• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
    • Become a print subscriber
    • Sign up for e-Newsletter
    • e-Editions
Thursday, September 21, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
No Result
View All Result

College sports leadership like corporate America — mostly White

by Charles Hallman
January 13, 2017
5
SHARES
99
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

 

Those who run college sports are still “overwhelmingly” White and male. Such is the conclusion of the latest report by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) on key leadership positions at Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools and conferences.

There remains a “consistent underrepresentation” of Blacks, other people of color and women. The report shows that 88 percent of college presidents, about 86 percent of athletics directors, 89 percent of faculty athletics representatives (FARs), and 100 percent of FBS conference commissioners are White.

“College sport remains behind professional sports regarding opportunities for women and people of color for the top jobs,” wrote TIDES Director Richard Lapchick, the report’s author, in November.

Dr. Leo Lewis (Photo courtesy of U of M)

It’s worth repeating, however, that this largely explains such a low number of Blacks as head football coaches (13), the schools’ jewel sport and historically the promotional face of big-time college. This position is mostly White mainly because of White influential boosters with antebellum views in this area, which too often proves too high a barrier for prospective Black head coaches hoping to lead a big-time football program.

“Many obstacles remain to African-American coaching advancement, ranging from an overwhelmingly White administrative structure in college athletics to influential boosters who prefer to recycle the same name-brand head coaches,” wrote ESPN’s The Undefeated’s Jesse Washington last month in “An Up-and-Down Year For Black Coaches in College Football.”

But Lapchick annually points out in his college sport leadership studies that it’s not just coaching staffs that lack diversity but also the ones who hire them, and the ones who hire the ones who hire coaches. The low number of Black athletic directors — 13, and none are women — and a low percentage of Blacks as full-time faculty members — around six percent, just under four percent as Black full-time professors — also provide a bleak diversity picture.

At our local big-time university, Minnesota’s athletic and non-athletic administration roster is mainly White as well. A new White football coach was hired last week, which kept its all-White roster of school head coaches intact.

“Minnesota is not unusual. It doesn’t matter where you are, intercollegiate athletics is the same at a lot of these NCAA schools,” noted Dr. Leo Lewis, a former U of M assistant athletic director.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

However, the current priority in college athletics “is making money,” and this rules how diverse college athletics is going to be, said Lewis. “College athletics now reflect corporate America, and the diversity in corporate America reflects the hiring in intercollegiate athletics. Corporate America is primarily headed by White males, and we see that in intercollegiate athletics. I believe diversity hiring just is not a priority. I don’t think that is going to change.”

Lapchick said future TIDES reports “will see what impact” the NCAA Pledge and Commitment to Promoting Diversity and Gender Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics, signed by many presidents in September 2016, will have in improving diversity in campus leadership.

 

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Support Black local news

Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.

Donate Now!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Hopkins grad raises the bar for Northwestern

Next Post

Cartoon of the Week

Charles Hallman

Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

You Might Also Like

Failing grade for college sport’s diversity hiring
Sports

Failing grade for college sport’s diversity hiring

Grady to voice Wolves TV play-by-play
Sports

Grady to voice Wolves TV play-by-play

MLB’s racial, gender hiring earn mediocre grades 
Sports

MLB’s racial, gender hiring earn mediocre grades 

A rare occasion: three assistant coaches honored
Sports

Sports report card finds racial hiring up, gender hiring down

Social justice commitment graded in NBA report card
Sports

Social justice commitment graded in NBA report card

COVID exacerbates Black-White graduation gaps
Sports

COVID exacerbates Black-White graduation gaps

Next Post
Cartoon of the Week

Cartoon of the Week

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADVERTISEMENT

Upcoming Events

Sep 12
September 12 @ 6:30 pm-December 18 @ 9:30 pm Recurring

Vic Volare Presents MUSIC FOR MARTINIS ft: Vic’s Fabulous Nightclub Academy

Sep 22
September 22 @ 5:00 pm-September 23 @ 8:30 pm

9th Annual Lantern Lighting Celebration at Lakewood Cemetery

Sep 22
7:30 pm-9:00 pm Recurring

Michhil Amra | We Are The Procession

Sep 23
10:00 am-1:00 pm

Expanding Diversity Career Fair

View Calendar
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Read our latest e-Edition!

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Subscribe

  • Home/Office Delivery
  • Weekly e-newsletter
  • e-Editions

Support

  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • MSR Newsstand Locations

Connect

  • About
    • MSR Staff
  • Contact
  • Send a news tip
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

No Result
View All Result
  • News & Features
    • Local
    • National
  • All Sections
    • Arts & Culture
    • Health & Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • MN Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Business
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
      • Small Business Month Celebration
    • Opinion
    • Sports
  • Events
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: