If you have not seen the video, you need to. It’s wondrous.
Here it is:
In it, you see a young Ravens fan, that the team identified as 9-year old Mason Young, who the Ravens say plays for the Pikesville Wildcats, gets high-fived by quarterback Lamar Jackson, and then loses his mind. Kids are just so pure in their joy and you see it here. It’s one of the more amazing videos of a player and fan reaction that I’ve ever seen. Pikesville is about 20 minutes outside of Baltimore and is one of the city’s closest suburbs.
Yet that video represents something else, mainly: the importance of Jackson to the city of Baltimore and areas close to it; and the importance of Black quarterbacks.
Even before going to high school in Baltimore, it was one of my favorite cities, mainly because I met so many good people there. I was also always fascinated (and angered) by the attacks on the city from people who didn’t live in the city. One of the most notable examples was when Donald Trump, in a blatantly racist post, said the majority-Black city was a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” and a “very dangerous & filthy place.”
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At one point the hashtag “We Are Baltimore” trended on social media following Trump’s tweet. The mayor of Baltimore responded. The Baltimore Sun editorial board blasted Trump. “Better to have some vermin living in your neighborhood,” it wrote, “than to be one.” The entire city defended itself. It was remarkable to see.
The city, and in some ways parts of the state close to Baltimore (I was raised in Maryland), particularly Black communities, has long seen itself held to double standards, many times racial ones, and the people who live there, and around there, know it. They embrace their heroes, especially Black ones, and fight for them. That’s what happened with Trump and that’s part of why Jackson is so cherished there.
And he is cherished. People there will stand for Jackson until the day they die. Fans stuck with Jackson even as he was lambasted nationally for negotiating with the Ravens without an agent.
Jackson is cherished not just because he’s so talented. It’s also because, like their city, Jackson has come under attack. Bill Polian notoriously said Jackson should switch positions to wide receiver. Jackson has been the subject of double standards since he came into the league in 2018.
In many ways, Jackson elevates the entire city. Maybe even the entire state.
There are so many kids like Young, kids of color, who see Jackson as someone who looks like them, who represents them, and to those kids, fights for them.
That moment also shows the importance of Black quarterbacks. Would Young and his friends go bonkers like that if Joe Flacco gave them a high-five? Maybe. But it’s doubtful. Kids of color look at Jackson and see a future that inspires them.
This was the case with Super Bowl 57 that featured the first two starting Black quarterbacks in Super Bowl history in Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Kansas City’s Pat Mahomes.
“You think about all the rich history in this game, and to be a part of such a historic event, a historic moment, it’s special,” Hurts said before the game. “There’s been so many quarterbacks before me, including Pat, that helped lay the foundation for me to have this opportunity. Seven African-American quarterbacks to start in this game and now the first time to have two go head-to-head.”
Hurts added: “That’s uplifting the next generation of quarterbacks. That 4-year-old or 5-year-old kid back in Houston, back in Philly, back in Texas, Louisiana and wherever across the world, that regardless of what someone says or might have an opinion about you, you can do it. You can do it, too. I value the platform that I have and I’m sure Pat does as well, so we just want to inspire the next people.”
“The best thing about it is you’re showing kids that no matter where you grow up, what race you are, that you can achieve your dream,” Mahomes told ESPN. “For me, being a Black quarterback − having a Black dad and a white mom − it just shows that it doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter if you’re a baseball player or basketball player, follow your dreams. Whatever your dreams are, put the work ethic in and you can be there at the end of the day.”
In the end, that remarkably joyful scene is about all of these things. A prideful city. Prideful areas around Baltimore and throughout parts of the state. The power of a Black quarterback to inspire younger generations. Following your dreams.
All of it. It’s all so wondrous.
