National Football League has been a mainstay in American sports for quite some time. It has had many positive impacts on our society, however, we will explore how minority professional football players are unfairly targeted. This has occurred by a host of entities both inside and outside of the league. We will examine employer drug testing, stereotypes by the media and how law enforcement unfairly target athletes through unfair practices.
The NFL’s has more than approximately 1700 players that are predominantly African-American or roughly about 68%, but when it comes to being in a position of leadership or decision making, those numbers are disproportionate. The racial breakdown of the NFL statistically is “African American players currently …show more content…
When we look at the number of team leadership positions, the numbers speak for themselves, “African American General Managers increased to 7 from 6 in 2013” out of 32 teams. In fact, there has never been an African American NFL franchise owner since the inception of the league as they have to be voted in by the current NFL ownership. “The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL franchise to have a majority owner that are African American. Shahid Khan, a Pakistani-born American businessman, joined NFL ownership in 2012”(Thomas, 2014, para. 2). At the time of this article, there were currently 4 Black head coaches in the NFL out of 32. Minorities dominate in the field, but when it comes to leadership and decision-making positions, the numbers drop to a disproportionately low quantity for minorities compared to whites.The NFL has a hiring policy for head coaching positions it is called the “Rooney Rule” named after the famous Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney. It states that all NFL teams who have a vacancy for the head coaching position must interview at least 1 minority before making a final …show more content…
This also hurts the athletes as it relates to his brand for endorsement, including the risk of losing them. It has slanted society’s perception that it is the minorities who are getting in trouble. Often it is the minority athlete who is spoken of negatively in the news or on social media. “More than likely the images and names conjured up when speaking of athletes in trouble are of Blacks and other athletes of color, not the Tom Bradys, Ben Roethlisberger 's of the athletic world who work alongside the Black standouts” (Muhammad, 2009)Dr. Richard Lapchick, Director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central states presents the media has produced two types of perceptions about minority athletes that in general they are prone to violence against females and use drugs and that blacks athletes are black athletes are prone to do both (Muhammad, 2009)Many black athletes are targeted because of their celebrity status and their ability to have a positive impact on black youth. A majority of minority pro football players come from disadvantaged homes where they have been subjected to crime, adverse conditions and tend to respond in unconventional ways. Minorities who stand up for the belief of unfair treatment are crucified in the media, because it seems they are challenging the authority of white
The NFL’s has more than approximately 1700 players that are predominantly African-American or roughly about 68%, but when it comes to being in a position of leadership or decision making, those numbers are disproportionate. The racial breakdown of the NFL statistically is “African American players currently …show more content…
When we look at the number of team leadership positions, the numbers speak for themselves, “African American General Managers increased to 7 from 6 in 2013” out of 32 teams. In fact, there has never been an African American NFL franchise owner since the inception of the league as they have to be voted in by the current NFL ownership. “The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL franchise to have a majority owner that are African American. Shahid Khan, a Pakistani-born American businessman, joined NFL ownership in 2012”(Thomas, 2014, para. 2). At the time of this article, there were currently 4 Black head coaches in the NFL out of 32. Minorities dominate in the field, but when it comes to leadership and decision-making positions, the numbers drop to a disproportionately low quantity for minorities compared to whites.The NFL has a hiring policy for head coaching positions it is called the “Rooney Rule” named after the famous Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney. It states that all NFL teams who have a vacancy for the head coaching position must interview at least 1 minority before making a final …show more content…
This also hurts the athletes as it relates to his brand for endorsement, including the risk of losing them. It has slanted society’s perception that it is the minorities who are getting in trouble. Often it is the minority athlete who is spoken of negatively in the news or on social media. “More than likely the images and names conjured up when speaking of athletes in trouble are of Blacks and other athletes of color, not the Tom Bradys, Ben Roethlisberger 's of the athletic world who work alongside the Black standouts” (Muhammad, 2009)Dr. Richard Lapchick, Director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central states presents the media has produced two types of perceptions about minority athletes that in general they are prone to violence against females and use drugs and that blacks athletes are black athletes are prone to do both (Muhammad, 2009)Many black athletes are targeted because of their celebrity status and their ability to have a positive impact on black youth. A majority of minority pro football players come from disadvantaged homes where they have been subjected to crime, adverse conditions and tend to respond in unconventional ways. Minorities who stand up for the belief of unfair treatment are crucified in the media, because it seems they are challenging the authority of white