New "Between The Lines" Podcast Examines Race In The NFL

 A new podcast series from The Athletic dives into what it means to be Black in the N.F.L., and explains how race impacts each level of the league’s organization chart. The show is called Between the Lines.
 

In this five-part miniseries, host Tashan Reed, a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Las Vegas Raiders, interviews more than two dozen current and former N.F.L. players, coaches and executives to discuss their experience operating in an organization that has historically been run by white men and failed to support or promote diversity.

From coaches who have quit their jobs due to a lack of advancement to players who have struggled to speak out for fear of being cut, Reed takes listeners through the N.F.L.’s past and present issues with race, as well as the changes that may be possible to make America’s biggest game more equitable.

“The N.F.L. is far from the only entity with a diversity problem — the media industry is another prime example — but it’s one of the most successful, prominent and influential businesses in America,” said Tashan. “If it allows the issue to persist, it’s culpable in helping maintain the structure of systemic racism, discrimination and oppression that’s held this country in its grip for centuries. But if it’s able to cultivate some sustained progress, it could become a beacon for change. This series was born and created over the course of 16 months from a desire to see the latter path come to fruition.”

“Through several revealing and emotional interviews, Tashan Reed takes listeners deep inside the N.F.L. and the diversity issues it grapples with,” said Mike Smeltz, The Athletic’s executive producer of narrative podcasts. “Tashan imbues the series with his own life experiences, making ‘Between the Lines’ a unique and essential listen for football fans.”

Tashan Reed joined The Athletic in the summer of 2018. A native of Ferguson, Mo., he covered the Florida State football program in Tallahassee, Fla., for two seasons before relocating to Las Vegas to become the Raiders beat writer in 2020. Reed graduated summa cum laude from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia in the spring of 2018.

 

In Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby integrated pro baseball in 1947, and black players then became more numerous and well-known for their talents.

Professional Football had a more staggered and uneven narrative of integration. In 1920, Fritz Pollard became the first African-American to play in the NFL during its formative years. However, in the years after Fritz’s departure, the NFL owners imposed a “gentleman’s agreement” led by Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, preventing the signing of more black players.

Then in 1946, the Los Angeles Coliseum threatened to evict the Los Angeles Rams unless the team signed an African-American player, which set the stage for UCLA stars Kenny Washington and Woody Strode to join the Los Angeles Rams roster. A few months later, Bill Willis and Marion Motley were signed by the Cleveland Browns. Both Browns players were eventually elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. Both teams were in the AAFC -- a competitor to the NFL --  which was more aggressive in signing Black players than the N.F.L.

 These four men are often credited with re-integrating the N.F.L. in 1946. Still, the NFL erected barriers to Blacks playing in the league. The Redskins owner Marshall, a well-known racist, resisted signing Black players to the Redskins even after "re-integration." NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle threatened Marshall and the owner reluctantly signed three players -- Bobby Mitchell, John Nisby, and Ron Hatcher -- who were finally added to the roster in 1962. Mitchell went to have a triple-threat career, and Nisby was a three-time Pro Bowler as an offensive lineman.

Check out Between The Lines on February 14, but, in the meantime, listen to the trailer here.  

Photo by Dhia Eddine