It seems Terry Bowden thinks there are not enough black NCAA football coaches.
What does he suggest to solve this problem? Affirmative action of course!
Apparently, 53% of the athletes being black, 25% of assistant coaches being black and only 3% of head coaches being black (for 117 schools in Division 1-A this is), automatically means discrimination. Apparently, there isn't a "level playing field."
Here is my questions: How many black athletes apply as assistant coaches? How many black assistant coaches subsequently apply to be head coaches? And most importantly, how many white coaches beat out more qualified black coaches?
These are the questions that should be asked when determining discrimination. Not how many are currently serving in these positions.
A good example of a similar situation:
When I was in high school I worked at a Chick-Fil-A and we were very close to a predominantly black part of town, yet we had only 2 (of about 30) black employees. Was this racism on anyone's part? No, we simply did not attract a lot of black applicants. But the McDonald's next door did. They were 100% black employees, with a white owner. By the time I left, the number of black applicants was up as was the number of black employees, including the General Manager being black.
I've got an idea for a level playing field: how about we hire people based on there qualifications and accomplishments, not based on their race. If that isn't level, then I don't know what is.
As for encouraging black atheletes to apply to be coaches, I have a better idea:
How about we encourage them to do what they want to do! If they don't know, then say to them "You know, I think you might make a good coach." But even then, only if you believe that.
I say that last part, because we should not be encouraging people to do something just to do it. We should encourage directed people in the direction they want to go, and undirected people either in a direction we think they would be good at, or in the direction of someone who can give them direction.
So there Terry, how do you like that playing field?
Posted by Skywalker at July 11, 2005 11:03 PMthis is the story on black coaches