State of the NFL

What better day to talk football than Super Bowl Sunday? But I’m not interested in the game today as much as much as the state of the NFL. In my sports sociology class, we discuss many issues in American sport, including racial issues.

While I hear stories all the time about racially insensitive players, coaches, and fans, I am more concerned with the system. The league as a whole.

After doing some research, I found certain trends in football indicate that some aspects of organized football may be subtly racist. Many have noticed that leadership positions, specifically quarterback, are filled by white players. Maybe this is because of the stereotype that African American players are more athletic while white players are students of the game. Maybe it’s a complete coincidence. But the stats are there.

This article notes a study done by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports that claims even tough a majority of D-1 football players are not white, most leadership roles are performed by white players and coaches.

It’s interesting that the article brings up coaches. I think as long as we’re discussing the decision makers in football and questioning their racial diversity, we should examine the coaches.

It took until 1989, when Art Shell was chosen for the Raiders job, for an African American to become a head coach in the NFL. Since then 13 more have earned stints, including two Super Bowl winners. Recently more African Americans have been given the opportunity to coach at the NFL level, but still, there were only six in 2010, compared to 26 white coaches.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports also notes in its annual NFL Racial and Gender Report Card that all of the NFL majority owners are white; The people who make the real decisions and control the entire system.

Even though a majority of the actual NFL players are minorities, most everyone in control of the league is white. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but the trends could suggest otherwise.