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As a black American, I can't wait to sit before a television set with my double cheeseburger, my ketchup-and-mustard-covered hotdog, my crunchy chips, and my bottle of beer and watch the Super Bowl this year.

And yes, if you haven't heard yet, I am excited because Super Bowl XLI will be the first in history to feature two black coaches—Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith, coach of the Chicago Bears. (See also: 2 Black Coaches at the Super Bowl—Yes, It's a VERY Big Deal) For me and the millions of other black people who will watch the game, that means freedom.

Freedom from what, you might ask? Well, because Super Bowl XLI will feature the play-calling of two black men, I won't have to worry about whether or not the intellectual capacity of black men will come into question if the black coach loses. I can sit back, eat, drink and be merry with the rest of Latino, Asian and white America.

Black Americans, for generations, have dealt with the racial stereotyping—we all do this or that depending on what the non-black person saw a black person do. If they saw the black person do something bad, then it's almost definitely an indication of failings of the black race. So if one black person can't swim, then all black people can't swim. If one black woman is falsely identified as cheating the welfare system, then all black women cheat the welfare system. If one black quarterback is celebrated in the press, then it's because he's black and not because his play was deserving, etc.

Stereotypes do sometimes work the other way—if one black person is good at something, then all black people have a chance to be good at that thing as well. But unless it's dancing, singing, or playing basketball or football, I rarely come across that stereotype.

And the most depressing part of stereotypes is when the target group starts to believe them. Too many black friends tell me what black people don't do instead of telling me what black people do. Too many black people let stereotypes decide their fate and keep them out of certain arenas than chose to prove they as black people can do anything well.

External stereotypes and internal stereotypes won't matter at Super Bowl XLI though. This year, I'll sit back with my black, Asian-American, Latino and white friends and know that no one can question whether the black coach made the right or wrong decision because he's from an inner-city school or lacks leadership skills, or because he's more of a motivator who can relate to the black players but not a pigskin tactician. Because two black head coaches will be working the sidelines Super Bowl Sunday, the social field of play in that stadium will truly be level.

Undoubtedly, a black coach will lose. But just as surely, a black coach will win. And neither will win or lose because they are black. I don't know any other event in my short time on this earth that has afforded me this freedom as a black person!

White people get that freedom all the time. Almost every time a coach or corporate chieftain flubs a call and loses a game or bilks thousands of people out of millions of dollars, there's another example of a good white person doing the same job and doing it right. The diversity within the white community is so ubiquitous that very rarely do white folk find themselves "representing their race." White folks' good or bad actions are simply that—actions by individuals and not the whole group. Black people usually don't get that freedom. But rest assured I will enjoy it on Super Bowl Sunday.

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