America is a diverse society as it is characterized by people across races. Therefore, there is a high possibility that diversity-related issues are likely to be experienced or witnessed in many settings. The US government and organizations have implemented several interventions or measures to enhance diversity in the country. Even though explicit racism has reduced substantially, implicit racism is still common in many sectors and settings in the country, and the world of sport has not been spared either. As a result, lack of diversity in sports has persisted for many years, and the problem is not likely to go away, especially based on the lack of diversity among athletic leadership positions in collegiate athletics (Lapchick, 2017). Many reports and studies have revealed that diversity is lacking in the leadership positions in collegiate athletics, and the trend is likely to continue if appropriate measures are not taken.
First, to explore the level of diversity, it is important to understand the nature of the representation of black coaches in leadership positions in collegiate athletics. According to the report by Lapchick (2017), in 2017, even though some progress has been made, leadership positions in college sports are still dominated by whites. The report shows that white head coaches account for about 86.5%, 87.8%, and 91.6% in Divisions I, II, and III, respectively, especially between 2016 and 2017 (Lapchick, 2017). Conversely, in the same period, African Americans only held 7.6%, 4.4%, and 5.0% of head coaching positions in Division I, II, and III, respectively. The same trend is replicated in the College Associate athletic director positions where whites account for 86.2%, 88.1%, and 93.1% while blacks comprise of 9.5%, 5.7%, and 4.2$ in Division I, II, and III respectively (Lapchick, 2017). Therefore, based on the report, there is no doubt that diversity is an issue in leadership positions in collegiate athletics. The trend is common across key leadership positions, including directors of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), head football coaches, faculty athletic representatives, and conference commissioners.
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It is not only the report by Lapchick (2017) that revealed the underrepresentation of the people from minority racial groups, as well as women, in leadership positions in collegiate athletics but also many other reports and surveys. For instance, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) 2017-2018 report showed that 89.2% of college athletic presidents, 83.1% of athletic representatives, and 87.4% of faculty athletics representatives were whites (Lapchick, 2017). Interestingly, whites account for 100% of conference commissioners TIDES report clearly indicated that there is a lack of diversity in leadership positions in collegiate athletics. Although black coaches are underrepresented in key positions, African Americans account for a significant number of players in several athletic games in colleges. For instance, African Americans comprise about 61% of all college football players in the USA (Lapchick, 2017). On the contrary, it is estimated that only 5% of college football coaches are black or people of color. Like black men coaches, the number of women in leadership positions in collegiate athletics is limited. Women only account for 35.7% of total head coaches in different colleges in the USA (Lapchick, 2017). Thus, both racial and gender diversity is lacking in collegiate athletics.
Based on available data and statistics, lack of diversity in leadership positions in collegiate athletics affects black coaches in different ways. For instance, according to Lapchick (2017), a new trend is emerging where black coaches are increasingly being fired and replaced by their white colleagues. Texas, for instance, fired Charlie Strong and replaced him with Tom Herman, and the same trend occurred in Texas A&M when Kevin Sumlin was exchanged for Jimbo Fisher, at the same time, in Mississippi, Sylvester Croom was replaced with Dan Mullen. Based on the analysis that was done by FootballScoop since 2000, only one school has replaced a black coach with another black coach, and that was in East Carolina when Ruffin McNeill was replaced with Scottie Montgomery. Even though the trend is not known to the public, it is increasingly being entrenched in the collegiate athletics. The trend clearly reveals that black coaches are not accorded the same treatment as their white counterparts.
The sucking of Willie Taggart, a black coach in Florida State, attracted public attention because he was believed to be one of the best coaches. It is alleged that Taggart was fired due to his poor performance after leading 21 games (Johnson. 2018). Even though Taggart helped the Seminoles win many games after finding the team struggling when he joined it in 2017, he was accused of poor performance, especially when the Seminoles lost to Miami. His assistant Odell Haggins immediately replaced him. The firing of Taggart was not a surprise to many people because some studies have revealed that black collegiate head coaches have higher risks of being fired compared to their white counterparts, primarily within the first three years of their contracts (Johnson. 2018). Taggart was fired after spending two years with the team.
Also, according to Taggart’s experience, it is clear that black coaches carry more burden than their white colleagues. Black coaches suffer from double consciousness, which ends up affecting their overall performance (Johnson. 2018). They are not only coaches of college teams but also black coaches across different sports in the U.S., mainly based on racism and stereotypes associated with black coaches. Thus, they carry the baggage of being a black coach in a white-dominated society (Johnson. 2018). Taggart encountered explicit racism, which linked his poor performance to his sucking. For instance, Hilton Grand Vacations was forced to fire one of the employees after posting a racist image targeting Taggart on social media. Thus, because of racial discrimination in the appointment of black coaches in various leadership positions, there is a lack of diversity in the main leadership positions in collegiate athletics. Lacks diversity in collegiate athletics is partly contributed by racism.
According to the study that was done by Nutting (2019), the sucking of prominent black coaches like Taggart, which is linked to diversity problem, directly and indirectly, affects the performance and morale of black coaches across the country. The frequent firing makes black coaches feel embattled, leading to poor performance or lack of motivation to steer the team towards success. At the same time, the media is contributing to the common perception that white coaches as better than their white counterparts. The ranking of college coaches by the media and pollsters is mostly based on discrimination (Nutting, 2019). Nutting (2019) also opines that black coaches lead some of the best-ranked teams. As a result, it is essential to critically analyze the performance of black coaches before they are fired. The challenges faced by coaches from minority groups and marginalized people like women are more than those of their white colleagues.
Therefore, the fact that there is no diversity in leadership positions in collegiate athletics cannot be denied. Black coaches hardly account for more than 10% in all the leadership positions, which should be a major concern, especially due to the increasing numbers of people of color in the USA. Currently, African Americans account for more than 13% of the USA’s total population, which should be reflected in the leadership positions in collegiate athletics (Lapchick, 2017). At the same time, the number of black college athletes is higher than their white counterparts, which should be reflected in the leadership positions in various teams. Women have also been left out in the leadership positions in collegiate athletics. The underrepresentation is mainly associated with racism that still remains to be a major problem in the larger American society. Although racism is a major factor, it is essential to have an in-depth understanding of the real causes of the underrepresentation of black coaches in various leadership positions in collegiate athletics.
Based on the findings of the analysis that was done by Mirabito (2012), glass ceiling is one of the main factors contributing to lack of diversity in various leadership positions in collegiate athletics. Glass ceiling is basically defined as artificial barriers that prevent some people, especially those without power from ascending to various managerial positions. Thus, according to the glass ceiling concept, black coaches are disenchanted with the coaching profession due to sustained discrimination and mistreatment (Mirabito, 2012). Glass ceiling is entrenched in collegiate athletics because white coaches dominate the critical decision-making process such as hiring decisions. At the same time, institutional racism is facilitating the glass ceiling in collegiate athletics, leading to the mistreatment and underrepresentation of black coaches. Besides, the underrepresentation is caused by stacking, which prevents black coaches from ascending to central leadership positions in collegiate athletics (Mirabito, 2012). Hence, the challenges faced by black coaches are a structured problem that may not be easy to solve without changing the current system.
However, Cooper, Nwadike & Macaulay (2017) believe that the diversity problem in leadership positions in collegiate athletics can be solved, primarily when colleges or schools are willing to comply with the Rooney Rule, which enhances diversity in the hiring process. The rule requires teams to interview at least one candidate from the minority or marginalized group before a position is filled. Rooney Rule will increase diversity in leadership positions in collegiate athletics. Also, according to Nwadike & Macaulay (2017), to address the problem, colleges should have diversity plans to ensure that both white and black people have the same opportunity to be hired in leadership positions. The problem can be addressed by utilizing strategic and systematic approaches and solutions. Importantly, colleges must be willing to enhance diversity in collegiate athletics.
There is no doubt that black coaches and women are grossly underrepresented among athletic leadership positions in various colleges. Whites dominate leadership positions. Black coaches also undergo many problems, such as racial discrimination and attacks that affect their performance and morale. Lack of diversity in leadership position in collegiate athletics is a structured problem that requires a systematic and structured solution. Colleges must be ready and willing to embrace and implement effective interventions like Rooney Rule while developing diversity action plans. Collegiate teams and athletes are likely to succeed and improve their performance when they embrace diversity and shunning discrimination and mistreatment of black coaches.
References
Cooper, J. N., Nwadike, A., & Macaulay, C. (2017). A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Big-Time College Sports: Implications for Culturally Responsive and Race-Conscious Sports Leadership. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics , 10(1), 204-233.
Johnson. S. (2018, November 29). Willie Taggart and the duality of black college football coaches. The Undefeated . Retrieved from https://theundefeated.com/features/willie- taggart-and-the-duality-of-black-college-football-coaches/
Lapchick, R. (2017). 2017 College Sports: Racial and gender report card. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/media/2017%20College%20Sp ort%20Racial%20and%20Gender%20Report%20Card.pdf
Mirabito, T. (2012). Black coaches trying to make it in a white-dominated Industry: College football and the racial divide. The Sport Journal , 15 (1).
