I. Introduction
Football has become a thread of the American sports culture. Small towns become infatuated with their hometown high school teams, alumni donate millions and come in droves to see their alma mater on Saturdays, and Sunday afternoons are typically spent on the couch watching multiple games where professional teams battle on the gridiron. Some believe that football has even surpassed baseball as America’s pastime. As evidence, the Super Bowl for the National Football League (NFL) and the National Championship of the collegiate football bowl subdivision (FBS) are consistently the most watched sporting events throughout America. The recent success of both organizations would lead you to believe that their respective organizations have it all figured out, but this rapid growth has left the football world in the dust when it comes to certain aspects. The head coaching jobs at the major levels of college football and the NFL have major diversity issues. Head coaching jobs filled by minorities has been a significant issue over the last decade. In this study I will present the facts of minority issues in both the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision. I will dive into what is the fundamental problem that both of these organizations have faced both in the past and presently. My study involves the analysis of solutions that have been put in place, such as the Rooney Rule, and how effective the solutions have been. In further research I will consider the possibility of new solutions of stopping the current trend. Before I begin I want to iterate that the proceeding developments in this paper are strictly from my research and do not reflect my personal opinions and will ...
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...e discrimination. A similar predicament occurred in the early days of the civil rights movement. Businesses attempted to defend charges of discrimination by stating that they simply were responding to their customers’ racial preferences by not hiring African-Americans. These arguments were quickly shot down in courts, so why do these arguments still possibly play a role in college football? The problem could be pointed at the alumni and boosters who ultimately run the show (Lynch 2013). Universities are very quick to dismiss coaches regardless of race when improvement is not seen instantly. One recent example is the firing of Colorado head coach, Jon Embree, who is also an African-American. Embree was let go after two years and 4-21 record. Floyd Keith of Black Coaches Association says that only having two years to turn around a program is unrealistic (Lynch 2013).
Sport brings different people together and leads to racial diversification. Nevertheless, this article explains and analyses the situations where sport management has ignored the idea of racial diversity. The research revolves around men who are African American. These men have been contributing effectively to the financial stability of sport. However, they were under-represented though they were successful players. The study uses theories such as race relation theory. Arguments suggest for implementation of systematic processes over race-related practices. This hiring practice will adhere to the clear and concise individuals needed for the jobs throughout sport management. The research states that adaptation and dominant groups may still bring about different outcomes to the ethnicity involvement in sport management. This article focuses mainly on how racism in sports industry can be resolved. It describes some solutions, which includes policies and programs for sports organizations. These will help in promoting racial diversity in sport management. This research concluded with the notion of implicating such policies for minimizing racism in the management of sport
The college football world has gone mad. Conferences are doing battle in courtrooms instead of on the football field. Teams are leaving their conferences and throwing tradition and loyalty out the window for a bigger paycheck. The Bowl Championship Series was supposed to end the confusion in the college football post season. It was supposed to crown a true champion. Instead, the B.C.S. has only brought more light to the fact that in college football it is all about money and TV contracts. Teams that have no right going to a major bowl game go because of who they are and, more importantly, who their fans are and how much money the fans are will to spend. Players are failing classes, stealing, doing drugs, breaking almost every law imaginable, and they are still suiting up to play on Saturday. In this new age of college football, there is a man who is as old school as having goal posts right on the goal line. He is short in stature, but he is larger than life. He has given millions of dollars back to his university, and he has put his heart and his soul into molding young me. Joe Paterno has become an icon of college football. In these modern times, however, his morals and his coaching style seem outdated. Now, in the twilight of his career, he has to battle a grueling Big Ten schedule, the media who made him a legend and who are now looking to make him into a fool, and even his once loyal fans who have turned their backs on him. Joe Paterno has his back against the wall; it seems everything is working against him. He could walk away now and forever be remembered as a great football coach, or he can keep running out of that tunnel and work on putting Penn State football back on the map. He can take back the title that is rightfully his, the greatest college football coach of all time. Joe Paterno should remain in charge of the Penn State football program. Along the way, he deserves every Penn State fans support, win or lose.
From what I witnessed in high school football revolves around the school life and the same in college. He is trying to tell us that school is about education not football. “The core mission of our universities is to educate our students, not to entertain them with big-time sports events.” I was disappointed to see how much money is spent on a college football’s team. He stated that the University of Maryland administration is more interested in building a better football team. I hope that’s not where most of my tuition money is going. We are making our universities known for their football teams instead of education. People go to college to learn not to be entertained every weekend by a football team and if you want to watch football stay at home. I want my school to known for having the best education, not the best football
Van Rheenen, Derek. "Exploitation in College Sports: Race, Revenue, and Educational Reward." International Review for the Sociology of Sport 48.5 (2013): 550-71. Print.
This article proposes the idea of what would happen if Black people really embraced the sports world and made that their priority instead of education, “He provides the example of percentages of Black males competing in the NBA (77%), NFL (65%), MLB (15%), and MLS (16%) in comparison to the fact that fewer than 2% of doctors, lawyers, architects, college professors, or business executives are Black males,”. Dr. Robinson brings up the sta…..
Since the 1972 conception of Title IX of the Education Amendments, the number of women participating in intercollegiate athletics has increased five-fold, from fewer than 30,000, to more 150,000 in 2001. However, more than 400 men’s athletics teams have been dismantled since Title IX, the law forbidding sex discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds, became law. Some would say this is due, in part, to Title IX enforcement standards like proportionality. Proportionality requires that an institution’s athletic population must be of an equal ratio to its general student body. Among some of the 400-plus teams dismantled by Title IX are several former Colorado State University teams including wrestling, baseball, gymnastics, men’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis. CSU student athletes no longer sport the opportunity of participating in these activities at the NCAA Division I level, and the days of the student body rooting for their ram teams are gone, possibly forever. Now the search is on to find a solution to the problems associated with Title IX if, indeed, a solution is ultimately necessary.
Over the past 20 years, there has been a major increase in the popularity of college athletes. From 1989 to 2004, there was a 27% increase in ticket revenue (Brown). Despite the rigorous schedules the athletes had, they are still considered just a student. The NCAA cannot continue to allow these schools to work the athletes as much as they do without giving the athletes what they deserve. This is a horrible oppressive system that must be fixed.
If there’s one thing we dread in the summer more than the heat, it’s the afflicting sentiment that surrounds oneself when one is inhibited from experiencing the thrills of football for six long and gruesome months. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football is a part of many Americans’ Saturdays, but to fewer does it mean their lives. Recently coming under debate, many sporting fans and college athletes believe that players should be paid more than just tuition, room, board, and books. Two articles on this issue that bring up valid points worth discussing are Paul Marx’ “Athlete’s New Day” and Warren Hartenstine’s “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid.” From these articles I have found on the basis of logical,
First, illegal recruiting in NCAA athletics is tremendously unethical. “The extremely high stakes of recruiting can sometimes compromise the values that coaches need to teach: honesty, integrity, and loyalty” (Spillane). No matter how high the stakes, there is no reason to put all morals and values aside for the sake of a college sport. Whether it is a low level recruit or a superstar, it all has to deal with the same principle, meaning that if the coach doesn’t regard the two recruits equally he isn’t doing his job right. As expectations for the coach begin to rise and job security decreases, it tempts the coaches to go out and attain the recruits no matter what the cost (Spillane). Although a coach may be susceptible to losing his job, it is better to be fired than to give up all of their morals and integrity. If a person is to give up all of their morals for any reason, it truly shows what type of person they are. Also, as explained in Modern Sports Ethics by Angela Lumpkin, there may not be any moral obligation for a coach or recruiter to make the right choice (66). Therefore, the coach’s character becomes ...
Defending Titles Diversely: A Persuasive Essay about the Lack of Diversity in Sports Many Americans have seen or at least heard of the movie “Remember the Titans.” The classic film focuses on a school that blends black and whites and takes on an African American head coach. The coach knows the importance of winning, but also knows the team must work together to get those wins and have respect for every single person in the locker room. Although coach Boone was still put in a tough situation with the school board and the community, he was able to lead his team, with the help of a white assistant coach, to an undefeated season. The team coming together is exactly what America does with sports.
While these scholars discussed some excellent points about the movie Remember the Titans, they failed to emphasize on the importance of all three debates as a whole in order to have a successful football team. The themes previously stated included the importance of racial interactions, the effects sports have on a community, and also the importance of leadership on a sports team. These three themes all have to do with what it takes to have a successful football team back in the day while dealing with racism. Each scholar includes their thoughts on why their theme gives the team the best chance to win. These themes play an important role on the football team itself, however they also play a huge role on the community as well. What these themes
It has taken many years for women to gain a semblance of equality in sports. Throughout history, women have been both excluded from playing sports and discriminated against in sports. Men’s sports have always dominated the college athletic field, but women were finally given a fighting chance after Title IX was passed. Title IX, among other things, requires scholarships to be equally proportioned between men and women’s sports. Although this was a huge gain for women, gender inequality still exists in sports today. An example of this persisting inequality can be seen when looking at men’s baseball and women’s softball. In college, baseball and softball are both major NCAA sports. It is widely accepted throughout today’s society that baseball is a man’s sport, and softball is a woman’s sport. Very few people question why the two sexes are separated into two different sports, or wonder why women play softball instead of baseball. Fewer people know that women have been essentially excluded from playing baseball for a long time. This paper will focus on why softball has not changed the way women’s basketball has, why women continue to play softball, the possibilities and dynamics of women playing baseball with and without men, and the most discriminating aspect of women being banned from playing professional baseball.
Historical and sociological research has shown, through much evidence collection and analysis of primary documents that the American sporting industry can give an accurate reflection, to a certain extent, of racial struggles and discrimination into the larger context of American society. To understand this stance, a deep look into aspects of sport beyond simply playing the game must be a primary focus. Since the integration of baseball, followed shortly after by American football, why are the numbers of African American owners, coaches and managers so very low? What accounts for the absence of African American candidates from seeking front office and managerial roles? Is a conscious decision made by established members of each organization or is this matter a deeper reflection on society? Why does a certain image and persona exist amongst many African American athletes? Sports historians often take a look at sports and make a comparison to society. Beginning in the early 1980’s, historians began looking at the integration of baseball and how it preceded the civil rights movement. The common conclusion was that integration in baseball and other sports was indeed a reflection on American society. As African Americans began to play in sports, a short time later, Jim Crow laws and segregation formally came to an end in the south. Does racism and discrimination end with the elimination of Jim Crow and the onset of the civil rights movement and other instances of race awareness and equality? According to many modern sports historians and sociologists, they do not. This paper will focus on the writings of selected historians and sociologists who examine th...
The movie I decided to analyze was Remember the Titans. I examined the dilemmas and ethical choices that were displayed throughout the story. In the early 1970s, two schools in Alexandria Virginia integrate forming T.C. Williams High School. The Caucasian head coach of the Titans is replaced by an African American coach (Denzel Washington) from North Carolina, which causes a fury among white parents and students. Tensions arise quickly among the players and throughout the community when players of different races are forced together on the same football team. Coach Boone is a great example of a leader. He knows he faces a tough year of teaching his hated team. But, instead of listening to the hating town or administrators, Boone pushes his team to their limits and forces good relationships between players, regardless of race. His vision for the team involves getting the players concerned in what the team needs to become, and not what it is supposed to be; a waste. Boone is a convincing leader with a brutal, boot camp approach to coaching. He believes in making the players re-build themselves as a team. When Boone says, You will wear a jacket, shirt, and tie. If you don't have one buy one, can't afford one then borrow one from your old man, if you don't have an old man, then find a drunk, trade him for his. It showed that he was a handy Craftsman and wanted done what he wanted done no matter what it took.During training camp, Boone pairs black players with white players and instructs them to learn about each other. This idea is met with a lot of fighting, but black linebacker Julius Campbell and stubborn white All-American Gerry Bertier. It was difficult for the players to cope with the fact they had to play with and compete with ...
In a society filled with people that strongly believe that sports is an industry that is removed and immune from the ills of the world—racism. Many fans and spectators of sports, such as baseball, basketball, football, and many other sports that include players of different races and ethnicities considers that racism is a thing of the past because of the inclusion and acceptance of all races in different sports. However, the misconception of living in a post-racial (colorblind) world is prevalent. Even though racial discrimination in sports and society in general, are not overt as in the past, racism continues to plague the industry. Regardless of fans and spectators wanting to ignore the racial biases and discrimination in the sports industry,