While Latinos took center stage at Super Bowl, Hall of Fame snubs coach Tom Flores | Opinion
While Jennifer Lopez and Shakira took center stage at the Super Bowl on Sunday, one of the all-time NFL greats, Coach Tom Flores — winner of four Super Bowl rings — was once again denied his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
As the NFL celebrates its 100th season, the Pro Football Hall of Fame failed to select four-time Super Bowl champion Tom Flores to the 2020 class of honorees. It marks the second time Flores made the list of finalists and was snubbed — even after the number was expanded by 20 inductees in this year’s “Centennial Slate.”
Excluding his story from the Hall of Fame adds to the nation’s history of ignoring the significant contributions Latinos have made to America. Flores should be immortalized in Canton, Ohio. Without doing so, the story of the NFL is simply incomplete.
The Tom Flores’ story could not be better written for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The evidence is clear in both his coaching and playing career. Flores broke barriers as the first Latino starting quarterback and first head coach of color in the NFL. He is the fifth-leading passer in the American Football League. Flores also made history as the first person ever to win a Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach and head coach, capturing two of those world championships with the Oakland Raiders. Despite his unmatched track record, he was passed over again for the Hall of Fame.
If the NFL wants to attract more Latinos to the sport, it should start by giving youth the opportunity to see people who look like them on the playing field, coaching on the sidelines and immortalized in the Hall of Fame. The opportunity to do so is there, now more than ever. The NFL’s Latino viewership jumped by 28 percent from 2011 to 2016. Yet, Latinos make up less than 1 percent of NFL rosters, with only 16 out of the 1,696 players being of Hispanic origin last season. Among the 32 teams, there are only three minority head coaches; only one is Latino. This number is down from a record eight minority coaches in 2018. It is a disservice and slap in the face to the NFL’s 25 million Latino fanbase.
The disrespectful exclusion of Flores from the Pro Football Hall of Fame is an example of a national trend that extends far beyond sports. As the youngest population in America, with 61 percent 35 years or younger, Latinos contribute $2.13 trillion to the U.S. economy. The NFL is now trying to tap into the Latino’s $1.7 trillion purchasing power, increasing its Hispanic TV ad spending by 65 percent from 2010 to 2015.
However, loyalty and respect cannot be bought.
The stories of outstanding Latino leaders, inspiring heroes and trailblazers need to be told. The next generation deserves to see role models who look like them in the media, history books — and the Hall of Fame.
It’s long overdue for David Baker, Pro Football Hall of Fame president, and the selection committee to right this wrong.
Mickey Ibarra was assistant to the president and director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House under President Bill Clinton.