Richard Lapchick is a human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, expert on sports issues, scholar and author.
Opportunities for people of color and women to be hired in college sports are not where they need to be. If the current state of diversity at the NCAA headquarters is to be seen as a model for diversity, equity and inclusion at member institutions, it needs to be improved. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida has published a report on the need for diversity in sport.
The positions of chancellor/president, athletic director and faculty athletic representative at the 130 institutions that compete in football were graded by the FBS Leadership Report Card. The report didn't grade the head coaches, student-athletes, assistant coaches or conference commissioners.
For the second year in a row, colleges and universities in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision scored a B- for racial hiring practices and an F for gender hiring practices. Division I schools scored a combined D+, which is the worst of all the racial and gender report cards.
White men continue to dominate the leadership positions at colleges and universities, which is the reason for the poor grades. White men held 67.7%, 74.6% and 49.6% of these positions. White people held 83.9% of the positions.
The idea of hiring someone with the right fit is one of the challenges that I have seen throughout my career in college sport. Positive synergies for organizational growth and development are created by the difference that diverse organizations seek and embrace.
The schools received a B for race and an F for gender in the category of chancellors and presidents, as well as a B for race and an F for gender in the athletic directors position. The racial hiring for presidents dropped from a B in 2020 to a B in 2021, and the faculty athletic representatives fell from a B in 2020 to a B in 2021.
In order to achieve true equity and inclusion, there must be diverse voices at the table.
The NCAA has struggled for decades with this issue, as the majority of those who sit in the seats of power within institutions are still white men. There is still a huge lack of people of color in college sports despite the fact that the ball fields, arenas and courts are filled with black and brown faces as players. The gap needs to be closed so that more people with authority and the ability to create opportunities can be included in the economic success of the NCAA. Dr. Lapchick's research confirms the need for improved hiring practices and more intentional policies of inclusion to ensure that we can begin moving closer to true equity and greater opportunity in life beyond the playing field.
The hiring of athletic directors and head coaches would likely be more diverse if there were more diversity in university leadership positions.
There was a slight increase in the representation of people of color at the head football coaching position in 2021, but the overall number of football head coaches of color remained low. The number of football head coaches of color increased from 21 in 2020 to 23 in 2021. Football student-athletes of color make up 62.1% of that figure. Only 10% of head coaches are black, compared to 48.7% of football student athletes who are black.
There was some improvement in the representation of football head coaches of color and football student-athletes of color. The percentage of football head coaches of color increased from 16.2% in 2020 to 17.7% in 2021.
The number of Latino head coaches increased by one in 2021. Dave Aranda at the University of Miami, Danny Gonzales at the University of New Mexico, Marcus Arroyo at UNLV, Mario Cristobal at the University of Oregon, and Andy Avalos at the University of Idaho identify as Latino.
The Russell Rule is named after Bill Russell, the legendary Boston Celtics star and coach, and is being considered by several conferences. The Russell Rule is a mandate. The Eddie Robinson Rule is an adaptation of what I have been suggesting for nearly 20 years. Both rules are based on the Rooney Rule. The NCAA said that its member institutions wouldn't approve such a rule. I don't care what they call it. Positive change would be spurred by any of the three R Rules. Real change will be hard without it.
The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 has made significant changes possible. The NCAA hasn't moved on adopting such a rule.
Five years ago, the NCAA adopted a pledge to promote diversity and gender equity. More than 800 schools and over 100 conferences have signed the pledge. It has no teeth and sounds promising. The representation of women in leadership positions on campus decreased slightly. The percentage of leadership positions in athletics held by people of color went from 17.5% to 17.7% over the course of the year.
The former U.S. Secretary of Education told me that the racial and gender hiring statistics are terrible. Duncan said college sports should create a policy mandating diverse pools of candidates for major positions. This has become even more important during the racial discussion.
I believe that there is a lot of movement for change because of the racial reckoning. Athletes on college campuses are speaking out for social justice. I believe we will see real change if they direct that positive energy to campus hiring practices. We need their voices more than ever, and I believe they will embrace this issue. We will know soon.
Alan Owens and Theriot Jr. made contributions.
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport is at the University of Central Florida. He is the author of 17 books and the president of the Institute for Sport and Social Justice. He is a regular commentator on diversity in sport. Follow him on social media.
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