Through Mumbo Jumbo, Ishmael Reed sort of invites, even encourages his readers to see the world, its history, and conflicts throughout history through a different perspective, mixing Egyptian mythology with sound and music and casting jazz, ragtime, and blues (and dancing) as an epidemic instead of a popular new wave of music. So when given the opportunity to use the race, culture, and drama of football in a different, Jes Grew-based interpretation, I find the opportunity hard to pass up, myself being a Denver Broncos fan.
Football is a very biracial game, with players often being either African-American or Caucasian. Many different positions include people of different races, but some are dominated by one race. According to a Wall Street Journal* study, 90% or more of defensive backs, running backs, and wide recievers are black. However, the position of quarterback, generally the most important, the main position, is 81% manned by white players.
From these statistics, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton already stands out. He is, of course, black, but not only that, he has a style that defies the standard quarterback: Newton is energetic, strong, and defiant, having the character that some other quarterbacks lack. He the example of one who wants it all and has the drive to go there. Newton nearly got it all after being named NFL MVP on February 6, one day before the Super Bowl. But he still had his sights set on the Super Bowl.
Cam Newton's comments on race and football a week or so before the Super Bowl caused some controversy but do contain some truth. Newton wrote:
"I'm an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven't seen nothing they can compare me to."
There is your Jes Grew quarterback, people. Someone who is unapologetically going against the grain. He has his touchdown dance, his signature leap over defenses, and millions of fans, black and white, who adore him and follow his model of playing. And he has been criticized for his comments, especially if and when they have any racial implications. Interestingly enough, Cam Newton's Super Bowl 50 counterpart on the Denver Broncos, quarterback Peyton Manning, is the epitome of a white quarterback: intelligent, reserved, respectable, and white as a ghost, clashing greatly with Newton (the Broncos also elected to wear white instead of orange in the Super Bowl, and the Panthers wore black. Coincidence?). Take this into consideration. Manning prefers using his brain and his arm to get out of situations, while Newton takes to his size, speed and his strength. Newton is young and in his prime, while Manning is almost 40, shaky, and (hopefully) retiring before next season. The two are basically polar opposites.
The Panthers' 2015 season can be easily compared to the spread of Jes Grew. They started off as a team who had a mediocre group and a decent crowd of followers. But then the Panthers won 14 games in a row and grew in support, jersey sales, popularity, and status. However, in the end, they were defeated by the Broncos in the Super Bowl, ending Cam Newton's dream season much akin to the way Jes Grew was dissolved by Abdul Hamid burning the Book of Thoth. But the Panthers are now favorites to win the Super Bowl next year and are projected to be a power for at least some time, perhaps echoing PaPa LaBas's prediction that Jes Grew will resurface.
*read the article at http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/the-nfl-and-race-by-the-numbers-485/.
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