Sports Commentator Clay Travis Criticizes Sports Media for Promoting Racial Prejudice Towards Shedeur Sanders in NFL Draft Discussions
Let's face it - the sports world is abuzz over Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' fifth-round drafting by the Cleveland Browns. After passing on him multiple times earlier, some folks are crying foul, pointing fingers at racism. But is this supposition valid?
Nope, says our website founder, Clay Travis. He's not mincing words here: "The NFL, a majority black employee league, has created more black millionaires than any business in the history of the world. Arguing the league is racist...is the dumbest argument in 21st century sports history." Ouch!
Travis's not one to mince words, and he took the sports media to task for their division-spreading narrative pushing. "To do so based on the success or failure of any one player in the draft...is either profoundly dumb or intentionally racially divisive to score points with the dumbest sports fans in America."
But let's take a closer look, shall we? After all, the NFL has seen three consecutive years of black quarterbacks being top picks - and guess who was selected #1 in 2025? Yup, another black quarterback. The argument that the NFL conspired against Sanders because he's black is as ludicrous as it is lazy.
Travis didn't stop there, though. He also pointed out that the NFL Draft is no different from any other market in a capitalist society, and that creates inefficiencies. In essence, teams that are best at recognizing these inefficiencies are the ones that reap the long-term benefits. If teams thought Sanders was wildly undervalued, he would have been picked sooner. Clearly, that wasn't the case.
The NFL draft is a venture capital market just like any other, in which judgments about players - like companies in private equity - are bound to be imperfect. A player being drafted lower than expected isn't an existential crisis, Travis emphasized, and it's essential we learn to accept this fact.
So, why exactly did Sanders slide into the fifth round? It could be a combination of factors, but racism certainly isn't one of them.
Enrichment Insights:- Performance and interview concerns: An anonymous assistant coach and executive pointed to issues like poor interview skills, perceived entitlement, and questionable body language as reasons for Sanders' draft slide.- Comparison to other players: Comparing Sanders to other successful Black players shows that race is not the primary factor in the league's draft decisions.- Talent Evaluation: Many sports commentators focused on the NFL's emphasis on talent evaluation and potential, rather than racial bias, as the reason behind Sanders' slide.- Criticisms of Overplaying the Race Card: Figures like Clay Travis and others might have critiqued racial bias claims as an overreaction or misinterpretation, suggesting that not every perceived injustice involves racism.
The NFL, despite being predominantly staffed by black employees and creating more black millionaires than any other business, has been scrutinized for perceived racism due to Shedeur Sanders being drafted in the fifth round. However, as Clay Travis, the founder of our website, argues, this supposition is unfounded. Instead, the NFL Draft, like any market in a capitalist society, is subject to inefficiencies, and teams that are adept at identifying these are the ones that experience long-term success. If racial bias played a role in Sanders' draft slide, he would have been selected sooner. Concerns about his performance and interview skills, as well as comparison to other players, are more likely reasons for his lower draft position. Criticisms of overplaying the race card suggest that not every perceived injustice involves racism.
