Is It A “Racial Thing?” How Adrian Peterson’s “Modern-Day Slavery” Comments Affect The NFL Labor Dispute

by Dan Fogarty | 12:51 pm, March 16th, 2011

Yesterday, the Minnesota Vikings‘ Adrian Peterson raised some eyebrows over comments he made about the NFL labor dispute, likening the pro football players’ current situation to “modern-day slavery.”

Undoubtedly, it was a poor comparison for an athlete who makes over $10 million in base salary to make. But Peterson’s comments, however misguided, bring up an interesting question: how much does race play a role in a largely white fanbase’s perception of a labor dispute where most of the athletes are black?

This was the discussion on ESPN2 this morning. Jalen Rose maintained that a lot of times “it can be racial” when it comes to fan perception of owner/player issues. Skip Bayless wouldn’t delve too deeply into the complicated racial dynamics of the dispute, but seemed to think that Peterson’s comments were a “monumental” PR blunder that, along with a reported boycott of the NFL draft, threatens the players’ public relations advantage with fans.

Watch video of the segment here, courtesy of ESPN.