter in our collective history and it is crammed down our throats for years and years and years.

We learned how the "N" word is the most horrific thing a white person can utter.

We learned how we should never forget about our past so that we don't repeat it. We learned about all of this so we could understand the black culture and ideologies because it was uniquely shaped by these events. We see things like FUBU and "black pride" and the panthers and every other response to this time in history and we are taught to try to be empathetic and to teach our children differently and to learn and be better people. To be a better race. To grow from the pain of the past. That's what we learn. . . .

Then black entertainers start throwing the "N" word around in the music they create and take ownership of the most hateful word in American history.

We see Rush Limbaugh thrown out of his ESPN gig at the suggestion that MCnabb might have a following of media personalities that want him to succeed more than they otherwise might because they want the african american stereotype of the "black QB" to finally die and we get a little confused because we know deep down that the statement itself is probably true but we have a hard time understanding why that is bad exactly. We start walking on eggshells. We see people lose multiple decade long careers for calling black women "nappy headed hos" on a show that repeatedly jokes at social norms as part of its schtick. Everything we say is amplified to absurd conclusions. Everything is racist. Everything a white person says can be "taken a certain way" with unbelievable significant, sometimes life altering result. We see the Jesse Jacksons. We see the Al Sharpton's. They are just sitting there. . . waiting to lower the boom on any white person or company that slips up and recognizes any difference in culture between the races or God forbid actually pokes fun at the differences. But at the same time we see others making millions exploiting such differences such as Dave Chappelle for example. And we start to see that its ok to do so. . . if you are black.

Then we hear an african american running back say that one of the greatest example of how far we have come as a society in race relations (professional sports) is moden day slavery and we are stunned. Sports has been one of the greatest battlefields of the civil rights movement in this country. Barriers were broken down on the playing field by legendary heros of the movement like Jackie Robinson and Jim Brown. Now, today in 2011, Adrian Petersen, standing on the shoulders of these pioneers can decide to play or not to play. If he plays he will paid more money than some third world country governments have. He can build companies with that. He can invest those millions of millions of dollars to make a better life for himself and his heirs. he can buy the best education on earth for his children. He can move the cycle of freedom and self esteem in the black community at light speed and he can do it with none of his own struggle. It was Jim brown's struggle. It was Harriet Tubman's struggle. It was Warren Moon's struggle. He just has the benefit of it. He can go the route of Magic Johnson if he wishes and invest in the black community. He can make generational change. . . if he chooses.

Nobody is going to make him play football. He can leave right now like Barry Sanders and still have enough money to make generational change. Or he can play for as long as his body allows and he can inspire other young black kids. These opportunities were earned by others and provided by the NFL. and what does he call this? Slavery.

If you find it ironic that white people are upset about it, its because we have been listening to the lessons the black community has been teaching us about our history and theirs for the last several decades. We are just a bit stunned that apparently those like AP who we would have assumed would have likewise paid attention to that history hasn't. We are bit surprised that african americans think his statement makes sense on any level. We are just confused about how someone who stands at the apex of the very history white people have been forced to look at through ancestry shame and guilt can get it so very wrong. Quite frankly, if I was an african american, I'd be utterly ashamed at AP's utter lack of historical or cultural knowledge. Its sad, that us white people know it better than he does. THAT is ironic.

[Leonard Washington]

If you find it ironic that white people are upset about it, its because we have been listening to the lessons the black community has been teaching us about our history and theirs for the last several decades. We are just a bit stunned that apparently those like AP who we would have assumed would have likewise paid attention to that history hasn't. We are bit surprised that african americans think his statement makes sense on any level. We are just confused about how someone who stands at the apex of the very history white people have been forced to look at through ancestry shame and guilt can get it so very wrong. Quite frankly, if I was an african american, I'd be utterly ashamed at AP's utter lack of historical or cultural knowledge. Its sad, that us white people know it better than he does. THAT is ironic.

Why do you care? The first amendment is built for people like AP to say things others may disagree with. As long as he's not DOING anything that infringes anyone's rights, I could care less.

nice post by the way...

[Brotherz]

Why do you care? The first amendment is built for people like AP to say things others may disagree with. As long as he's not DOING anything that infringes anyone's rights, I could care less.

nice post by the way...

Nobody is arguing that the government of the United States should prohibit adrian petersen from being able to say whatever he wants. The first amendment gets thrown around every time someone says something stupid like its some kind of license to be an idiot. Of course he has the legal right to say whatever he wants free from governmental interference which is ALL the first amendment actually says.

People got annoyed at his comments because whether we want to admit it or not (because AP is black), they were racist, divisive, untrue and quite frankly ignorant. As far as whether I "care" or not, I guess I don't really care. I am just joining the discussion and expressing my opinion along with everyone else. AP won't change anyone's life with his words of course. And I suppose you are getting roped into this because of your comment about white people being annoyed by it as being ironic. My comments aren't really directed at you per se.

I am amazed at how little play the statement really got and I am even more amazed at how many people actually think AP has a point with these comments. It really demonstrates how uneducated our culture is in many ways.

[Koolblue13]

I find it ironic b/c one can make a reasonable connection as to why blacks can be touchy about being treated unfairly. It's funny to me how white people in the US get just as upset or more over slavery when: (a) their ancestors weren't involved in slavery, (b) if there was slavery in the white's family, it has little bearing on the black's present complaint, (c) most modern comparisons to colonial slavery aren't rational, (d) there is no reason to feel guilty or threatened.

For the record I disagree with AP.

Yes, in the microcosm that is America, blacks went through a horrible ordeal. I would think that if black Americans were so angered about what happened to their people, they would be a little more conscience about the fact that slavery is still happening every single day in America. There were Asian slaves back in those days and there still is today, at this very moment.

If you want to think about it on a global level, I'd say if anybody "owns slavery" it would be the Jews.

[SirClintonPortis]

Rights just let you do things. The "ethicalness" of the things done in the the exercise of that right can be anything in the continuum from "good" to "bad" and whatever other applicable descriptors are there. Those racist plantation owners saying the "N" word in the early 20th century were exercising their "free speech" too.

As for Peterson, he needs to realize that his cut is pretty damn good relative to 95+% of world. His income alone could probably vitalize many Sub-Saharan African countries.

[redskins55]

Ok how bout we stop piling on the guy... We all know that AP misspoke, and he's not supposed to use those types of references in the media especially considering his stature as the face of the Vikings franchise. Most of you are attacking without actually trying to understand what he was saying.I mean do you really think he was likening his privileged to play in the NFL to slavery? C'mon!!

People term the phrase "working us like slaves" or "treating us like slaves" all the time. They dont really mean that their job or who ever is telling them to do something is actually treating them like blacks were treated 400 years ago, or jews 2,000 years ago. Its a term to describe how you feel about being told to do something or being denied something that you want to do. In AP's case he feels he's being locked out of the NFL because billionaire owners want an extra billion dollars. Was it the right term to use?? Of Course Not!!!! But sensible adults should know how to interpret a 25yr old kid's off the cusp statement. Now if he develops a history of making dumb statements about feeling like an actual slave then by all means pile on. But cut the kid some slack. Save the vitriol for the Rush Limbaugh's of the world who make stupid comments everyday for a living!