Masculine aggression celebrated; Excessive muscularity admired—Why? This Texas male athlete is no 'freak'

Texas Football Player Profiling Overlooks Racial Inequalities

Earlier this week, The Athletic attempted to glorify Texas edge rusher Barryn Sorrell as a "freak" athlete, ranking him 79th on their problematic "Freaks List." The list, created by sportswriter Bruce Feldman, fetishizes college football players with unusual physical attributes, reducing them to little more than circus performers.

In a write-up that reads like a slave trader evaluating his human merchandise, Feldman gushes over Sorrell's physical prowess:

"The 6-4, 260-pound senior clocked one of the fastest max velocity times of any D-lineman in college football last fall when he reached 19.4 mph during a game. Texas coaches are excited for Sorrell to dominate... Sorrell bench-pressed 425 pounds, squatted 575, and power cleaned 355, but coaches say the most impressive is his explosive burst for his size. He consistently hits 20 mph on the Catapult system."

Sorrell, a black man, is commodified and stripped of his humanity as his body is scrutinized and catered to the white gaze. The language used to describe his strength and speed evokes a dark history of dehumanization and exploitation of black bodies in sports and beyond.

When asked about his inclusion on this problematic list, Sorrell deflects, giving a shout-out to Texas director of football performance Torre Becton:

"I guess just shout-out to (Becton). Man, putting in a lot of work with him, and just a lot of the work I put in on my own, just honing my craft and my speed, and in the weight room as well. I guess it's paid off," Sorrell said.

Let's not forget that this profiling of black athletes distracts from the rampant racial injustices pervasive in the very state of Texas. While Sorrell's talents are certainly worthy of recognition, The Athletic and Texas' celebration of his physical prowess only serve to perpetuate harmful stereotypes of black men as mere entertainment commodities, ignoring the systemic issues plaguing their community.

#EndRacialProfilng #BlackAthletesMatter