Staff Reports
The drama around NFL head coach hiring practices has hit a fever pitch, spotlighting a glaring statistic: zero out of ten new head coaching vacancies were filled by black candidates. Now, isn’t that a juicy morsel for the race-fixated media? Of course, this has riled up the usual suspects, including ESPN, which, as usual, is quick to remind us of the looming specter of racism. The narrative is as predictable as an old rerun – NFL is painted as a caste system clinging to outdated norms, despite its overwhelmingly diverse player base.
Take a step back, and one might notice an inconvenient truth: the NFL is a place where black athletes and staff are more than well represented. Roughly 70% of the players and a hefty percentage of assistant coaches are African-American, stunningly overrepresented relative to the general population. Yet, the orchestrated outrage machine hums along briskly, pretending this fact does not exist. The fixation on the racial makeup of head coaches begs the question: is this push for ‘diversity’ truly about diversity or something else entirely?
Logic would suggest that if increasing diversity is the goal, the overrepresentation of black individuals in the NFL needs addressing. And yet, we don’t hear cries for more Asian, Hispanic, or, heaven forbid, white representation on the field. What’s coming from the lip service of diversity is a desire for ‘less white,’ a catchphrase cloaked under the banner of inclusion. The implication is clear: until every position meets an undefined but intuitively felt quota, there will be no peace.
Roger Goodell chimed in, acknowledging that progress is needed but failed to answer the crucial question—what exactly is the issue with the current hires? Are these newly appointed coaches not qualified, or are they just the wrong color? The media doesn’t dig here, leaving a trail of unanswered questions that discount the skill and competence of those hired based on merit and achievement rather than ticking a metaphorical checkbox.
This obsession with race does serve one purpose beautifully—it diverts attention from actual skill and competence. Imagine the uproar if the demand for diversity took precedence over getting the most qualified individuals in those roles. Fans want results, and the bottom line is performance, not the color of the person leading the team. The crux of the matter remains unasked and unanswered, hiding behind the blaring call for justice—a call that sounds suspiciously hollow when scrutinized deeply.
The NFL is criticized for virtue signaling about Black History while those complaining overlook the irony of their demands. If true diversity were realized in the NFL, based on actual societal proportions, we’d see a vastly different makeup on the field and off it—a reality that seems far removed from the real agenda being pushed. Instead of fanning the flames of baseless accusations and compiling lists of ‘should-have-beens,’ perhaps focusing on celebrating the talent already richly present in the league could serve as a bridge to genuine understanding. Otherwise, it just becomes a never-ending cycle of blame without a proper game plan.
