“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet”, Maya Angelou (Motsitsi, 2016). Unfortunately, racism and racial discrimination exist everywhere, including sport. The following two articles discuss racial in equity in sports, specifically, in college football, where African American coaches are underrepresented. Each article addresses the issue of racial equity from both end of the spectrum; the hiring process to the firing process. Finally, each article offers explains the impact of racial equity in college and offers solutions.
A study by Kopkin (2014) examined the impact of race on the firing of black head coaches in major college football. The objective of the study was to show how African American coaches …show more content…
To understand the Black coaches’ plight, it is important to understand the current landscape of college football. Kokpin (2014) explains “in 2002, there were only four Black head coaches at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, and as recently as 2008, there were just five, while around 50% of FBS football student-athletes in each year were Black”. Kopkin (2014) then states the following three reason why African American coaches are not hired in the first place: 1) there are very few minority athletic directors or school presidents, who are responsible for hiring head coaches, 2) there are very few minority head coaching candidates in the pipelines and 3) there may be racial discrimination against Black head coaches at FBS schools because Black coaches are more likely to be fired. Kopkin (2014) disproves Mason and Trevino and Holmes studies, which respectively state, that Black coaches face a lower dismissal probability than white coaches and the dismissal probability for Black coaches is only higher than that of white coaches in year seven and eight. As result, Kopkin’s (2014) model shows that Black coaches do not receive the same opportunities as their white counterparts, thus leading to failure and then fired based on racial attitudes likely present upon hiring. Kopkin (2014) concludes, “more NCAA oversight in the hiring and firing of head football coaches at FBS intuitions may be
A study by Kopkin (2014) examined the impact of race on the firing of black head coaches in major college football. The objective of the study was to show how African American coaches …show more content…
To understand the Black coaches’ plight, it is important to understand the current landscape of college football. Kokpin (2014) explains “in 2002, there were only four Black head coaches at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, and as recently as 2008, there were just five, while around 50% of FBS football student-athletes in each year were Black”. Kopkin (2014) then states the following three reason why African American coaches are not hired in the first place: 1) there are very few minority athletic directors or school presidents, who are responsible for hiring head coaches, 2) there are very few minority head coaching candidates in the pipelines and 3) there may be racial discrimination against Black head coaches at FBS schools because Black coaches are more likely to be fired. Kopkin (2014) disproves Mason and Trevino and Holmes studies, which respectively state, that Black coaches face a lower dismissal probability than white coaches and the dismissal probability for Black coaches is only higher than that of white coaches in year seven and eight. As result, Kopkin’s (2014) model shows that Black coaches do not receive the same opportunities as their white counterparts, thus leading to failure and then fired based on racial attitudes likely present upon hiring. Kopkin (2014) concludes, “more NCAA oversight in the hiring and firing of head football coaches at FBS intuitions may be