|
Looking Back at 2004
by J.B. Cash
6 January 2005
Like many others, we here at Caste Football celebrate the close of another year and the promise of a new one. For those of us that admire and cheer the exploits of white athletes the following is a list of some of the most notable achievements of 2004. It was a great year for white athletes around the world and we look forward to 2005 being even better.
Perhaps the top achievement for any white athlete in 2004 was the stunning gold medal victory by Jeremy Wariner in the Olympic 400 meter sprint. White athletes are unfairly discriminated against in all sports for a supposed lack of sprinting speed. Breaking down this perceived stereotype should be the number one desire of all Caste Football fans.
Wariner took a big step in that direction by winning a race that had not been won by a white American since 1964. Now that Wariner has turned pro and plans to compete in the 200 meter race as well, he has effectively opened the door and we can expect to see may other fine white sprinters burst onto the national scene.
Another indicator in the public mind of sprinting speed is the ability to steal bases. No white player had lead Major League baseball in stolen bases for over 50 years. Milwaukee Brewers (now Chicago White Sox) outfielder Scott Podsednik broke through with a phenomenal 73 stolen bases to lead the majors in 2004. Podsednik, a sprinter in college and a true speedster, can further the cause this year in the media center of Chicago. We look forward to his success being the beginning of a breakthrough for other white speedsters that are ignored because of their race.
The major sport that is considered the most black-dominated is professional basketball. In the last few years the white American presence has been all but eliminated. However, a recent influx of white Europeans is invigorating the game, and as if to put an exclamation point on that invasion the U.S. Olympic basketball team was thoroughly beaten by the Italian National Team in the Olympics.
Other loses followed and the U.S. team finished with a measly bronze medal in a sport that has been dominated by America since its inception. The Italy/Argentina gold medal game was a highlight for those that would like to see success by white players in the game invented by Dr. James Naismith.
An omen of that important win by Italy was the excellent season enjoyed by Predrag Stojakovic, finishing second in points-per-game in the NBA (2003-2004 season). Stojakovic, who is from Serbia, was the first white player in 12 years to finish in the top five NBA scorers. Predrag's effort has been a harbinger of things to come as currently Dirk Nowitski is in the top three in scoring. With the addition of so many talented European players we can expect to see more white players among the top scorers in coming years.
It was long predicted that there would never again be a white heavyweight boxing champ. There is one now however. Vitali Klitschko not only holds a heavyweight boxing title, he has successfully defended it. Klitschko has KO'ed another outdated stereotype, that white men cannot defeat black men in the boxing ring. We look forward to Klitschko's reign as champ and expect it will, like Wariner's gold medal, serve as an inspiration to all those white kids who are told "it can't be done."
The NFL has instituted anti-white bias on an unprecedented level. White men are basically prohibited from playing any of the ball-handling positions except QB. However a few token opportunities are garnered here and there and this year Drew Bennett and Brandon Stokely took advantage of them and are among the leaders in receiving yardage in the NFL. With rising college stars like Mike Hass of Oregon State and Eric Deslauriers of EMU, who finished third and fourth respectively in the NCAA in receiving yardage, we can hope to see a return of white players to the receiving position in pro football.
The guy throwing all those passes to Stokely is Peyton Manning. In 2004 he had another fantastic year at QB. Although white players regularly dominate at the QB position, most of the media attention goes to the few black players that have some success. Manning set the single season record for TD's, breaking the record of another great white QB, Dan Marino. Peyton will be another great one for years to come.
The non-stop hype machine for black tennis player Serena Williams was derailed this year when Russian Maria Sharapova defeated Williams for tennis' most prestigious title: Wimbledon champ. Sharapova, a beautiful, highly skilled player, can be expected to dominate in the coming year. Along with fellow Russian tennis players such as Elena Dementieva, Elena Bovina, Anastasia Myskina, and Vera Zvonareva "caste" fans can be assured of lots of good tennis watching in the coming years.
Baseball, the most white-friendly of America's major team sports, finally presented an October worth watching. The 2004 World Series and playoffs featured teams with mostly white players at starting positions and on the mound. The thrilling league championship series led to a World Series with the two top white teams in their respective leagues. Hopefully this result will encourage baseball GMs that the way to win in MLB is to sign the best white players available. We look forward to the 2005 season and beyond.
Special mention must be made of the great pitchers that have dominated baseball for years. Roger "The Rocket" Clemens won another Cy Young award in 2004, Curt Schilling had another great year and an inspiring performance in the post-season, the always dominating Randy Johnson continued to improve on his Hall-of-Fame credentials, and Greg Maddux won his 300th game.
The 2004 Summer Olympics showcased all of the excellent white athletes from around the world. Especially notable (besides Wariner's gold) were the many women that were Olympic champs. Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarusus won the women's 100 meter gold. Yelena Isinbayeva, who was voted Russian athlete of the year, was the gold medallist at Athens in the pole vault. The Russian women also swept the long jump.
Proving white men can jump, Stefan Holm of Sweden won gold in the high jump (in fact all three of the medallists were white), and the "best athlete in the world" is Decathlon winner Roman Sebrele of the Czech republic. Paul Hamm's comeback to win the gold in the gymnastics all-around was inspiring as was Michael Phelps's winning several medals in the Olympic swimming events.
What more can be said about Lance Armstrong? Another Tour de France win makes it seem easy for him. Lance Armstrong is AP's Athlete of the Year in '04 for the third year in a row. Lance is surely one of the greatest athletes of all time.
In summary, 2004 was a great year for white athletes. They once again excelled in the sports that have always been dominated by white people and they also made important inroads in those places where white athletes currently face heavy discrimination.
We look forward to 2005 as a year of more champions, more winners, and more great players and athletes to cheer for. Stop by Caste Football frequently for coverage of another great year. And don't forget to check out our message board where knowledgeable fans provide the best and most up-to-date information on white athletes from high school to the pros, from the U.S. to Europe, from track to team sports to individual events.
J.B. CASH
_____________________________
Mr. Cash writes for Caste Football.
|