Jay-Z asked if he would rather be underpaid or overpaid. Black coaches are both underpaid and under appreciated, and that option has rarely presented itself. Mel Tucker and Michigan State are going to change that.
The price tag for a Black coach at Texas A&M was raised to $30 million in six years, but the Spartans are willing to give Tucker a 10-year extension. Tucker will become the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten and the highest-paid African-American head coach in all of American sports if he accepts.
The Detroit Free Press has this.
According to USA TODAY records, Tucker would be the highest-paid Black head coach in American sports, passing David Shaw. The highest-paid black coach in the NBA is Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers, while the highest-paid black coach in the NFL is Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tucker will make more money than John Calipari and Tom Izzo. Tucker will make more money than any other coach in the league besides Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Sean Payton.
Maryland coach Mike Locksley told the Detroit News earlier this year about the three recent Black head coaches that lost their jobs on the FBS level.
The numbers are pathetic, as they point out the racist notions that have always been the underside of sports. When it comes to coaching, being a general manager or owner, or leading a team like a quarterback, Black bodies are often seen as being good enough to play the game while entertaining the white mass. There is a reason why Lamar Jackson is ignored, watered-down, and disrespected.
For a large number of people walking this Earth, they don't have an issue with the disparity when it comes to the lack of Black coaches in sports where Black people make up the majority of the workforce. The people are the problem. If you don't agree that more of them should be coaching it, it proves that you don't believe we have the intelligence that is required and that we should only be considered as entertainment.
It has meant the world to me. Being able to see someone that looks like you is very important, Sebastian Joseph-Day told me days before Super Bowl LIII. Diversity is important in any aspect of sports and the workplace. That is important for our youth so that they never stay one-track-minded.
He said that black coaches taught him how to do the right things on and off the field. All my coaches are black, white, Latino and I have had it all. It is important for our youth to have that because it shapes their minds and how they see the world.
Tucker's impending deal is important because of this. Not because a deserving Black coach is finally about to get paid his worth, but because of the potential it could have on how Black coaches will be perceived and valued. Michigan State is trying to keep Mel Tucker locked up because of rumors that LSU is after him. There could be a bidding war over Tucker's services if the Tigers come with a bigger offer. It is a sight that would be beautiful to see, since hundreds of years ago Black bodies used to be bid over on the auction block, which is why it happened over Black minds.
