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If Chris Polk was white, would the UW had marketed him like they did Jake?
DerekJohnson
Administrator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 70,125 
If Chris Polk was white, would the UW had marketed him like they did Jake? 24 votes
Yes
29%
7 votes
No
33%
8 votes
Hard to say; many factors were involved.
37%
9 votes
Comments
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I actually had a similar thought when I read bnb's post in that other thread... my first instinct is "hard to say" but I will think on it because it is actually a somewhat compelling question in my mind. I do know that I don't think he was intentionally discriminated against but that doesn't affect the question at hand...
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Too many factors. For one, Jake was a local boy, Polk was not. After 0-12, Jake was really the only proven player although he still had many deficiencies. Teo' Nesheim and Butler were good players, but a QB will always be marketed over a player on defense. At that point, Polk hadn't done shit because he got injured in the 2nd or 3rd game in 2008.
After the 2009 season, Jake was considered a candidate for the #1 pick. Of course UW would market him when he decided to return. Even if Polk was white, he would have never gotten that sort of hype from the outside media.
I voted too many factors, but I would lean more towards no if I had to choose. QB vs RB, local boy vs Cali boy, NFL draft perception, and timing. Those are all reasons I would put before race. -
No.
It's possible he would have gotten more promotion, but Polk was never listed as a Heisman candidate or potential #1 pick in the draft, and being white wouldn't have vaulted him into either of those discussions.
UW hyped Locker, but they were hardly alone in this.
The better question is, would Locker have been marketed the same way had he been black. I lean towards yes as the national attention likely would have been the same, but I think there's no question there would have been more UW/DM.c pushback against the hype if Locker was not a mothalovin cracka. -
White guilt?
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Chris getting away from his cousin Jordan and his boys would have helped his marketing immensely.....
I still don't believe for one second his "injuries" were the reason he dropped in the draft -
Derek, your agenda is clear for HH.
Honestly who gives a fuck. Don't you know Jake was the savior? He IS JESUS!
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A stud white running back? Lol. Why don't you ask if he were a unicorn what they would have done?
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There's another good answer and I'm almost postive you are correct about why he went undrafted.HuskyJW said:Chris getting away from his cousin Jordan and his boys would have helped his marketing immensely.....
I still don't believe for one second his "injuries" were the reason he dropped in the draft
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Why do you hate Hugh McElhenny and Mike Vindivich?MikeDamone said:A stud white running back? Lol. Why don't you ask if he were a unicorn what they would have done?
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I don't. But those two wouldn't have beat out any UW starter in the last 30 years.DerekJohnson said:
Why do you hate Hugh McElhenny and Mike Vindivich?MikeDamone said:A stud white running back? Lol. Why don't you ask if he were a unicorn what they would have done?
