You won't believe why the NFL devalued Saquan Barkley

This video discusses the real reasons why NFL running backs have become "devalued" and seeks to expose how this process of devaluation is not only a deliberate alteration of the nature of the game for "good business" but it also fits into a historical tradition of premiere black athletes being marginalized in sports they helped to build.

Featuring former NFL running back Arion Foster @bobbyfeeno and former 1st round draft pick Aaron Maybin @AaronMaybinArt

special shout out to @laborkyle for helping me refine my ideas and terminology on the topic.

00:00 The Plight of Saquan Barkley
10:18 "Workplace Evolution"
23:38 "For the Good of the Sport"
47:09 A famous Malcom X Quote

Edited by @RealSpacial
Graphics and support editing by @NeedlessNick

[AaronMaybinArt]

It was an honor to be a part of this one big bro. Great job as always.

[kawaiiempoleon]

"they have conditioned this society that sports figures and athletes are not part of the work force" this was probably the biggest realization I've had in a while and I'm kinda surprised I hadn't realized it before

[Laidback_]

Heady play changing the thumbnail unc.😂

[GPanda]

The fact that the NFL doesn't cover healthcare for their ex players is criminal. Even the military does that for its veterans.

[AG]

The thing is that for most nfl players the average career is like three years. People overestimate how much money they are actually making. The money they make isn’t gonna carry them for the rest of their lives. Alot of them have to work normal jobs after their nfl career is over. Kevin Dyson who had a moderately successful career as a receiver is now working as a principal at a middle school in Tennessee. Josh Gordon was working as a car salesman during his suspension. These players dedicated their lives to the sport often at a detriment to building other skills that they could fall back on despite being so called student athletes. The student part takes a back seat when it should be the focus for 99% of them. So for running backs making money in their first contract while alot isn’t really life changing in the grand scheme of things especially the later they are drafted.

[tkdyo]

When he started talking about how elite running backs were getting replaced by 2 or 3 less skilled running backs my lefty senses started tingling. And sure enough, the third section comes around to talk about the assembly line. I love these kind of videos!

[fierytopaz]

As soon as you mentioned how jobs get more and more specified, my brain went "and then bosses can justify paying less because 'well it's so easy to just push a button'!" and then you nailed it with even more nuance. I'm not even a football fan.

However, as a native Coloradoan: Elway mention!!

[leighfoulkes]

Philadelphia's QB McNabb is great example of the jockey syndrome. He was playing the same time as the Brady rule was put into place but yet, he'd be on the ground for 1 minute after the whistle blew and the defense would still slam into his rib cage. He had six fractured ribs at one point. And don't tell me the Patriots didn't have all our defensive calls during the 2005 super bowl.

[FlemLoRaps]

Tracing the origin of running back devaluation to the Reggie Bush/Mario Williams draft makes hella sense.

[FM-uifz]

And you didn’t even touch on the fact that these billionaire owners coerced the city into paying for the stadium and the fans in turn still have to pay to get in and the billionaire profits on. (Now the owners have clauses that the city must pay for future upgrades)

[almightysosa]

Not going to lie this made me tear up. The game I loved to play and watch growing up is being ruined. The thought of the players I watched growing up being thrown in the trash after being used and abused doesn’t sit right with me. Watching the concussion movie changed me a lot and honestly knowing that’s probably going to happen to so many of these men doesn’t sit right with me. My heart goes out to all of them and their families

[jwcarroll]

A fun B-side Addendum to this video is how certain black QBs (Lamar Jackson as prime example) are often disrespectfully called “running backs” or “running quarterbacks”. Especially with how QBs is an esteemed position with a predetermined way to how to play (a la “pocket QB”). But this negative attitude of play style is less directed towards white QBs who run often like Josh Allen or Daniel Jones.

Also if you want to name drop Kaep again, dual threat QBs became more viable starting in 2012 with QBs like Wilson, RG3, and Kaep, read option plays, and the Pistol formation by Nevada HC Greg Ault, who coached Kaep. Because before then, mobile black QBs were pushed to WRs (Randle-El).

[bke]

You may already be aware of it but there are a lot of really interesting articles and stories about how the MLB owners colluded between 1985-87 to set the free agency market. A lot of parallels between that story and what the NFL is doing today with Running backs.

[gelinrefira]

"You can be a terrible human being, and people would make all the excuses in the world for you because of you utility. But the second you realized you were more than that utility, and you operate with that understanding, oh they will show you your place real quick."

Completely encapsulated capitalism and racism.

[Turnoutburndown]

“We are sold on the idea that capitalism rewards hard work and talent, but in reality it rewards owners who already have the money and power.” Undoing the brain washing one video at a time!

[Sarah-recg]

1:03:12 what this guy is saying resonates so much. It’s so offensive when people say “they should be grateful.” How horrific that the dynamic is running these people’s passions and their physical being into the ground…if anything, these guys have to preserve their motivation and drive from a system it’s being obliterated in.

[i.t.t.]

If a story is well told, it really doesn't matter what it is about. I had no interest in the NFL but I knew the story would be good. And still, you managed to exceed my expectation.

[EayuProuxm]

It's amazing how "That's just good business" is just a synonym for Wage Theft.

[Paratet]

I remember Ryan Clark defending Cam during his MVP season. Ryan said that everyone expects a WR or CB to do all the dances and celebrations, but as soon as a QB does it, everyone has a problem.

[blommen]

European NBA fan checking in here to add to your point about the NBA shifting away from the more physical game of the 90's and early 00's. It is absolutely correct that much like the NFL toned down the physicality in order to make the game more appealing to viewers and generate more revenue, so did the NBA during the mid- to late 00's by removing the hand checking rule for example. As to how that might have influenced the influx of International talent, that's a bit more complicated.

A big reason you''re seeing the international golden age currently is down to the NBA turning into a globalized sport during that same period of time. LeBron, Kobe, Steph, etc. being marketed as giga watt superstars grew interest at least partially in concert with the offensive side of the game opening up. Another big reason you're seeing more international talent? Scouting, more specifically the Spurs scouting.

The Spurs were so far ahead of the rest of the league during the 00's in terms of international scouting that they had a massive advantage on the rest of the league for a decade plus. the rest of the league got smart to that and in concert with the sport growing in popularity thanks to players like Bron and Kobe, there's suddenly a much larger talent pool to pick from. Interestingly, the international players tend to play more physically due to developing through the pro games overseas where they play against grown men for the most part. the physicality is part of it.

As for how all that impacts size, we're sort of seeing the same effect as in the NFL, though not completely. generally what you're seeing is not so much a departure from size as much as a prioritization of explosiveness and skill versatility overall. Guards are bigger and more explosive because they are expected to be able to defend more than one position. Bigs are getting shorter and quicker in order to be able to navigate the perimeter, close out on shooter switch on to wings and still lock down the paint. A lot of people trace this development back to the Warriors but I would argue that the real progenitor is the Heatles during Bron's tenure there. They would play line-ups with Bron, Wade, Bosh and to two wings and that sort of uniformity compared to the rest of the league without compromising on skill versatility gave them a huge advantage defensively.