As happens with most anything even remotely political these days, the mainstream media gets it and decides to present a picture that does not represent the actual importance--meaning news--of the event. In essence, it might be viewed as the liberal “imprimatur.”

Let’s take the NFL playoff championship games between the Chicago Bears versus the New Orleans Saints, and the Indianapolis Colts versus the New England Patriots.

Both Chicago and Indianapolis won their games. But immediately after the first paragraph from two separate news stories from the AP, the usual media-imprimatur took form:

“He took Dungy along for the ride, helping his coach finally get to the big game and make some history along the way. In two weeks, Dungy will join Chicago 's Lovie Smith in the Super Bowl, where together they will be the first black head coaches to meet in the NFL's biggest game.”
(http://sports.aol.com/nfl/story/_a/manning-leads-comeback-as-colts-stun/20070121223109990001)

“Lovie Smith became the first black head coach to reach the NFL's marquee game in its 41-year history and roughly four hours later, his good pal and mentor Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts joined him.”
(http://sports.aol.com/nfl/story/_a/bears-ride-defense-turnovers-to-super/20070121182909990001)

So what is the hoped-for media perspective here? That two superb football coaches managed to secure a spot in organized sports greatest spectacle, the Super Bowl? Or is it the “blacks advanced another step today in culturally bereft and ever-prejudiced America by…template the media is looking to forward?

Can anyone give me a valid reason why it is necessary in this day and age to keep looking for markers that “anyone but white males” has crossed over? Does not this type of behavior promote separatism and race-consciousness?

What’s wrong with just trumpeting the marvelous efforts by both coaches? Are they not Americans first, and black second? Why does this concept seem not only foreign to the media, but to so many of these “minority” groups themselves?

Possibly because the status of the underprivileged or whatever one chooses to label minority groups, has its advantages—not the lest of which is an almost supernatural effect on the media to remind America that everyday in America is still like a day in Selma, Alabama, circa 1964.

Everyone knows this to be folly, including the mainstream media. It is a stunted and perverse perspective of America that the liberal media look to promulgate through news story and editorial alike. And sadly, it seems wholly acceptable to those who are continually cast as victims in “racist’ America.”

Never mind that blacks in America today dominate the major sports markets. That is not the point here, nor is it ever--if rarely--discussed. The point is these two men--Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy--coached great games. That is the story.

Vincent Fiore is a freelance political writer who lives in New York City. His work can be seen throughout the Internet, including the American Conservative Union Foundation, GOPUSA, Human Events, ChronWatch, and theconservativevoice. Vincent is a staff writer for the New Media Alliance and a contributing writer for NewsBusters.org.