PHOENIX — Hurts vs. Mahomes; regardless of who comes out on top, the clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs is making history. Super Bowl LVII will be the first between two Black starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
Both of these players are legendary in their own right.
Born in Tyler, Texas, Patrick Mahomes is the only quarterback in history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season in both college and the NFL. In 2019 he lead the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years.
The younger Jalen Hurts has already been turning heads in his shorter career. This season he led the Eagles to a 14-3 record, and only lost one of his season appearances. He's the youngest starting quarterback in Eagles history.
Both men are among the finalists for the 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player Award. And given the complicated history between race and the NFL, seeing both of them take the field at Super Bowl LVII is a big deal.
Black quarterbacks have had to deal with lower salaries than equally valuable white quarterbacks, a series of double standards casting them in a negative light, and scores of racial stereotypes in draft reports.
As recently as 2020, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted that the NFL was "wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest."
"We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter."
This February will be the first time that two Black starting quarterbacks take the field in a Super Bowl. Hurts and Mahomes have made it to the top on their own merit, and in doing so they're making history.
Super Bowl LVII
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