The number of prospects who were the children of former NBA stars highlighted a trend during the NBA draft A growing number of professional athletes are the offspring of professional athletes who have the resources and knowledge to pass on what they know. Who knows if it applies to breaking down the front doors of sports front offices in the US. Black people are not often given the chance to advance within the executive corridors of billion dollar franchises. The San Jose Sharks have a new general manager. Grier is the first African American general manager in NHL history.
Chris Grier is the general manager of the Miami Dolphins, as well as the son of a long-time NFL personnel man. Bobby is a high-ranking employee. In the late ‘90s, Bill Parcells made a joke about buying the groceries after clashing with Grier over the selection of Terry Glenn. Another rare occurrence in the NFL is the owner siding with a player. Only a few black families in sports have been able to do that.
The front offices of pro sports league offices are filled with the offspring of white NFL executives. The son of a legendary Packers general manager is in charge of scouting for another team. He was a candidate for the Vikings and Bears. He will be the leader of an NFL franchise in the near future.
Getting fast-tracked through the coaching ranks is dependent on family ties. The majority of the coaches in the history of the league have been black.
The 59-year-old coach of the Minnesota Vikings, who is black, shared duties with his son, who is also black, in the year 2019. The small sample size of Black NFL coaches makes it hard for them to keep an eye on their kids.
The move of black athletes to front offices began in 1972 when Wayne Embry took over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Braves general manager in 1979 was Bill Lucas. Newsome was promoted from within by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002, six years after he had assumed most of the chores associated with being a general manager and two years after he was an executive of the year.
It isn't to say that Mike or Chris are not qualified. Their father Bobby gave them the blueprints. Chris worked his way up the executive ladder after spending four years as a scout for the New EnglandPatriots. In addition to his time in the NHL, Mike Grier served in a number of personnel roles. Even if Bobby wasn't able to become an NFL franchise's chief grocery shopper, he was still able to help them ascend the corporate ladder.
There is a single black family that spans multiple generations in pro sports. It has been difficult to get into the NBA front offices because of the number of black head coaches whose sons have followed in their footsteps. This isn't necessarily a case of cronyism. Ranadive recently named his unqualified daughter as assistant general manager of the Kings G-League team.
Bill Lucas, the brother of Hank Aaron, is the closest thing to the Griers in MLB.
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