The REAL reason NFL Running Backs Aren't Getting Paid

Please support me by signing up for Nebula- go.nebula.tv/fdsignifier
Watch my Nebula original on the Boondocks here--- nebula.tv/videos/workingtitle...
This video discusses the real reasons why NFL running backs have become "devalued" and seeks to expose how this process of devaluation is not only a deliberate alteration of the nature of the game for "good business" but it also fits into a historical tradition of premiere black athletes being marginalized in sports they helped to build.
Featuring former NFL running back Arion Foster ‪@bobbyfeeno‬ and former 1st round draft pick Aaron Maybin ‪@AaronMaybinArt‬
special shout out to ‪@laborkyle‬ for helping me refine my ideas and terminology on the topic.
00:00 The Plight of Saquan Barkley
10:18 "Workplace Evolution"
23:38 "For the Good of the Sport"
47:09 A famous Malcom X Quote
Edited by ‪@RealSpacial‬
Graphics and support editing by ‪@NeedlessNick‬
How Black Athletes are Exploited - • How Black Athletes are...
‪@lilbilliam‬ on Allen Iverson's legacy - • he was the most import...

[@GPanda110]

The fact that the NFL doesn't cover healthcare for their ex players is criminal. Even the military does that for its veterans.

[@OneIroNauT_1]

@GPanda110 - Equating NFL players to Military Veterans? The U.S. govt does of a horrible job of that as well. Maybe find a better analogy or example. It’s disturbing and disrespectful to people that serve their country for fucking peanuts compared to even the lowest practice Squad guys in the nfl.

[@noviatoria2436]

@@OneIroNauT_1 Bro the point is everybody's healthcare should be covered regardless of how they earn a living. Arguing about who has it worse is pointless.

[@OneIroNauT_1]

@@noviatoria2436 - You think I’m arguing about who has it worse? There is no argument. If the point was there should be universal healthcare, then it would have been way easier to just comment that there should be universal healthcare, don’t you think? I don’t think that was Gpandas points at all. If it was supposed to be, they did a horrible job getting it across. Equating NFL Veterans to Military Veterans doesn’t auto translate to Universal Healthcare or Healthcare for all, “Bro”.

[@khalbrucie]

Veteran here, I agree with your overall point but I should mention that generally the only veterans who are guaranteed healthcare are the ones who retire after 20+ years of service. Otherwise you can only get healthcare through the VA for proven, service-connected disabilities. I only did 8 years and don't have a service-connected disability so I have no healthcare through the govt at all.

[@rudeboyragga]

​@OneIroNauT_1 it's fair comparison

[@Turnoutburndown]

“We are sold on the idea that capitalism rewards hard work and talent, but in reality it rewards owners who already have the money and power.” Undoing the brain washing one video at a time!

[@Sarah-re7cg]

Exactly, can’t win a game that’s inevitably rigged

[@seanpmcg99]

NOTE: The game is rigged, play it. “Rewards owners who already have the money and power.”

[@KimarShabbaz]

It was hard work and ability that made the owner the owner.

[@fangal12]

​@@KimarShabbazthis is either a troll comment or you're extremely naive

[@Standup428]

​@@KimarShabbazyeah it was extremely hard work and talent to inherit a team from your daddy.

[@kawaiiempoleon8721]

"they have conditioned this society that sports figures and athletes are not part of the work force" this was probably the biggest realization I've had in a while and I'm kinda surprised I hadn't realized it before

[@vaiyt]

Actors and top level athletes have skills and an individual image that aren't easily replaceable so they manage to extract more value from their labor. Still, you see employers taking every opportunity they can to turn them into a replaceable asset, see: AI facsimiles, idol performers, and this video.

[@afauxican_american]

no shade, but we been trying to tell y'all for awhile.

[@kawaiiempoleon8721]

@@afauxican_american I mean I haven't exactly been talking with the people who have or people in general in a while so like

[@afauxican_american]

@@kawaiiempoleon8721 I’m just saying in general, we’ve been trying to put it in people’s heads that celebrities, especially athletes, are laborers for a longggg time.

[@chuckdeuces911]

I don't really understand this comment. So in general, they aren't a part of the same workforce we're in period but in another sense EVERYONE is in the economy one way or another. The fact that you're so wowed by a meaningless, contextualless, ridiculous comment is the real issue. This channel is beyond half-baked pretending like Saquon Barkley who has made $40 million for just around 2.5 years worth of pro plus whatever else you want to count. He's making $10.5 million this year. He's missed half the games he's supposed to have played in. He's overvalued by a mile right now. You should stop watching things you already believe in and start trying to prove yourself wrong. It will add value to your life. Living in an echo chamber will only hurt in the long run.

[@EayuProuxm]

It's amazing how "That's just good business" is just a synonym for Wage Theft.

[@killzone866]

Its not wage theft if they arent given a contract. Granted outside of the context of sports your point is valid.

[@kruzedarling9347]

That’s putting it nicely.

[@Doomer253]

It's the same as my Gma saying "Bless your heart."

[@patrickledonne5547]

Sigh. It's not wage theft. The NFL has a salary cap and a salary floor. Wages not paid to RBs are paid to other positions. Safeties, Linebackers and o-linemen other than LT are also underpaid compared to other positions. It's a matter of value. A pro bowl WR, CB or DE is worth a lot more to a team than a pro bowl RB, LB or S

[@WoodyJ98]

When the poor steal from the rich it’s called theft. When the rich steal from the poor, it’s called business!

[@AaronMaybinArt]

It was an honor to be a part of this one big bro. Great job as always.

[@ariw9405]

Thank you for the insightful commentary. Y’all created a YT masterpiece here.

[@josiahbrown5582]

Loved your contributions to the discussion! Hoping this video can be a wedge to talk about bigger ideas with some family members who are fans

[@CTEagleCeltic]

We definitely appreciate your input and insight!! And your service in our entertainment, time on the field.

[@popsthepopi5132]

Thank you for discussing such an important issue

[@kelvincook4246]

Thanks for your first-hand input.

[@FM-ui8fz]

And you didn’t even touch on the fact that these billionaire owners coerced the city into paying for the stadium and the fans in turn still have to pay to get in and the billionaire profits on. (Now the owners have clauses that the city must pay for future upgrades)

[@billysbooks89]

NFL owners get a chance to double dip on that too, as in some markets they have a blackout rule. AKA if the stadium isn't sold out, the game doesn't go on TV for the city they play in.

[@YourCapyBro_effluentcoffeebean]

There's no coercion, the city councils are just worthless, amoral, and corrupt.

[@liveoak227]

​@billysbooks89 in some cities the owners get a cut from parking and concessions sales.

[@supastar25]

This is the aspect of American sport in general that I never got, how the teams don't pay for their own stadiums

[@cm9241]

That shit is absolutely insane to me. My state doesn't have a pro basketball or football team, so learning that was a big surprise to me.

[@FlemLoRaps]

Tracing the origin of running back devaluation to the Reggie Bush/Mario Williams draft makes hella sense.

[@christiansoldier77]

@FlemLoRaps No . RBs devaluation started because of the league becoming more of a passing league. RBs are not traditionally part of a passing offense and it isn't necessary to run the ball that much to win in today's NFL. Basically the birth of the West Coast Offense was the beginning of the death of the RB.

[@christiansoldier77]

Colin Kaepernick didn't get blackballed . He just wasn't that good

[@christiansoldier77]

What in the world is a natural process when it comes to a man made sport ? LOL 😅

[@fumihiro8564]

@@christiansoldier77 you realize that the birth of the West Coast Offense was in the 80s-90s right? Teams like the Cowboys and Broncos won multiple championships fueled by their Runningbacks

[@thesummaryguy3911]

to me its brady/manning and how much media attention those two brought. Media attention = more money. 2004 started the era that just kinda ended a few years ago with Manning's TD breaking year. Before that the RB rushing TD title was always in flux. Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Ahman Green, Duece McAllister, Ricky Williams, Tiki Barber, Priest Holmes, Fred Taylor, Jamal Lewis. Travis Henry, Eddie George, Curtis Martin. Like all of these guys were the focal point of a team's offense in the early 00s. Hell even Edgerrin James took the ball out of Manning's hands early on.

[@fierytopaz]

As soon as you mentioned how jobs get more and more specified, my brain went "and then bosses can justify paying less because 'well it's so easy to just push a button'!" and then you nailed it with even more nuance. I'm not even a football fan. However, as a native Coloradoan: Elway mention!!

[@fierytopaz]

ALSO, idgaf if players are making hundreds of thousands if owners are making billions. If the industry brings in that much money, the people responsible for it should get most of it.

[@TheMysteryDriver]

@@fierytopazplayers get about 50% of all revenue made by the league.

[@fierytopaz]

@@TheMysteryDriver 50% revenue or profit? And, as mentioned in the video, that 50% is divided among hundreds of players (and, as evidenced, not necessarily those with the hardest jobs), vs. how many owners?

[@TheMysteryDriver]

@@fierytopaz they word it as revenue sharing profits. As for owners, over 350,000 because some teams are owned by more than one person or have shareholders

[@kannon1610]

Exclusively from the football side of things, I was a little surprised Elway was highlighted as a pre-Brady superstar QB and not Joe Montana.

[@tkdyo]

When he started talking about how elite running backs were getting replaced by 2 or 3 less skilled running backs my lefty senses started tingling. And sure enough, the third section comes around to talk about the assembly line. I love these kind of videos!

[@aceroy9195]

Does this man even watch football. Some teams just pile on elite running backs as their primary offense. Take the Atlanta falcons. Bijon Robinson and Tyler Algier are both elite running backs. The problem is not on the offense. Don't get me wrong the nfl is definitely greedy as all hell, but defenses have gotten much better at stopping the run game. Now you see a lot more running plays where running backs will attempt to brute force through a gap with speed and power. Some running backs are freaky agile like Bijon and McCaffrey, and others are tackle breaking monsters like Chubb (rip the goat) and Ekler. With Ekler, the reason the team didn't want to pay him the contract is that they were worried he'd spend most of the season hurt. And so far he has.

[@reydemagival]

@@aceroy9195 both Bijan Robinson and Tyler Algier are on rookie contracts. In 3 years when neither one of them has functional knees, they'll be in Saquon Barkley's position. That's the point.

[@aceroy9195]

@reydemagival @reydemagival then explain Tomlinson, Ekler, and Chubb. They were on rookie contracts at one point in time. Chubb could have had 5 more years as an elite rb if it weren't for his recent injury.

[@symptomofsouls]

Ask yourself, why can 1 elite runningback be replaced by 3, but you can't replace 1 elite wide receiver with 3? or 1 lock down corner with 3? there is much less of a talent gap between good and elite runningbacks than any other position. Compare the best RB in the league right now (CMC) with an average, solid running back (I will use my team's starter Kenneth Walker). then compare that to a similar situation betweeen receivers. Take the best WR in the league right now (Justin Jefferson) and compare him to an average, young wide receiver. You cannot replace JJ with a commitee, but you could replace CMC, as dynamic as he is, with a group of solid backs, and get similar results.

[@symptomofsouls]

@@reydemagival the reason the Falcons got Bijan and Allgeir is so they can keep their knees functional by not running them 30+ times a game. Look at what happened to Josh Jacobs

[@505AG]

The thing is that for most nfl players the average career is like three years. People overestimate how much money they are actually making. The money they make isn’t gonna carry them for the rest of their lives. Alot of them have to work normal jobs after their nfl career is over. Kevin Dyson who had a moderately successful career as a receiver is now working as a principal at a middle school in Tennessee. Josh Gordon was working as a car salesman during his suspension. These players dedicated their lives to the sport often at a detriment to building other skills that they could fall back on despite being so called student athletes. The student part takes a back seat when it should be the focus for 99% of them. So for running backs making money in their first contract while alot isn’t really life changing in the grand scheme of things especially the later they are drafted.

[@lavellelee5734]

3 years?? Tf

[@505AG]

@@lavellelee5734 Yeah look at it this way. The star players that are marketed to us and secure the big contracts are a small part of the entirety of players playing in the nfl. NFL teams are massive compared to other sports. 54 players with 11 of them being on the field a time. Because of the salary cap teams can't just load a team with star players so a majority teams consist of a few key pieces( the players that get that second contract and are the best of the best) while the rest range from just extra bodies that you hope will never see a field to solid but not irreplaceable players. Some of them might get a second contract but most of them are competing with their own colleagues who are also looking for a second contract and hundreds of rookies who enter the league every year who can do what they do but are younger and cheaper. It's why despite being the most popular sport in the U.S and having the largest union by far the NFL Players Association is probably the weakest union in all of sports. It's hard to win negotiations for better working conditions when a majority of your members are people who won't be here in three years and want to get as much for themselves as possible before their time is up which I don't blame them.

[@ShiggyMiyamo]

@@lavellelee5734 Well yeah. Most 7th-round picks are lucky to be on the team more than 1 season. That gets averaged into the 3-year figure.

[@jasminewilliams1673]

Not to mention the increased medical cost they incur later in life. So long after your moneys spent you have to maintain those NFL joints and broken backs 😢

[@justcommenting4981]

The problem is you don't know if you are in 1% or 99% until it's done and the outcome is partially determined by effort. The system forces the ultimatum and everyone makes the same choice because it makes sense.

[@Paratet]

I remember Ryan Clark defending Cam during his MVP season. Ryan said that everyone expects a WR or CB to do all the dances and celebrations, but as soon as a QB does it, everyone has a problem.

[@reydemagival]

As soon as a black QB does it. No one cares about Tom Brady throwing regular tantrums on the sideline and yelling at everyone in the vicinity. He's just called passionate. No one cares about Tim Tebow being the most performative caricature of an Evangelical Christian going down to one knee in the endzone in prayer like it's not actually a violation of biblical mandate to pray performatively. But when Odell Beckham Jr is frustrated and takes his frustration out on an inanimate object like a kicking net, he's an unstable diva. When Cam Newton rightly celebrates and has confidence after running over an entire defense to score a TD in the red zone, he's arrogant and disrespectful. Make it make sense.

[@Paratet]

@@reydemagival oh and don't forget, big goofy dudes like Gronk (poorly) doing the Dougie or the dirty bird in the endzone, but it's okay because it's funny how they can't dance. Cam could dance in addition to making defenses look foolish, so it's disrespectful. This also isn't accounting Big Ben's antics in Pittsburgh (which likely cost him ever receiving an MVP vote during his career), that were covered for about 2 weeks before the PR team got ahold of him. Past antics, I'm pretty sure are still being held under lock and key.

[@projectc.j.j3310]

@@reydemagivalyeah you’re reaching💀 nobody gets mad at anyone for being passionate when they are a good leader, it’s when they do dumb shi. And Odell often did dumb shi and he was never a leader. Except you cause you clearly care. The eagles whole defense (mostly black) celebrated yesterday and it was funny and not a single person was mad. Stop crying

[@projectc.j.j3310]

@@Paratet no it’s ok cause it is dancing you absolute weirdo. Victor Cruz could dance too and it was funny. And what does Big Ben have to do with anything

[@verde7595]

@@projectc.j.j3310 One counter example does not disprove the rule. Odell never did anything severely worse than what Brady would do. You only say they're a leader because of their positions. If Tom Brady kicking and throwing tantrums is "being a leader", then Odell doing the same is too. You are proving their point about NFL fans.

[@Grili561]

Hey man, this is exactly why I don’t participate in any dehumanizing dialogue when discussing players in the NFL. Those guys are putting there bodies and lives on the line every Sunday for 17 weeks. Loved this video ❤

[@projectc.j.j3310]

So you’re not a sports fan I’m guessing?

[@Grili561]

@@projectc.j.j3310😂 that’s hilarious. I’ll take that as sarcasm.

[@winterbelle708]

@@projectc.j.j3310 you don’t think you can like sports without being dehumanizing

[@MhiaLee19]

@@winterbelle708 it’s like the same argument with do you still listen to music knowing what the musicians have to deal with like Britney Spears for instance. People are full of it because I know that they still watch sports but they want to complain and act like they don’t. It’s good to have discussions but we don’t have to pretend like we don’t still participate in this whole thing.

[@RevShifty]

@@MhiaLee19 I actually don't watch team sports. At all. They just always seemed like such amoral businesses, and I don't want to support that in any way, shape, or form.

[@bke8073]

You may already be aware of it but there are a lot of really interesting articles and stories about how the MLB owners colluded between 1985-87 to set the free agency market. A lot of parallels between that story and what the NFL is doing today with Running backs.

[@lpourmirza]

Yeah, the amount of players who changed teams or signed for a salary higher than their previous years was only like 4 in 1985. The NFL players strike plus the Pittsburgh drug trials made MLB teams willing to collude to scam players of their deserved salary.

[@bull1348]

I mean I feel like they colluded with Lamar Jackson. There's just no way there wasn't an offer on the table for him from any team.

[@NotExplicable]

Kaepernick is still a freeagent I think we know this has been going on for a long time.

[@Praisethesunson]

It would be shocking if the owners *didn't* collude to exploit their labor force to maximize profit.

[@RichFernandez908]

@@NotExplicable he’s also not good

[@Sarah-re7cg]

1:03:12 what this guy is saying resonates so much. It’s so offensive when people say “they should be grateful.” How horrific that the dynamic is running these people’s passions and their physical being into the ground…if anything, these guys have to preserve their motivation and drive from a system it’s being obliterated in.

[@kellharris2491]

It's like they were given the opportunity not that they worked for it. If they didn't earn it then how is add revenue so high? How is marketing so successful? How much money is actually being made on his back? For every subscription and every butt in their seat watching they are responsible for it. So why shouldn't he have part of his efforts? In fact why shouldn't he have profit proportional to his efforts? We have been trained to expect so little.

[@leighfoulkes7297]

Philadelphia's QB McNabb is great example of the jockey syndrome. He was playing the same time as the Brady rule was put into place but yet, he'd be on the ground for 1 minute after the whistle blew and the defense would still slam into his rib cage. He had six fractured ribs at one point. And don't tell me the Patriots didn't have all our defensive calls during the 2005 super bowl.

[@writtendegreez5748]

Eagles fan here. You're not wrong

[@aliensyndrome4280]

I have a video on McNabb. Checkout

[@almightysosa3007]

Not going to lie this made me tear up. The game I loved to play and watch growing up is being ruined. The thought of the players I watched growing up being thrown in the trash after being used and abused doesn’t sit right with me. Watching the concussion movie changed me a lot and honestly knowing that’s probably going to happen to so many of these men doesn’t sit right with me. My heart goes out to all of them and their families

[@Drummafolife]

The NFL has always been like this, it used to be much worse even. The owners just had the wool pulled over everyone's eyes

[@FIRING_BLIND]

It'd be better if they went back to leather helmets. Players are willing to take harder impacts if they feel protected by the harder helmet....but the helmet actually increases the severity of a concussion

[@maj84]

You’d think with all the eyeballs on the NFL about CTE, they would make a real effort to change. But all they do is posture and pretend to care. Perfect modern example is the QB for Miami, Tua Tagovailoa. This guy is 25 and he had 5 concussions just last year. Each time he came back it felt like too soon. The problem is this dude is an amazing player, maybe a generational talent. It’s bad for business if he’s not playing and generating $$ . If he doesn’t have CTE already I’d be shocked

[@DaDualityofMan]

It's not being ruined, it was always like this, you just never realized because you were young

[@DaDualityofMan]

@@maj84 Them changing all these rules in the name of "player safety" and then adding an extra game pissed me off

[@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis]

Rich people create "markets" to argue among themselves about the worth of humans beneath them.

[@kyrathedestroyer_]

NAILED IT

[@codycarney2311]

And convinced most of the world that's a good thing.

[@gregtaylor9806]

Markets form because everyone doesn’t have what they want but are willing to trade to get it. The powerful abuse it, sure, but if this isn’t intentional comedy it’s a bitter and dumb take.

[@robert2690]

@@gregtaylor9806 That depends, you’re arguing whether a janitor or fast food worker don’t deserve higher wages because their value is so low because it is a low skill job.

[@john2g1]

​@@gregtaylor9806I gave your words and the OP a lot of thought. Not all markets are the same, nor were they created in the same way. The NFL player market was literally created by rich people (the owners are all rich people) and they literally decide people's value who are beneath them. Players are not beneath owners? Why are they called owners then? Basically, both of you guys made your statements as though they are absolutes. Explain how OP is not absolutely correct about this market.

[@jwcarroll6378]

A fun B-side Addendum to this video is how certain black QBs (Lamar Jackson as prime example) are often disrespectfully called “running backs” or “running quarterbacks”. Especially with how QBs is an esteemed position with a predetermined way to how to play (a la “pocket QB”). But this negative attitude of play style is less directed towards white QBs who run often like Josh Allen or Daniel Jones. Also if you want to name drop Kaep again, dual threat QBs became more viable starting in 2012 with QBs like Wilson, RG3, and Kaep, read option plays, and the Pistol formation by Nevada HC Greg Ault, who coached Kaep. Because before then, mobile black QBs were pushed to WRs (Randle-El).

[@trademark4537]

And on top of that, how many black QB's have shorter careers as being a running QB, means you take more hits and the rules protect you less versus someone who is safer in the pocket.

[@mikewalker4092]

I’m also wondering if owners aren’t more willing to pay out to a white RB? Idk if Christian McCaffery had the same problems getting his bag?

[@trademark4537]

@@mikewalker4092 I would imagine there's some impact. Both Christian McCaffery and Derrick Henry signed contracts in 2020 (April and July respectively). Christian got $38.2 mil guaranteed with $16 mil average. While Derrick got $25.5 guaranteed with $12.5 mil average. Guaranteed money is big since they can cut you whenever and not owe you all the money. In 2019 Christian gained 1387 yards on 4.8 ypc with 1005 yards receiving. While Derrick got 1540 yards on 5.1 ypc with only 206 yards receiving. So it seems like Christian has higher value. But enough greater value that it's worth $13 mil guaranteed more? I don't know about that. Granted Christian is 2 years younger. I do wonder if the same situation would take place in today's NFL with even less of an appetite to pay running backs. What would happen then.

[@tcifrino51]

God I hope the Pats start Malik next week

[@OhioMan1854]

Yeah this is so true, like seeing how Lamar Jackson gets treated vs Josh Allen or even Joe Burrow talking about his mobility.

[@herrguru4264]

*I`m an Economist and I find it strange that the NFL claims the* - Running back position is devalued, - there are too many running backs, - "we can (allegedly) get a running back off the streets tomorrow 6am in the morning," - therefore we dont need to pay running backs, but then a the beginning of each season, head coaches want the same running backs they dont wanna pay, to run for 1000 yards in 15 games minimum. *My conclusion:* - *It seems normal rules of Capitalism and Economics, merit, hard work dont seem to apply anymore when it comes to Running Backs,* - *they are devalued when it comes to paying,* - *but they are not devalied when it comes to playing* (because I can assure you... EVERY NFL owner wants a minimum of 3 running backs rushing for 1000 yards). - *very soon we will enter an insane era where 1 sub-average QB like Mac Jones or Daniel Jones, is going to earn more money than 5 top 10 NFL running backs.* and that is scary.

[@luckygorabbitfoot4457]

Congratulations on getting a guy who didn't even know running backs and quarter backs were two different positions going in to watch an hour's worth of football content!

[@user-wd3qf9bk4i]

f.d does that to you 😎

[@cccc9911]

There was some decent info here....but it's overall connotation is "victimhood". The RB position is an easy one to fill and GMs would put themselves at a disadvantage by spending big $$ on a RB. Blame the salary cap perhaps, but the premise of racism is laughable. And if you believe that Colin Kapernick is being blackballed due to race, then you are a gaslit fool.

[@Kap_NYC]

😭😭😭

[@DaDualityofMan]

Well it's actually funny you mention that because it's also worth bringing up the casual racism people have against Lamar Jackson, as he's a former MVP quarterback, but people are so comfortable calling him a runningback because he's "too good at running"

[@briansutak6621]

​@@DaDualityofMan Two months late, but it's also similar to the hate Jalen Hurts gets.

[@jqk369]

Wait until we start looking at how offensive linemen are valued. I played o line in high school and it always irritated me how we were treated compared to everybody else. Qb is always valued but they literally can't perform without having a solid front.

[@drunkenfarmerjohn42]

A lot of people don't realize that in most offences, the center has final say on blocking patterns

[@blommen]

O-Line take such a fucking beating it's an absolutely brutal position, but at least there are so few genuinely great players at the position that they almost never get fucked over on the contracts the same way RB's do. the moment a team gets their hands on a decent Lineman they hang on to that fucker like their life depends on it.

[@carbiv]

Linemen will get paid more and more as the league recognizes how important they are in an offense. As a giants fan I see how impossible it is to run a competent offense with a trash line.

[@challiray]

A solid front that the running back is also usually apart of. Tight ends too.

[@Arnellius_Martinius]

I agree with all of these sentiments, but I doubt lineman will be valued the same way or at the same level as long as the rules disproportionately favor the "skill players" and a passing game. Not because you don't need great pass blockers, but various teams productions have proven that teams have found success independent of having really stout front 5 units since the 90s. 2023 San Francisco has moved toward tradition in that regard with a strong blocking unit but the standards of "good blocking" lineman has dropped vice getting lineman who are familiar with the coaching staff has been the trend I've seen. I also personally follow O line related things very closely. Seattle in 2023 picking up Jason Peters is honestly a prime example of this, but this is a whole discussion on it's own.

[@blommen]

European NBA fan checking in here to add to your point about the NBA shifting away from the more physical game of the 90's and early 00's. It is absolutely correct that much like the NFL toned down the physicality in order to make the game more appealing to viewers and generate more revenue, so did the NBA during the mid- to late 00's by removing the hand checking rule for example. As to how that might have influenced the influx of International talent, that's a bit more complicated. A big reason you''re seeing the international golden age currently is down to the NBA turning into a globalized sport during that same period of time. LeBron, Kobe, Steph, etc. being marketed as giga watt superstars grew interest at least partially in concert with the offensive side of the game opening up. Another big reason you're seeing more international talent? Scouting, more specifically the Spurs scouting. The Spurs were so far ahead of the rest of the league during the 00's in terms of international scouting that they had a massive advantage on the rest of the league for a decade plus. the rest of the league got smart to that and in concert with the sport growing in popularity thanks to players like Bron and Kobe, there's suddenly a much larger talent pool to pick from. Interestingly, the international players tend to play more physically due to developing through the pro games overseas where they play against grown men for the most part. the physicality is part of it. As for how all that impacts size, we're sort of seeing the same effect as in the NFL, though not completely. generally what you're seeing is not so much a departure from size as much as a prioritization of explosiveness and skill versatility overall. Guards are bigger and more explosive because they are expected to be able to defend more than one position. Bigs are getting shorter and quicker in order to be able to navigate the perimeter, close out on shooter switch on to wings and still lock down the paint. A lot of people trace this development back to the Warriors but I would argue that the real progenitor is the Heatles during Bron's tenure there. They would play line-ups with Bron, Wade, Bosh and to two wings and that sort of uniformity compared to the rest of the league without compromising on skill versatility gave them a huge advantage defensively.

[@grimmnist]

Great comment, especially about the evolution of the sport to a global game! Just to add on to the reasoning behind the NBA's rule changes, even in the eras that were more geared towards physical play the game's biggest stars were perimeter oriented players who played with a great deal of finesse. Dr. J, Magic/Bird and MJ were primarily responsible for the league's popularity, so it made sense for the league to adjust the rules to allow for more on-ball creation.

[@blommen]

@@grimmnist absolutely, and it has also influenced The new crop of talent. Perimeter play is exciting and influences The next generation so The league prioritizes it further. Players like Doncic and Jokic grow up watching players like Bron handling The Ball on The perimeter and being Primary ballhandler regardless of size and They implemented into their own development. Currys influence is also palpable in how you are almost required to be at least a serviceble floor spacer regardless og position.

[@var1ables854]

I was going to leave a similar comment. It's not an unusual comment for people like Luka to say that it's harder to score in Europe because the rules weren't changed so dramatically to enable more scoring.

[@Julyinsummer]

There is also a conversation to be had about how differently American, and international players are being prepared for professional leagues during their adolescents (In reference to styles of play). I don't really have the knowledge to comment any further on this though

[@Ule_blood]

It’s also European tactics came in the whole pop and his swing offense and the three point revolution

[@AWPtical800]

Big counterpoint about the 2020 Bucs: they were a turnkey team that offseason. Their defense was very good, they had good offensive weapons, they had solidified the offensive line and were led by an offensive guru in Bruce Arians. The problem was that they also were quarterbacked by Jameis Winston. While things were kinda awful for him in 2019 (he played through a torn meniscus, a broken thumb and had LASIK surgery after the season), it was the best year of his career: 5,100 passing yards, 8.2 yards per attempt, 33TDs... but 35 turnovers, 47 sacks and a 7-9 record. It was the league's first ever 30TD/30INT season. All Brady really needed to do was walk in, whistle for Gronk and boom, instant ring.

[@DaDualityofMan]

Yeah guys like Brady, Gronk, and Suh turned a good team into a "Dream Team", Famous Jameis 30 for 30 season is iconic tho lol

[@amazingcowmilk1348]

Yeah that was really the only point I disagreed with in the video. The Bucs offensive numbers were very similar from 2019 to 2020, with the 3rd best points for in both years at 458 and 492 respectively, similar passing yards (4845 vs 4626) and YPA (7.2 vs 7.1). The biggest change is turnover ratio, which went from a crazy -13 to +8 due to Brady throwing 18 less picks than Winston, which in turn helped their defense go from allowing 449 (29th in football) PA to 355 (8th). The entire staff was retained from the year and they were able to add all of these players in Gronk, Leonard Fournette, Antonio Brown, etc. To call the Bucs a "random team" and "one of the worst in football" is just crazy. They were a 7-9 team that had a turnover issue that they fixed by replacing a high risk/high reward player in Winston with Brady and added one of the most greatest catching TEs of all time

[@juliacronin7303]

You really knocked it out of the park with this one. Not only is it a great primer on the importance of labor solidarity, you're priming it in a way that's going to draw in people that don't normally listen to this sort of thing.

[@thedangerwich5476]

Foster’s point about the rb having to mentally and physically prepare to face 300+ pound beasts in practice while the qb with the redshirt on is relaxing because he knows he will not have to take big hits and is not allowed to be hit hard is such a dope point. The rules have been catered to make the qb the most protected position in football. While rb still take the same amount of abuse that they always have.

[@tacrewgirl]

I don't know much about football but that point stood out a lot to me.

[@etf42]

not really, he is missing basic economic principle of scarcity....

[@hopeweiss9549]

@@tacrewgirlMe neither but my brother used to play in high school. I remember asking him why he didn't play RB and he straight up told me he wasn't brave enough. He said they have to be mentally prepared to get hit, hard, every single play of the game. That it takes a certain mindset also to run toward the line and hope to catch a couple of yards. As opposed to a wide receiver who runs and hopes to get the ball thrown to him, and maybe get hit after.

[@rheawelsh4142]

​@@etf42Who cares about scarcity in specific roles? Why can't it be about who makes the best and most exciting plays period? That skill is what's actually scarce

[@etf42]

@@rheawelsh4142 huh? you disagreed with me then explicated exactly what scarcity is. you just want to disagree for the sake of disagreeing.

[@AMcGrath82]

Never thought I'd see it: dude has sophisticated, well thought out content, original takes, NFL, Anime and social justice. Fantastic combination I didn't know I needed. Great video as always.

[@johnkirchner5373]

Running back runs out of bounds Fans - "Lower your shoulder! You could've gotten 3 more yards!" Quarterback runs out of bounds Fans - "Smart, gotta protect yourself"

[@nagisa2019]

yes. Quarterbacks are more important to the team. That isn't a shot at them as people but Quarterbacks are extrmemly more valuable than runningbacks. Along with being much harder to replace

[@kcaustin904]

To be fair, running backs value derives from being physical and not giving up while running the ball. You don’t want your quarterback getting smashed by some linebacker. They are more likely to get injured by a big hit.

[@daftwulli6145]

@@kcaustin904 On top of that a running back has way more padding to take these hits. On another note, what the nfl is doing here is very shortsighted. A lot of talent at rb already tries to either become wr or go defense since the rb career is so short and destructive. If they are now not even at least set for life with if they are top talent, nobody will want to play that position anymore. I realize we are in a more pass heavy league now, but the running game opens up those long passes via faking a run play and throwing or run an optional play where i can do both

[@ohgeezrick2019]

Fans often forget to consider not taking those hits leads to a longer healthier career, much more than 3 yards in the long run. You look at how someone like Chris Johnson was successful. He was fast and he was really good at not taking a clean hit so he stayed fairly healthy for being such a small back and was still very effective.

[@projectc.j.j3310]

Almost like it’s different positions

[@estebanfumero3728]

You're creating some of the best second-by-second content in all of KZbin. All killer, no filler, your videos are sometimes overwhelming to get started with just cause I know I'm gonna be different when I'm done watching than when I started. Keep up the incredible work educating people and making them aware of their biases and the power they unknowingly hold due do their race, gender and socioeconomic status.

[@ReshonBryant]

Yup🐒

[@FortheLoveofMonsters]

This is the deepest conversation I’ve ever seen on football. I don’t know a running back from a baby back but this was really interesting.

[@anthonyterryjr2559]

This is what the MLB players union feared in the 90s and why they strongly voted against MLB implementing a salary cap

[@tkdyo]

Salary cap is not the issue. The issue is the rules that devalued the running game and made it so you could parse out the RB role like jobs on an assembly line. With or without the salary cap the RBs would be getting paid a pittance compared to the value they produce.

[@blehbleh9283]

Honestly it seems more like an issue with the rookie 5 year deal as it relates to the running back position

[@drunkenfarmerjohn42]

European soccer shows just how important salary caps are. Unrestrained salaries lead to non-competitive leagues that stagnate under the top.

[@tkdyo]

@@blehbleh9283 That is part of the issue, yes. But let's say the 5 year contract is done away with. Under the current rules you can still get away with paying 3 less skilled guys way less than what one very skilled guy would make, the scale just moves up a bit.

[@Salsmachev]

The salary cap is a tool to break up solidarity. It creates artificial scarcity and artificial competition.

[@i.t.t.]

If a story is well told, it really doesn't matter what it is about. I had no interest in the NFL but I knew the story would be good. And still, you managed to exceed my expectation.

[@OurSpaceshipEarth]

I actively avoid sports esp ameri-football and it's gamified war rulesets of land capture. I've even recently become convinced that it's rigged or at the least there is constant active points shaving style characteristics to it which if they are getting ripped off makes even more sense now. But as you said i watched this entire piece which easily mantained my interest at levels that seemed above avg YT, which may have been simply due to my complete utter lack of access to begin a basic understanding into the topic until FDS.

[@giasas]

What happens in the world of professional sports is reflective of our society, and for all the people who exist in that space, it's important that we discuss it critically. Thanks for sharing!

[@eyesofwater123]

I hope anyone who've said "if you don't like your job then get a new one" watch this vid. They'd be the main one screeching "no one wants to work anymore!!!"

[@ThothGrowth]

They're men though, they have way more opportunity than LGBTQ+ folks and women.

[@chloe-qs7ue]

I'm an aussie raised well under the barassi line who's never seen a second of NFL in her life, and learnt about Pat Macafee through his Mason Cox interview, and once again you've gotten me to sit through a 1hr+ video about a topic I have no care for. Amazing work as always, it's great learning about what these athletes are going through, as well as being able to find similarities and differences. You've definitely changed the way I think about the things that I engage with.

[@popsthepopi5132]

I'm so proud of you man, this is such an important issue to talk about and the players you got to discuss this were so meaningful. Appreciate all your work

[@ReshonBryant]

Bro cornered a little content market. Beware of incoming haters😏

[@joeyguerra2134]

Excellent way to introduce the basic concepts and struggles of workers to football and sports fans through the microcosm example of the NFL runningback

[@GrimmRiot]

I think understanding jockey syndrome and how it came to be seems like essential information for fully understanding the symbolic themes of Nope. When I saw the old footage of the jockey you provided at the beginning of that section of your essay I immediately made the connection between the two, I feel kinda silly for not realizing that the horses were much more significant aspect of that film than I originally did. I already loved him as a director but god, Jordan Peele is fucking genius. I’m gonna rewatch it before the spooky season ends to appreciate it more with this newfound knowledge

[@mookiephelps]

this gonna be flames!!! lot of correlations between NFL RBs and the working class at large

[@LostDoctor312]

Hell you're a bears fan remember how fucking hard it was for Matt Forte to get his payday....and he was like 65% of the offensive output for the bears for like 2 or 3 years.

[@aceroy9195]

The running back being better than the quarterback does not always mean the running back is good.

[@Screeeeeeee]

man I finally got around to watching this and you are so completely on point. I love that you gave the players an opportunity to discuss this with you. Excellent job and love your work

[@bngjessie666]

I marked out so hard when you mentioned Bezos getting a $300k loan from his parents. A fact I kept pointing out to people (using Reid Hoffman as my example) whenever they make that argument about anybody can be rich or “the self made” rich person. It drives me insane that people think the myth is real. I love you for making the point. Love this video though. Very insightful and pointed out details about the game I really didn’t consider before. Thank you.❤

[@ferrellssales180]

Mark Zuckerberg's father offered to make him a McDonald's franchise owner. Even if he lost at Facebook, he still would have lived an elite life.

[@symptomofsouls]

@@ferrellssales180 Mark Zuckerberg literally received funding from the CIA

[@aaronlampkin284]

Exactly. As a SOCIETY, we need help in some form to go far in this world.

[@patrickledonne5547]

His parents invested early. It wasn't a loan

[@africarib]

​@@patrickledonne5547 the point is his parents actually had that amount of money to give to him. That's not a "bootstrap" story.

[@KookiesNolly]

I'm not american and I do not know a single thing about this sport other than it kinda looks like rugby which is another sport I know nothing about. But i really enjoyed this video! It was very informative. The part where the former player talked about his fear of loosing his mental faculties, his ability to make art, as a result of the game he played for years, not knowing what the risks were really got to me too. It's genuiney wild how violent this sport is and yet the men ruining their bodies and minds for our entertainment are so undervalued and exploited. Workers of the world, unite! We have nothing to lose but our chains!

[@BrickDaniels-qu7bz]

Nothing to lose? I'm not so sure about that. Still, the running back should probably be making the most money out of all the players.

[@projectc.j.j3310]

“Workers of the world”💀 they get payed millions to play a game that millions would kill too. They are not the same

[@BrickDaniels-qu7bz]

@@projectc.j.j3310 They literally give themselves brain damage to do their jobs. Where's the difference? Passion?

[@projectc.j.j3310]

@@BrickDaniels-qu7bz some loggers do that to and they don’t get payed millions

[@rasulsamad5860]

​@@BrickDaniels-qu7bzhe just jealous n lazy

[@SailorMoonicorn]

I’ve already watched this on Nebula, so here’s a comment for the KZbin algorithm! Wish I could say something insightful, but the mental health struggle is real today. Thank you for all of the hard work that you do. 💖

[@bongmilk6434]

I think you are the only person I can actually sit down and watch a whole video about football from and still be interested. Idk half of the terms related to this but I am so engaged

[@Sarah-re7cg]

To the people who feel resentful about them being paid millions: don’t forget how much context matters. And F.D made a great point about how the new norms played out with how top athletes are compensated and treated is the one thing that actually trickles down.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Marvin Miller pointed this out more than 50 years ago with the MLBPA-when the top earners get more, the standards of pay as a whole increase.

[@billymessenger3982]

Also if you're just a practice squad player or late round rookie where you're maybe making 2-3 mil over four years, that money isn't as much as people might think if you're living in NY, Seattle, SF, Miami or LA, just to name a few cities. Especially with the lack of job security these guys might have, the potential of moving on short notice has a lot of these guys renting their furniture and homes or apartments, which can very much add up

[@Sarah-re7cg]

@@billymessenger3982 I don’t understand how professional athletes do it because I’d be sitting on pins and needles. One awful injury and your career is done!

[@heytallman]

I'm so glad you got Arian Foster for this! As a Houstonian I fell in love watching him play every Sunday. One of the few sports figures I actually took the time to follow him on Twitter, eventually came to realize I was just a fan of his as a person. As mostly a casual football enjoyer I never paid attention to what players were paid or contracts or anything. This was a very eye-opening video on an issue I never would have realized existed. Great stuff as always!

[@RealMansGuide]

Arian Foster is a great person.

[@rosesie2590]

From a black woman who doesn’t follow sports this was an excellent and fascinating video!

[@truballr32]

Man I’m glad I found this channel!!! Top notch stuff bro!!! I played running during my football days and I know how tough you have to be to be a running back. The position is what captivated me and made me want to play football. The league has really done a number on the casual viewers that use the same talking points that the media uses. They say “why waste money on a running back they don’t last long” look at the Giants without saquon Barkley not to mention the NFL doesn’t even run the football across the league like they use to. They even took out the whole element of special team return game. Football will be flag football eventually. I saw a stat and I don’t remember what team it was but an NFL team this year threw the ball 50 times in a row before running the ball one time.

[@spikethrowaway]

I always thought it was ridiculous some football fans I see, who can't run up and down the driveway without possibly having a heart attack, shame a top tier athlete about not being grateful for the life he worked for. Shits baffling.

[@MHiggs-rx5zz]

The majority of people complaining are typically middle aged white folks. Selective capitalism has always been applied to anything perceived as a black dominated with respect to money.

[@ThothGrowth]

Most of those players are chasing a bag though, cogs in a system that we're trying to destroy. Ultimately they work against the struggle we are fighting for. They need to make a choice or be destroyed in the process.

[@spikethrowaway]

@@ThothGrowth 100% Agree. I'm by no means advocating players of a game make a yearly salary that rivals the gdp of developing nations, I'm mainly just pointing out the hypocrisy of certain football fans heavily critiquing what an athlete deserves when they themselves have no idea the work it took to even be in that position.

[@ThothGrowth]

@@spikethrowaway that's like shaming poor people for thinking the life of a rich person is easier though. Sure it's hard work, but it's ultimately work put into winning a game, not producing anything of value. Athletes essentially put in more effort into such a narrow scope and have way less to worry or care about, the standards we hold them to should be higher. They asked for this

[@herrguru4264]

*I`m an Economist and I find it strange that the NFL claims the* - Running back position is devalued, - there are too many running backs, - "we can (allegedly) get a running back off the streets tomorrow 6am in the morning," - therefore we dont need to pay running backs, but then a the beginning of each season, head coaches want the same running backs they dont wanna pay, to run for 1000 yards in 15 games minimum. *My conclusion:* - *It seems normal rules of Capitalism and Economics, merit, hard work dont seem to apply anymore when it comes to Running Backs,* - *they are devalued when it comes to paying,* - *but they are not devalied when it comes to playing* (because I can assure you... EVERY NFL owner wants a minimum of 3 running backs rushing for 1000 yards). - *very soon we will enter an insane era where 1 sub-average QB like Mac Jones or Daniel Jones, is going to earn more money than 5 top 10 NFL running backs.* and that is scary.

[@Thanoshadapoint]

I’m a firm believe that RBs need to be paid by volume+a base salary. Not damn sense how you have to rush 15+ times, catch 5+ passes then pass block on other plays but they refuse to pay you.

[@0404chrisjz]

That’s stupid there’s a lot of backs that make their money never touching the ball

[@0404chrisjz]

Aiant nobody In any market is gonna overpay especially when it’s a used product

[@john2g1]

​@@0404chrisjz OP said salary + volume. If you don't touch the ball you get the salary only. If you do touch the ball you get your same salary + payment for playing the game.

[@ROYAL-ob6kf]

@@0404chrisjz could you explain why that is a reason RBs shouldnt be paid on a volume+base salary?

[@blade7506]

that’s how nfl contracts are structured

[@EthanSchaner]

The amount of wisdom you have and the way you're able to seemingly effortlessly convey that wisdom through all of your videos is amazing to watch. I learn new things every time I come here. Keep up the great work. ♥️

[@chrischagnon5955]

Dude, this is the video that I didn't know I needed until I saw it! I love the escapism of watching NFL KZbinrs (like Grossi), but it's so freaking awesome to see someone bringing in long-view socioeconomic criticism to looking at the NFL. My work/research is very much from a critical perspective, so it's really just a nice and refreshing surprise to see this brought into discussing the NFL. Thank you for this! I usually give a channel a few views before subscribing, but you've got me subscribing right away and I'm going to be sharing this with some friends right away.

[@Sweatrgodd.]

the more physically demanding the job, the lower the pay. it's a weird metric in labor.

[@ariw9405]

The quality and content discussed in this video are top level. This was better than most docs I’ve watched on espn. Kudos to you sir! Everyone share this masterpiece far and wide. FD deserves the flowers.

[@butHomeisNowhere___]

Now THIS is the FD content I wanna see, not arguing with other people in the online left. Keep it up, dude!

[@medianicko]

i’ve been on a tangent watching all your videos. appreciate you for educating me on so many different topics. truly just amazing work

[@johnst3296]

Fascinating. Even for a non sports guy like me, this is so well put together....

[@bizooty8782]

Pat McAfee talks so fast already, so that sped up clip of him was like flipping on a warp drive.

[@heavymetla666]

I would say the thing about Mahomes in particular is that he is mixed, has a white partner, and doesn't talk in the stereotypical accent. He has a very pronounced Texas drawl and played at Texas Tech. He is able to pass for being "one of the good ones" because of how he presents himself.

[@billay100795]

So happy to see Arian Foster in this vid. Was lucky enough to hang out with him after his first concert for his debut rap album. Such a chill smart dude he knew he needed to get out of the NFL early cuz the rest of his life might've been miserable. Miss watching you play with the Texans. Houston Legend Arian 🤘🏾 much love.

[@chadromney]

33:41 Racism isn't talked about enough with relation to football. When I watched Get Out, during the auction scene I couldn't help but think of NFL owners like Jerry Jones. As far as I can tell this wasn't Jordan Peele's intention but I think about it every time I see Jerry Jones watching the game from his box.

[@Billiamwoods]

European sports absolutely have similar problems related to racism and dehumanization, but I honestly can't believe people don't see the racism in having a bunch of young black men in gladiator costumes hurting eachother for the pay of white coaches, white managers, even white* quarterbacks all the while pay can be taken away any time for not being "productive" enough or getting uppity. Like, many of the things I don't like about American football ARE kind of just sports things, but so much of it strikes me as unusually dehumanizing, violent, corporate, and racist to the point it makes any kind of interest I have in the sport go right down. *unless I'm wrong, quarterbacks are the most white position in the NFL, and they certainly are the most directly protected

[@b00biejingles]

Idk fam...if Jerry Jones was black you think it would make a difference? Honestly I don't think it would.

[@chadromney]

@@b00biejingles Fair question but there are no Black (majority) owners in the NFL

[@b00biejingles]

@@chadromney Right but I'm saying if there were it doesn't change the situation. They would still be considered slave masters

[@pjkerrigan20]

@@Billiamwoodsquarterbacks are probably the second or third most white position in football behind kickers and punters. That is slowly starting to change tho. I would compare it a little bit to the European game’s attitude towards black and/or African goalkeepers. Also just for the record since u mentioned the European game, it’s wild to me that the PL has no black referees. Black players have been such an important part of the history and present of the game in England, but are not represented in refereeing. Still, I think the race situation in the English game is less terrible than the state of the Spanish game rn, or the Italian game.

[@comfymayn]

So glad someones actually going to talk about this, i swear when i saw pat McAfee just switch up on jt and giants fans just completely threw q under the bus i felt something wrong was happening I just couldn't put my finger on it.

[@ThothGrowth]

it reeks of MRA energy.

[@erickennedy3322]

Great video, I had many argugements with numerous people about this subject. I liked how you went in great details about this subject.

[@CinemalecularFilms]

Starting to get in tune with all your content that I only needed to watch the few minutes before I knew EXACTLY where you'd take this, professor! Good golly it's on the nose and is an absolutely fantastic analogy! Great stuff as always!

[@lmoral222]

I love how your videos take an un-seemingly mundane topic, like sports, and turn the topic into a deep, thought-provoking, life-quesitoning, and eye-opening journey. Thanks for your work. EDIT: And as an avid basketball fanatic (I play ball, don't watch or keep up with pro leagues anymore), I think something similar happened in the NBA too

[@odonnellcaleb]

In the NBA I think it's a combination of a lot of things... hand checking rules started getting enforced more, they also definitely starting punishing hard fouls more, they loosened the enforcement in ball handling, so they aren't calling carries and travels as much. Hell, the gather step rule is INCREDIBLY new. I know some younger generations eye roll a little bit when you say ball handling rules were loosened but it's definitely true. All that ended up making guards and wings who could turn the corner on defenders more valuable. Which has made it very important for centers to be able to switch out on guards on pick and rolls. So you can't have dudes like Shaq, who wouldn't be able to guard out to the 3pt line and stick with a guard who attacks the hoop, because they are now a defensive liability. If your big can't keep up with an attacking guard teams will absolutely go back to the pick and roll every single play. It's why Rudy Gobert is much less valuable in the playoffs. To top all that off...Steph Curry invented the 3 pt shot. The stat nerds crunched the number and found that mid range shots are horrible value and that the most valuable shots were layups and 3s. Everyone on the team learned how to shoot 3's which forced defenders to play out to the 3 pt line on 1-4 and usually on the 5 too now. Which created more driving lanes for those fast guards. Now space and pace rules all. It also really shows how one small tweak can snowball into huge changes over time.

[@lmoral222]

@@odonnellcaleb Excellent break down, thank you

[@odonnellcaleb]

Upon further reflection the NBA definitely made a lot of changes to push their stars to be more marketable and more acceptable to the white audience. Sometimes it benefited black athletes sometimes it pushed back against them. Jordan- Led the league to push back against the "Jordan Rules" Pistons. The league stepped in wanting to protect Jordan. Kobe Bryant- I think the enforcement of hand checking really came about because the Pistons beat the Lakers. Can't have a boring, non superstar having, defensive minded team like the Pistons beat THE Lakers. Allen Iverson- There was a time when they league almost looked like it was going to crackdown on Iverson. There would be games he would get called for carries multiple times for his crossovers...but ultimately I think his popularity won out and the league relaxed a little on how they officiated carries and travels. More recently Lebron's "crab drible" and Harden's step back have seen it loosened even more Kawhi Leonard- After his ankle injury, possibly costing the squeeky clean Spurs to miss out on a championship the league changed the rules so defensive players must let shooters land. No more sticking your foot into the landing area even the Bruce Bowen was famous for it for years. Those all seem like positive changes ....but the league also definitely made some questionable ones...likely to make the game more acceptable for white audiences. The most obvious being... The Malice at the Palace/Allen Iverson- this led to the league making dress code rules. If you go back and watch some of the interviews from back then it's pretty gross. The word *thug* was thrown around an awful lot at ESPN. Even though the players were really just defending themselves. I can't even fault Artest for going into the stands. Throw a drink at someone anywhere else and no one will stick up for you if you get hit. Somehow it's okay because he's a professional athlete? There was a great documentary about the Malice that really gets into how racist the coverage was at the time. As far as Iverson? They just couldn't stand that one of their most famous athletes didn't fit into the "Republicans buy sneakers too" mold that Jordan fit in for so long.

[@lloydofarrell1181]

It often takes someone thinking beyond a topic to offer a compelling treatment of the topic itself. As an NFL fan, the football analysis here is completely on point; but the ability to link the unfair treatment of RBs to what’s really going on is massively appreciated. Bravo sir 👏

[@SpartanLink]

​@@stuco You missed the point homie.

[@malchickoleander]

@@stuco FD literally says he knows it's hard to feel bad for them when they're making shit tons of money, but they're not being fairly compensated for the work that they do due to greedy corporations, and that is the crime here.

[@malchickoleander]

@@stuco No, it isn't. They are being underpaid for the amount of labor they do and there are clear biases towards who gets paid more. They also trap certain people (like RBs) into the whole rookie-contract-through-your-only-playable-years thing.

[@malchickoleander]

@@stuco I understand you on that. There are better examples of this, but I think using it is intelligent. It goes to show that even people of higher positions still suffer from these types of things. This is not a flaw of the system it's an inherent design.

[@malchickoleander]

@@stuco Well see, FD brings up those types of things. Discussing how the money they earn doesn't carry them through life, discussing how the NFL doesn't continue to pay medical for their retired players, e.t.c. I feel it would be redundant to make a video about that when that was already part of this discussion.

[@chernosquare]

The way you describe different parts of football is so incredible, easily the best explanations of many different ideas in football. Would honestly love a rules video from you using your production value to explain the game to my wife

[@Housewarmin]

I found your channel and I’ve fallen in love your content! The way you present information, interviews, and explain topics is wonderful. I’ve binged all your videos 🤍

[@lrae9519]

Bless you for continuing to educate me outside my personal interests and experiences

[@sean-lucshanahan9140]

The issue here is the NFL rookie contract. The contract period should end for each position differently based on the average timespan that position exists in the NFL. I haven't crunched numbers for this but I would wager to bet that the running back position is more short-lived than QB, WR, TE or any other position. Running backs and other positions that are short-lived should have their rookie contract period also end earlier.

[@PropagandaConsoomer]

I was thinking this too. I agree.

[@benwornom6066]

Right, but the minute you do this you’re almost guaranteeing that running backs don’t get drafted with top tier draft picks. What team would use a 1st round pick on a running back that you’ll have for 3 years, vs a lineman or linebacker that you can get for 5 years?

[@johnnyfulton4755]

The Rookie Contract should be determined by the round you're drafted, with only first round picks lasting 4 years, 2nd, 3rd, 4th round 2, everyone else 1. If someone gets a gem in round 6, someone they on-paper substantially devalued, why should you be able to get a locked in deal on them? Even with the RB, their 'best days' aren't on average only one or two years.

[@GregoryAgid]

I love your channel. Thank you for sharing this great perspective with top-quality delivery!

[@kiloalphahotel5354]

Thanks for the vid. Always great.

[@jewels3400]

My best friend in middle school was a football player. He physically collapsed in the hallway several times. He also needed help standing up or else he would experience pain. By our freshman tear he lost the ability to speak for a few days. We haven't talked in many many years. Whenever football comes up, despite me not ever watching it, i get emotional. Because I know how it hurt someone who loved it so much. It fucked him up irreparably before he even got the chance to truly find who he was. It makes me sick. Dont have your children do football. You dont want what comes with the hospital bills.

[@ziggmiceter]

There are a lot of mentions of baseball here, but for similar reasons to the NBA, baseball in the 80's especially was very Black, and there are very few Black players today. There are so many reasons for this, but a major lineage that can be traced is the path to the majors. Many children in high school play on pay to join local all-star teams and have families that pay thousands of dollars to get their teenage children elite at baseball. This is especially prevalent in California and Texas suburbs. The other end is that teams have colonial outposts in South American countries that have made verbal agreements with kids as young as 12 and keep them in their "international complexes" to train them until they're ready to come to the USA to play pro ball. Meanwhile MLB's "Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities" has had people say that they dont really much other than a once a year event. Then MLB is wondering why no Black people care about baseball and it's just like... obviously there was a point at which they did! You are just not putting any effort into making the sport accessible!

[@Vaar107]

Couple of areas that I feel are only telling half the story to make a point in this video. 1. Was there a racial component to the evolution of rules that helped QBs? Probably. But there definitely was a profit motive. At that time of the rule changes, QBs were almost always the face of the franchise. But the absolute biggest star in the NFL was Michael Vick. But guys like Culpepper and Mcnabb were also madden cover stars. The nfl wanted these guys to continue to shine brighter and made their lives easier. It wasn’t just Manning and Brady. 2. The cutting back of RB importance came not just by rule changes, but as teams really began to see the benefits of good offensive linemen over good running backs, and the benefits of running back by committee and not running your rb into the ground by the time playoffs came around. 3. As running back pay decreased, we obviously saw QB increase, but the next biggest increase was Wide Receiver, another position dominated by black athletes. I don’t want to say there’s 0 racial component, because there always is. And I don’t want to say rule changes didn’t contribute to the position dying, but I feel there are some significant things you are leaving out.

[@rhysbufford8275]

Great video and especially great pair of interviews. Insight city over here. Thanks for being the man, FD!

[@stingspring3168]

I have to be honest that I am not interested in Football or any sport for that matter whatsoever. Yet, F.D's analysis of the game and its broader implications are so interesting that it gets a theater nerd such as myself to be entranced. Keep up the great work man!

[@elusivenova2918]

I am so excited for this one! Love to see you making some sports related content

[@kurty1927]

Loving the 🏈 content. We need these conversations in this space. Appreciate you as always

[@ReshonBryant]

Exactly. They stay wanna talk about race wars and sh*t. So, okay then let's exam the record books before things kick off.

[@AyeWaan]

I thought this was an 8 minute video until I snapped out of it and checked about 35 minutes in. And I stayed until the end. And that’s the best compliment I can give lmao. Great video, bruh.

[@kenmcguire5837]

Oh my. As a Lions fan I remember what happened to him...

[@haiku6483]

I also think it's interesting that every black qb I can think of gets called a runningback and there's always a narrative that they can't throw the ball. Even guys who are legit like Lamar Jackson get called runningbacks (that being said justin fields actually can't throw the ball f the bears) while guys like Josh Allen run around but never have that narrative, they're just "sneakily athletic". Just makes you think about what qbs vs. rbs should look and act like in people's minds.

[@hitchikerspie]

There definitely were statue QBs who were black like Doug Williams and Warren Moon, and Josh Allen is probably a top 5 running QB and especially when he started and was crap at throwing like Fields is now we used to clown him for “just” being a RB

[@DumbIdeaPresentedStupidly]

Jackson got called that cause he was better at running the ball than throwing it when he entered the league. His rookie campaign had his career low completion percent while his rushing attempts would have ranked him around 20th among total rushing attempts in running backs. It was also more than any of the other running backs on his team as well. While the percentage of passes he completed had him around 38th in the league that year. Compare this to Sam Darnold who also was not that good of a passer but ran 44 times compared to Jacksons 140. 44 rushing attempts is also the second highest in Sams career, Jackson has more rushing attempts less than half way through the season. Jackson got called a running back cause he ran a lot, in less than 6 years he has more rushing attempts than Donovan Mcnabb had in 13 years.

[@immensemelon7708]

You make a great point, but I think that part of the reason that QBs like Allen and Daniel Jones are “Sneaky Athletic” because of how they run. Jackson and Fields run more like a RB, but Allen and Jones have a more upright running form, so they look less like a RB. While this is a comparatively small reason for the treatment, I think it’s part of it.

[@toddpacker5734]

@@immensemelon7708absolutely no one calls Josh Allen sneaky athletic. This is a flat out lie lol. The dude put up more rush yards and better YPC than Cam Newton’s CAREER best two seasons in a row. He was called a RB his rookie season too. I was there.

[@denisehenry3427]

I love watching a QB, that can transform into a RB . Great commentary, I really enjoyed your explanation of the RB role in today's football. I don't trust the NFL owners. What they do benefits them. The owners denied research proving that football can have serious health problems.

[@ChickSwagnet]

Hey F.D, love the video as usual. Just wanted to drop a comment to ask if it'd be possible to avoid flashing backgrounds when not entirely necessary (like the brain at ~24:30). Stuff like that can always be bothersome for epileptic viewers or people who have flashing lights trigger other medical conditions (migraines in my case). Keep up the great work!

[@commonsenselogic]

It's sad that RB's are being less valued but this is a result of a more passing league.

[@Noctem_pasa]

yeah, but WHY is the league a passing league now?

[@commonsenselogic]

@Noctem_pasa The league is always evolving. It's the popularity of the west coast offense.

[@DaDualityofMan]

Yeah, i agree with people getting paid their worth, but I can't really get behind the owners systematically dismantling the "star runningback". I wouldn't put it past them to try, but I think this is more a natural evolution of the game

[@judith678]

@@DaDualityofManyeah the sad truth

[@Christian9TNAT3]

Im a Raiders fan.. and what they are doing to Josh Jacobs is even WORSE than Saquon.. and it makes me sick. And even more disgusting is how these white superfans resort to overt racism to suddenly turn on players who dedicated themselves to franchises

[@steve-hp3uq]

honestly jacobs isnt even that good tho

[@aeugenegray]

Kinda sucks to put all white folks in the same group. We're individuals just like yall. Content of my character, not the color of my skin.... And such

[@benmgoldberg]

@@aeugenegrayif you felt called out by his very true statement that says more about you as an individual than it does about him

[@mindsunwound]

I think the bigger issue with the Raiders is that the franchise has decided to trade their fans, who supported them through repeated financially abusive betrayals by the Davis Family, for Tourists. They have chosen to eschew any modicum of loyalty for crass consumerist exploitation. Funny how that through-line seems to be at the core of everything that is wrong with everything. As a lifelong Raiders fan, this disgusts me, and I refuse to engage with the NFL on any level because of this. I don't watch, I don't buy, and I don't care for the sport anymore. Fuck the Raiders, Fuck the NFL, Fuck Football. This shit killed kids when I was a kid, it kills kids now, and it's killing adults too, it's time to find a better American combat sport, one that isn't built on the backs of men who die in their 30's and 40's from repeated brain injuries. Maybe we should try Rugby, or Aussie football, or hell Greco-Roman wrestling. I hope Al Davis is warm enough in hell.

[@Solofopholo]

@@benmgoldberghe’s just stating facts, don’t be soft

[@SemiZeroGravity]

your video strikes at a problem with most people have when they see "he only made 11 million" is that they get stuck in the hard figure we as a society need to move away from looking at what hes being paid and look to what hes worth, how we determine worth is far too complex for a youtube comment but understanding that principle is a good start

[@YourCapyBro_effluentcoffeebean]

Well and the thing is most players will never make all that much and 10M isn't what it used to be. Add to the fact the NFL refuses to cover retired players after five years- yeah, you can see how many players are being severely taken advantage of.

[@Isaiah_Drake]

Kind of funny watching this video now and hearing him say the Eagles probably wouldn't look at Saquon Barkley

[@RetroWarhead]

I’m so glad this came up in my recommended. Great video, thanks for keeping it real.

[@jamesrawlings46]

i'm not a sports person but i found this really insightful and shocking to learn. another great video, shout out to everyone involved in creating this great content.

[@ThothGrowth]

Youre shocked that men value destroying their bodies because its masculine and expect to get paid for it ? its a skill issue,

[@austinmathis6782]

This is tangential but I would love an FD signifier video on WNBA hate coming from the manosphere

[@JCPRuckus]

The WNBA doesn't make profit. In fact, it losses money. It can only continue to operate because it is subsidized by the men's league. Yet the WNBA players act as if it is outrageous that they make less than the men who's work literally makes it possible for them to be paid at all. The reason that draws "hate" is self-evident. It's like your child complaining that they don't make as much in allowance as you make at your job... Except the "child" is an adult who should know better.

[@marleyboy4455]

No one cares to watch the wnba it's just not exciting

[@b00biejingles]

The wnba is still a thing???

[@venicec3310]

Wnba shouldnt even exist nba loses alot of money every year just keeping it going.

[@de132]

@@JCPRuckusWNBA players weren't advocating for the exact same pay, they were advocating for a similar revenue split and they got it if the league meets certain revenue level. A percentage of league owners don't own NBA teams and aren't affiliated with the NBA.

[@__Cthulhu__]

Once again, you manage to take a topic I don't care a ton about (football) and manage to make it very informative, relevant and a useful case study

[@Nunya24567]

Great video. This is the first thing I’ve ever watched from you and I’m definitely subscribing

[@charlottehammond8975]

omg i am loving this. thank you. this perfectly intersects so many critical topics in the (de) humanization of players. this is incredibly well timed to make me cry. I wept openly yesterday watching my team's running back, damien harris, get driven off the field in an ambulance during our (bills) game vs the giants last night. After our safety almost died on the field last year (hamlin) I just cannot handle the injuries anymore. It is so deeply not okay. edit: back in the day i did diabetic homecare in south chicago. one of my patients had played defense for the bears. he had lost a few toes and was pretty broke and destitute. i couldnt believe the nfl didnt have money for him as he aged ungracefully. he said once he stopped working, all his muscle turned to fat, he had multiple issues eith his memory, and that started his obesity to diabetes journey. so sad. i listened to his exploits every visit and tried to make him feel valued. he was a wonderful guy with a great outlook on life

[@brycetheoddball]

It’s funny hearing about “problem guys” cause that’s what my job thinks of me. Like fam I just want a raise and I work more hours than most of the staff, gimme my money.

[@emilyrln]

Counterpoint: the owner of your company wants another yacht 💀 But fr it sucks that you're getting taken advantage of!

[@palimo3653]

Lamar Jacskon never faced scrutiny of his behavior like you said. All of his scrutiny has been based on his style of play. I think you assumed that based on his look not being so clean cut.

[@FDSignifire]

They scrutinize Lamar based on his standoffish disposition.

[@FamMoney510]

Another thing with the running back position is the “best running back” has never guaranteed team success. Is there a position that does? No. Football is the ultimate team sport. But I grew up in the Barry era. His greatness is undeniable. But how far could his greatness carry his team? You contrast that w/ a great QB and you start to see the picture unfold. While a great QB can’t win alone; a great QB tends to give a better opportunity for success than a great back.

[@blackedmirror5073]

The offensive line is soooo important to running back production.

[@ArtaxForever]

Dude. I love when a video essay can make me reconsider an aspect of my life that i had not previously considered more critically. Ive been thinking about the RB issue in football as a somewhat football fan, and i love your videos on gender, race and politics, but i hadnt previously considered how to think about the NFL more dialetically. When i hear about one of my interests that has been "in a box" for lack of a better phrase, its awesome when i have the opportunity to think about it in a different way. This video was dope

[@Wallyworld30]

The Death Knell of the Running Back getting drafted early first round was in 2012 when the Cleveland Browns traded up in the first round from 4th overall pick to 3rd overall pick. Brown traded 4th overall pick+4th rd Pick+5th Rd Pick+7th Rd pick to Vikings so they could Draft Trent Richardson who was traded away after ONE season. The Browns decided to roll with 32 year old Willis McGahee over Trent Richardson. Before the draft Trent was advertised as a once in a every 20 years type of RB.

[@RiotReadyRecords]

Such an incredible video, per the usual invaluable material from FD