Section Three: 67% of the players in the National Football League (NFL) are African American yet only 12% of head coaches are African American. Use class material to discuss this discrepancy.

African American people are considered to be what is referred to as an ethnic group. An ethnic group is a category of people regarded as socially distinct because they share a way of life and a commitment to the things that constitute that life. In most cases, and specifically in American sports, African Americans are also considered a minority group, a socially identified collection of people who experience discrimination, suffer social disadvantages, etc. In the NFL, 67% of the players are African American, while only 12% of the head coaches are African American. This discrepancy can be related to many potential causes. There is a race logic, a belief that there are important biological and cognitive differences between blacks and whites. There are many generalizations attributed to the success of African American athletes such as the idea that there is something genetically different between whites and blacks, giving blacks an advantage. Because of these generalizations, one could assume the possibility that there are more black players in the NFL than coaches, because African Americans are generally better suited to be athletes. A more sociological way of looking at this discrepancy could be to consider racial stacking. In sports, minority group members are assigned specific team roles, and are excluded from competing for other roles. Typically, the white players in a sports league are given the central positions, or the decision making roles. For example, in football, it is more common to see a white player be positioned as a quarterback than a black player. Whereas, the black players of any given sports league are typically given the peripheral positions, the positions involving a lot of running, jumping, and generally reactive roles (such as wide receiver, etc.) This, of course, has many consequences. It reinforces stereotypes such as white people are given the central roles because they are better at thinking, for example. This may apply to the position of coaching as well, which helps explain the absence of African American coaches in the NFL. Finally, one may argue that this statistic could be explained by social structure constraints. It is quite more common for a young, African American male to see his ethnic group represented in the media through the positions of athletes, rappers, etc. So, typically, he will then go on to view these celebrities as role-models, placing upon him the ambition to strive to become either a rapper, athlete, etc. Because there are not many African American coaches in professional sports, perhaps this causes their numbers to plateau, as not enough African Americans are being exposed to the possibility or the idea to seek a career as a coach. When considering race issues in sports, there are often very many discrepancies, and the ratio of African American players to coaches is only one of the many examples.