By Evan F. Moore
In the aftermath of the Hennessy, Casamigos, and Remy Martin bottle memorials, along with dissipated balloon send-offs regarding former Bears QB Justin Fields, the team officially moved on by selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
That’s right, Bears fans. It’s time to embrace what’s in front of you: The future.
When Williams hit the stage in Detroit with a primal yell, the energy was different and unlike anything Bears fans have seen in maybe ever. In my last column, I mentioned the long and painful history regarding the franchise’s quarterback decisions — again, I won’t regale you as ESPN did Thursday night.
In Williams’s first interview in the immediate aftermath of being drafted, I expected him to speak to the usual platitudes.
Beat Green Bay. Win a Super Bowl. Eat Deep Dish Pizza.
Instead, he described a definite plan of attack: Learn all my teammates’ names and their families, learn the playbook and get ready to win games.
It seems like the fandom is down with that.
Now let’s talk about the good and the alleged bad regarding the new franchise quarterback.
For some, perception is everything in a zero-sum endeavor such as football, where toughness is celebrated and the weak are subjected to pillory.
A lot of Black men believe that showing emotion — or, in some cases — discussing our feelings is extremely frowned upon because it can be used against us.
That’s why I believe we’ve seen so much pre and post-draft ridicule regarding Williams sobbing in his mother’s arms after a tough loss. Hurt people often hurt people. We’ve seen some football fans chastise Williams for showing his emotions in the same ways their truths might have been used against them.
Anyone who’s worked hard and sacrificed to achieve their goals ought to be emotional about the journey. I said as much about my own struggles with acceptance.
When Williams told “The Pivot” about the impetus of his emotional outburst, I understood it. Having a moment in front of millions doesn’t make him less of a man as some folks seem to believe.
“That one hit home for me because I understood that it was getting to the end point of the year, I wasn’t able to reach a championship, and one of my last games. And so that’s why that one hit so heavy and why it looked so exaggerated and things like that because it hit me really hard right after the game,” Williams said. “Because I understood my college career and my guys that I’ve been with for three years, two years is coming to an end for me, and going 6-3 at that time, you understand that there’s no national championship.”
Williams isn’t the first athlete to cry after a tough loss.
Remember when Washington R——s quarterback Doug Williams cried in front of reporters in December 1987 after being benched? A month later, Williams became the first Black man to start and win in the Super Bowl; we know what happened next (along the way, Williams beat the Bears in the 1987 NFC Divisional Round playoff game).
How about when then-Thunder superstar Kevin Durant cried in the arms of his mom — like Williams — after the 2012 NBA Finals?
I think Durant turned out alright, so let’s pump the breaks.
Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, shared with “The Pivot” his supreme belief in his abilities despite not starting at Oklahoma during his freshman season. Meanwhile, Spencer Rattler, who beat out Williams, later transferred to South Carolina to finish his college career and is projected by many mock drafts to be taken in the third round.
Seems like Williams knew something the rest of us did not.
He said in part:
“… And at a certain point, I felt like, you know, I beat [Oklahoma starting quarterback Spencer Rattler] out. At the time, I was so angry, so frustrated because that wasn’t what I wanted to hear because I felt like I was the best — But when I got my shot, yeah, nothing else was going to happen other than me being the guy.”
As Williams seems to be challenging the beliefs on what one views masculinity to be with his painted nails and pink cell phone, some of us may have to rethink societal norms — or, dare I say it, gender roles.
If you’re of a certain age, you were probably conceived by the soundtrack by male musicians who made “out of the box” fashion choices that are considered effeminate. Even when Williams said that he paints his nails in tribute to his mother, who owned a nail salon, it wasn’t enough for the folks who’ve made up their minds about him.
Just look at the recent discourse surrounding former NBA All-Star Dwight Howard and what was discovered about the lawsuit filed against him alleging sexual assault and battery. Instead of holding Howard accountable for what’s alleged in the lawsuit, we witnessed jokes via social media about his sexuality.
As much as we like to say that society has evolved in many areas, I’m afraid we have not.
When my daughter hosted her nail salon “start-up,” I was her first customer. She asked if she could paint my nails. I said: “Sure, go for it! I wasn’t going to tell her: “Nah, f–k that — real n—a activities.”
Maybe that was a time to be present in the moment and to take in all things considered. Letting my kid paint my nails isn’t an indictment on my masculinity, nor should it be on Williams’s.
Again, it’s not the first time we’ve seen a Chicago athlete obliterate gender norms.
NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman wore dresses, put on makeup, and made questionable fashion choices while being a key member of the Bulls, who achieved a second three-peat. Before that, he helped the Pistons win back-to-back championships.
If Caleb Williams balls out, fans won’t be talking about fashion choices as much.
What will those folks do if they continue to be loud and wrong while he leads the Bears to multiple playoff appearances?
They ought to educate themselves and take a few plays off.
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