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I have been intrigued by the NFL playoffs and fascinated by the league-sponsored commercials that feature African Americans speaking about the need for equal access and social justice. The irony of the commercials is that one of the great injustices is taking place within the very league that supports these messages.
I’m talking about the NFL’s chronic failure to consistently hire African Americans as head coaches.
This failing illuminates the league’s enormous challenge as it assumes the daunting task of leveling the playing field when it comes to hiring Black coaches. The task involves overcoming decades of systemic racism, exclusion, entitlement and privilege.
As the new hiring cycle begins and teams look to fill eight coaching vacancies, the NFL has hit a new low: Only one of the league’s 32 teams has a Black head coach.
I have written about this issue for decades and compared notes with colleagues. The names have changed, but the system has not.
Indeed, covering the NFL’s racial blind spot has become an annual ritual, one that highlights the league’s unique ability to compartmentalize: It can support social justice initiatives even as it maintains a strict, predominantly white hierarchy that runs the league. Read more.