What racial stereotype immediately comes to mind as you read this article?

[Cuppycake Gumdrop]

I know it's a heartwarming story of an NFL player saving a kids life, but let's get to the real issue here. Was it racist that halfway through the article I started cracking up because I immediately thought "well there's another racial stereotype confirmed!"

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6661068

[Cuppycake Gumdrop]

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Leonard Pope, whose nickname is "Champ," lived up to the moniker last weekend when he saved a 6-year-old boy from drowning in a swimming pool.

The Chiefs' backup tight end on Saturday saved the son of a longtime friend from drowning in his hometown of Americus, Ga.

"My heart dropped. It could have been any child ... I just knew I had to do something," Pope said in an interview with "ESPN First Take" on Tuesday. "I wasn't waiting on anyone else ... to try to pull him out. I just felt because I have kids of my own I would want someone to do that for my kids, also."

According to his bio on the Chiefs' website, Pope has two young daughters.

The boy's mother, Anne Moore, told the Americus Times Recorder that Pope was the only person at the party who knew how to swim. Pope said he learned how to swim when he was 9 or 10 years old.

"He saved my son's life, and I am so thankful that he was there for me and my child," she told the newspaper.

Pope jumped into the pool -- wearing all of his clothes, "cell phone, wallet and everything" -- and pulled her son, Bryson, from the water.

"I was coming out of the house, I heard Anne cry. She was like 'get, get him, he's drowning!' I couldn't see Bryson. All I could see was his fingertips at the top of the water and I couldn't see his head," Pope said.

The NFL's lockout turned out to be good fortune for Moore and her son.

"The fact that he is normally at camp and could have been in Kansas City just proved to me that he was placed here to save my son from drowning, and I thank God that he was here," she told the newspaper. "He truly lived up to his nickname 'Champ' because he was truly a champion for me and my son this past weekend."

The Chiefs are an organization that has dealt with a similar tragedy. It was 28 years ago this month that star running back Joe Delaney drowned while trying to save three children from drowning in a Louisiana pond. Two of the children died.

[Blake]

White people jump in pools with their cell phones all the time too.

If you stick the phone in a bowl of rice, Ive heard it helps.

[Axe Murderer]

not sure

i think we should ask DoK

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

http://www.pridefilm.com/download/wallpaper1_1024.jpg

[JamStone]

Yeah why on god's green earth don't black people learn how to swim???

More to the point, why do southern black people who don't know how to swim go out in pools and lakes and shit??????

WTF???

[Cuppycake Gumdrop]

tbh when I first saw the headlines, I thought maybe he rescued the kid from a fast moving river or the ocean or some shit. After I found out it was a pool, I laughed then thought "well I guess jumping into a pool would be pretty terrifying and take alot of courage if ur black"

[Booharv]

Yeah why on god's green earth don't black people learn how to swim???

More to the point, why do southern black people who don't know how to swim go out in pools and lakes and shit??????

WTF???

Pools are status symbols.

Negros really like status symbols.

[ohmwrecker]

I don't think it has anything to do with race and everything to do with environment.

[DarkReign]

I started reading the article having no idea what to look for and didnt "get it" until this line:


The boy's mother, Anne Moore, told the Americus Times Recorder that Pope was the only person at the party who knew how to swim. Pope said he learned how to swim when he was 9 or 10 years old.

Thats...troubling, to be honest.

My son is 3 months old. Ive taken him swimming more than few times already. I dont think Ive even known someone who couldnt swim. They may not swim well, or be barely competent, but to literally lose your life if you fell in water deeper than you are tall?

So weird.

[Blake]

I don't think it has anything to do with race and everything to do with environment.

yeah, but it's more fun to imply that it's Blacks that are stupid and can't swim.

[JamStone]

Thats...troubling, to be honest.

My son is 3 months old. Ive taken him swimming more than few times already. I dont think Ive even known someone who couldnt swim. They may not swim well, or be barely competent, but to literally lose your life if you fell in water deeper than you are tall?

So weird.

There was a story I think it was last summer of a group of black kids in Georgia drowning in a lake. Their families were there picnicking and the lake was deeper than the kids thought. IIRC it was something like 6 teenagers from like the ages of 14-17 but I can't remember exactly. Something like that. But I just can't imagine. Their families watched their kids drown because no one knew how to swim. Standing there and watching 6 kids drown. Your own kids. It's just stunning to me that you can't learn a basic doggy paddle and kick just to keep yourself afloat.

[ohmwrecker]

There was a story I think it was last summer of a group of black kids in Georgia drowning in a lake. Their families were there picnicking and the lake was deeper than the kids thought. IIRC it was something like 6 teenagers from like the ages of 14-17 but I can't remember exactly. Something like that. But I just can't imagine. Their families watched their kids drown because no one knew how to swim. Standing there and watching 6 kids drown. Your own kids. It's just stunning to me that you can't learn a basic doggy paddle and kick just to keep yourself afloat.

Yeah, that's weird. Why hang out at a lake if no one can swim? It always seemed pretty instinctual to me. If it's down to a choice of swim or die . . . you better start swimming fast.

[Bukefal]

They make it look like it was some freakin ocean in which he went to dive and swim a lot like a hero to save the child. But, it was just a pool. Of course a kid can drown in a pool too, but come on. The guy basically just went in and took the kid out, nothing more.