Racial inequality in sport leadership: Where are the black managers?

Which number is the percentage of black managers in the top four leagues in English football?

A. 2.17

B. 9.38

C. 26.7

If you answered A you are correct. A survey showed that black and ethnic minority football professionals occupied only 3% of coaching and assorted jobs in England, France and the Netherlands. The irony of having many black players but the shortfall of black managers. Out of 92 professional football clubs in England, only 2 are black. This number only gets worse the further up the command chain.

3 out of 32 head coaches in the NFL are black, in the past 3 years 19 head-coaching positions were available, just two black coaches filled those openings. 70% of players in the NFL are black, number don’t lie!



This isn’t just a problem in football, this is a major problem in all sports all around the world. Sports culture and structure reflects society and has a symbiotic relationship. Sports culture has come a long way from its hegemonic ideologies like black players aren’t smart enough and their inadequacy of leadership. However, these ideologies are still responsible for the inequality and lack of black managers in sport and in society today.

Is football racist?

The problem starts at the top with institutional forms of racism. The UEFA Executive Committee have no black people on the panel. In the 2018-19 season home office statistics show that there has been a 47% increase in football hate crimes but alarmingly also a decrease in arrests and banning orders. The people in charge of football who are making the decisions to combat racism have never experienced racism and do not have the expertise to make important decisions. This system deters black people from leadership roles. Research shows the dominance of white men in most powerful positions in football is due to the system which preserves white nomination for authoritative leadership roles thus creating this lack of diversity in boardrooms.

“it really has not much to do with nationality of the coach. It’s the competence of the coach. If we have a Ghanaian coach who can win a tournament, great. If we have a European, it’s great too” said Kwesi Nyantakyi the former president of the Ghana FA. Some argue that the lack of black managers isn’t due to prejudice but is down to the fact that owners must put the best and most qualified people in the right positions. Becoming a qualified coach and getting a job is difficult enough but when you don’t even get a chance! Having whiteness seems to be an essential precondition to becoming a manager. Black coaches and managers are going into interviews feeling like they don’t have a chance.

Frey & Eitzen suggest that racial discrimination exists in society, so it must also exist in sports as sport culture is a mirror of society. They believe black people don’t have the same opportunities and do not receive similar awards for the same performance as white people. Also stating that a black prospect for a lucrative career beyond sport participation is dismal. They conducted their research in 1991 but has anything changed? If they were to replicate their research today would they get the same results?

Does the Rooney rule work?

For those unfamiliar with this rule, in 2003 the NFL created a policy names after Dan Rooney former Chairmen of NFL’s diversity committee which requires that teams interview at least one minority candidate for any head coaching job vacancy. When the rule was implemented there were 3 black head coaches in the NFL. It is now 2020 and nothing has changed! The FA implemented their own Rooney rule in 2018, attempting to boost diversity in the game.

The Rooney rule is broken and needs to be changed as the NFL and English football has seen a decrease in black managers. The inventors of the Rooney rule have now planned to re-evaluate the rule. A study shows that the rule has had a soft (little to none) effect on minority hiring in leadership roles in sport. One of the reasons being that the paths to becoming a manager are staggeringly white.

Out of 30 teams in the NBA, 8 managers are black. This is isn’t as alarming as other leagues as they are statistically the most diverse league. What are they doing that other leagues aren’t?



What needs to change?

I believe there still is racism in football as from my own experience as the U15 Kingstonian Youth Team Manager, I witness the dearth of black leadership. Most BAME coaches in the league (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) were assistant coaches apart from myself. I believe this problem should be a priority for the sports world as it sends the wrong message. Sport can be used to combat racism and create more opportunities for BAME people. If sports continue to lack BAME managers and head coaches, there will be a lack of role models for BAME people to search for other avenues other than participation. In 2020 we need to have more athletes speak out against racism and other contemporary issues in sport. Whistle blowers need to treated better to allow more whistle blower such as icons like Stephen A, Jay-Z and players such as Danny Rose. These icons can inspire those around them, including people like myself.

Changes need to be made in governance and policies to address racial inequality in sport. But is leadership the key to tackling inequality? Yes, leaders need to start taking accountability, but clubs shouldn’t wait for the system to change. They need to take it into their own hands and have the courage to make their own decisions. This will be important to shape the framework for equality in sport by creating new sporting cultures.

Have you ever experienced racism in your sport? What can we do to prevent this from happening in future?

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