A Jack Johnson Moment for the 21st Century: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez

Black people had their chance, but have sadly let the moment pass them by without the faintest hint of opposition.

The dramatic rise in the Mestizo population in the United States dooms Black people (in the long run) on the racial totem pole. Immigration reform would have maintained their place as the dominant minority group for as long as the United States existed, but Black people have now been eclipsed.

Losing Compton and turf wars across the nation to ruthless Latino gangs, Black people are witnessing a growing coalition of legal and illegal immigrants forming a La Raza movement that threatens the stability of the United States.

Think back to 2006 and the massive rallies held in cities throughout the country. Millions of legal and illegal immigrants joined in waving Mexican flags and denouncing America for being insufficiently benevolent toward their cause.

Tolerance to this massive criminality in our midst is waning, as is evident when one consults opinion polls on illegal immigration or looks toward Arizona's lead in the matter. Were there more high-profile Mexican athletes, the American public might look the other way as they do toward the disproportionate amount criminality of rampant in the Black community.

Since no one watches baseball anymore, Hispanics lack a hero to rally around that the American people care about. With college football and NFL, white people see positive examples of Black people and remain willfully blind to the more unsavory aspects diversity offers.

It is SBPDL's contention that sports offer the primary positive examples of Black people in this country and that it was athletes who helped pave the way for Black people in other vocations (entertainment, politics, etc) to finally gain acceptance.

Without sports, local nightly news casts would broadcast Black achievements at a most melancholy pace.

The genesis of Black people finding hope and ultimately a hero to cheer for and rally around as cause célèbre can be traced to a sports figure who forever altered the course of the United States: Jack Johnson. 


Funny, a century later Cain Velasquez will attempt to do for the growing Hispanic population exactly what Johnson did for Black people in the first decade of the 20th century: inspire hope and bring together a community behind a sports figure that can motivate a people to push for societal change and acceptance.

It boils down to this: Johnson winning the the heavyweight title in boxing forever destroyed the notion of white supremacy and caused massive riots in cities throughout the nation as angry whites realized the implications of Great White Hopes going down in defeat to his right hand and Black people became energized by a Black man defiantly standing up in a way that emboldened a new generation of leaders for the Black community:

No, where Johnson faced his fiercest fight was out of the ring, in American society, where racism fueled his payback for being the white world's worst nightmare: a black man who beat white fighters with ease, slept with and married white women with frequency, drove fast cars and flashed cash. In an era when the lynching of blacks averaged about 150 a year, Jack Johnson was audacious in his independence. 

"Johnson in many ways is an embodiment of the African American struggle to be truly free in this country -- economically, socially and politically," says Burns in the film's press material. "He absolutely refused to play by the rules set by the white establishment, or even those of the black community. In that sense, he fought for freedom not just as a black man, but as an individual."


He would have none of the notion that blacks should try to fit in and get by. As he won more and more fights, Jack Johnson decided he would get his. The money came in, the prostitutes piled up, the cars got fancier and white America tried to ignore him. When John L. Sullivan became the first heavyweight champion of the world in the late 19th century, the title captured the imagination of the culture. It was the zenith of the sport, but also a racial marker. 

Sullivan said he would never let a black man fight for the title. This drawing of the color line was adopted by subsequent champions, including Jim Jeffries, the people's favorite, whose ducking of Johnson became an art form. Never one to give up, Johnson pounded Jeffries' brother in a fight and -- yet again -- challenged Jim Jeffries to put the crown on the line. He never did and retired undefeated.

Though it is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and the UFC, the Brock Lesnar- Cain Velasquez tomorrow night has the trappings of a 21st century Jack Johnson moment. MMA is a sport that is growing in popularity and the UFC has played up its marketing of the main event of the card as the opportunity for the "First Mexican Heavyweight Champion".

Velasquez is fighting for exactly what is tattooed across his chest - "Brown Pride" - and has hinted at the struggle Latino immigrants face as being an inspiration in the fight against Lesnar:

Velasquez was first asked in Thursday's call to address his views on Arizona's controversial illegal-immigration law.

"I'm against, definitely," Velasquez told the reporter. "Both my parents came into the United States from Mexico."

The reporter then encouraged Velasquez to tell Lesnar about Velasquez's walk-in song at UFC fights. "It's a story about a man crossing the border and all the hardships ... " Velasquez said.

UFC is the new "it" sport, pitting one man against another in a fight where only one will emerge victorious. Just like pugilism, spectators can discern for themselves when members of different races oppose one another.

Brock vs. Cain is white vs. brown, American vs. Mexican. Though it won't have the same fire of Jack Johnson's destruction of white supremacy in the early 1900s and the clarion call for a "white fighter to avenge the white race" that emerged in the wake of his victories, a Velasquez win would fuel the Hispanic community across the nation, causing spontaneous celebrations at a time they have little to celebrate about. 

If Lesnar wins, well, he'll enjoy a Corona and a burrito in honor of Velasquez's Hispanic heritage.

MMA followers are notoriously and egregiously white, prompting many Black fighters to complain of harassment on the part of enthusiastic fans demeaning their accomplishments.

Brock Lesnar got his start in Vince McMahon's WWF/WWE, headlining Wrestlemania 19. During one Lesnar promo, he wore a Mexican sombrero and had a Mariachi band play to poke fun at the late Eddie Guerrero.

Sports. The Black power movement took off with Jack Johnson. The Brown power movement will take off tomorrow with a Velasquez victory.

A Lesnar victory, who once claimed he was built like a "Black man", would ensure that the popularity of the sport of MMA continues to take off. White people will have a Great White Hope to continue to cheer for, though they will vehemently deny it.

Professional wrestling was once the outlet for this type of energy, but with Lesnar emerging as the dominant heavyweight in the world, the Caste System in sports is starting to look ever the more obvious.

It was Black pride in the 20th century. Will Brown pride prevail now?