One of the laziest and more annoying phenomenons in sportswriting is that white players are only compared to white players. The same thing happens with black quarterbacks.
Stanford running back Toby Gerhart knows the phenomenon well.
“I was talking with John Lynch, and joking around with him, that he was in the same situation as a safety. We’re often only compared to other quote unquote white guys that play our position,” Gerhart said.
There aren’t many players to choose from, so writers have stretched to say Gerhart is like John Riggins and Mike Alstott.
“I’m color blind,” Gerhart said. “I’m a running back, I’d compared myself to the running styles of Eddie George and Corey Dillon.” (On cue, the next question was about Gerhart playing fullback. Sigh.)
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said he’s found a team that
“really, really likes” Gerhart. “Some functional/scientific testing
they’ve done suggests better athlete than perceived,” Mort tweeted.
Gerhart said his goal time for the forty was “fast,” which was typical of his assured time with the media. He and Joique Bell are the winners of our total meaningless and subjective favorite interview from the week.
Gerhart, who weighed in at 231 pounds, looks like a second-round pick. He should go to a team looking for a power runner that welcomes contact.
But no, he doesn’t play like Mike Alstott.
