Hiring Practices for Minorities in College Athletics (Essay Sample)

Hiring Practices for Minorities in College Athletics Student name Institution of affiliation Course number and name Instructor name Assignment due date Hiring Practices for Minorities in College Athletics Introduction The United States is known for its cultural diversity, the reason why it is one of the best destinations for international students and local students from all backgrounds. Most international students prefer enrolling in United States Universities since they are assured that they will feel at home upon their arrival. Any other experiences contrary to their expectations are mostly met with shock and disappointment. Students from other countries expect to meet new friends and learn about new cultures as they interact with individuals in different levels of learning facilities. College and University leaders understand the importance of having diverse members of different groups in their institutions, including bringing value during college years and after graduation. Research has shown that the most culturally diverse universities produce students with the highest problem-solving abilities since they get exposed to different life perspectives, which makes them feel more engaged, impacting positive outcomes. College athletics is one of the college groups that impact student's life and the reputation of higher learning institutions in the United States. It is, therefore, one of the groups that are expected to have the highest levels of cultural diversity. Colleges are expected to have diverse athletic teams since they are the faces of college cultures, and they also represent the wider diverse culture of the United States. It is, therefore, important to assess how colleges hire staff for their athletics teams to understand the challenges, new practices, and regulations that are in place to facilitate cultural diversity in United States colleges. College Athletics lag in Diversity Hiring. One of the indicators of slow progress in implementing diversity in college athletics hiring processes is the recent cases involving discrimination in college athletic teams. Despite the IX civil rights law being introduced almost 50 years ago, little progress has been made in college athletics hiring since most college athletics teams lack equality in terms of the number of female coaches and staff members in teams. The XI federal civil rights law was instituted as part of the educational amendment acts to ensure that people could no longer get excluded from participating in any teams or faculties under the United States educational system. However, female coaches in most college athletic teams have not achieved the expected equality with men since almost 60 percent of women's teams in colleges are still under men's leadership, despite having women capable of managing and leading the teams. In contrast, only less than 4 percent of college male teams have female members in management positions. The slow progress in college athletics hiring is not limited to gender roles in teams; coaches from minority backgrounds are few in college sports in the United States. Recent hiring practices indicate that college athletic teams have yet to understand the importance of diversity in team members since they have not considered inclusivity when hiring coaches and other management members. 2017 was one of the years that exposed the weaknesses in applying diversity policies when hiring and selecting diverse teams. Reports by the diversity and ethics in sports indicate that the 45 years that have passed since the passing of the IX policy have been a loss in terms of diversity since women managers should be in charge of the majority of women's college teams. Most Americans believe that American colleges are places that are supposed to nurture diversity and inclusion and reflect the same to society. However, the current hiring practices have indicated that college athletics teams lack moral athletics and engage in practices that discourage diversity in gender and race. Compared to professional sports, college sports have higher levels of inequality since they are not as closely monitored as national teams, which attract attention from state fans and authorities. Color is also a predominant issue during diversity and minority hiring practices discussions. Research indicates that more than 90 percent of women's and men's college athletic teams currently shave white coaches, and similar statistics can also be seen in faculty members, directors, and information directors. Associate and assistant director positions are also predominantly held by whites, but research shows that women have more opportunities. 2016 was also another year in the sports calendar that saw a decline in the number of African American head coaches in all divisions of college athletics. The 2016 and 2017 statistics indicate a disparity in college athletics hiring is a critical issue that should be addressed since it can spread poor hiring practices in other national teams and other institutions in the country. Ignorance of Minority Hiring Initiatives by College Athletics The Rooney Rule of 2003 is one of the controversial diversity and integration policies introduced to accommodate more minorities into teams. However, most college athletics teams ignored the directives, terming it as a slight token that was introduced to indicate diversity in college athletics hiring, which was mostly nonexistent. The policy required all college teams to include at least one individual from a minority groups during interviewing. Still, it did not state that the college athletic boards needed to hire the interviewed individuals. In 2020, the NFL adopted policies that adhered to the Rooney Rule. The policy improved the number of minority team leaders in its teams. Most people hoped that the NCAA would follow suit and increase the number of minority board members and managers in college teams. However, the NCAA ignored the NFL's move and claimed that it would not make it mandatory for college athletics teams to adopt the improved policy. After the NCAA failed to follow the NFL in increasing the number of coaches and directors from minority backgrounds in teams, the organization introduced a new policy that required college athletics teams to sign an agreement that they would interview and hire more minorities. The only noteworthy moment when the NCAA indicated its willingness to adopt diversity strategies was after the hiring of Gloria Nevarez, a Latino Commissioner, to the NCAA. After her hiring, most people saw it as a move towards more inclusion of minorities in college athletics. Apart from being a Latino, she was also a woman who earned her place in one of the most critical positions in the NCAA (Lopiano, 2020). Also, the new Commissioner made one of the moves that the previous commissioners could not have made; she introduced a rule named after Bill Russell to honor the NBA champion. The Russell Diversity Bill required institutions under the NCAA to have a representative from minority groups during selecting and hiring senior administrators, athletic directors, full-time assistants, and coach positions. The introduction of the Russell rule indicated that unless college athletic teams hire more minority leaders, changes are less likely to take place in diversity hiring. The introduction of the Rooney rule indicates the NCAA's ignorance in implementing effective policies for improving hiring practices that promote inclusivity. The policy indicated that NFL teams introduce ineffective policies that negatively impact college athletic teams. For instance, having one minority interviewee as a finalist is not an effective hiring practice. It does not guarantee selection or indicate the team's willingness to hire more coaches and other leaders from minority groups. In 2020, more than 92 percent of Division 2, 3, and Division 1 directors were white, indicating that the ineffective Rooney rules and other policies had trickled down to college-level leadership. The comparison between college and NFL directors shows how senior teams can impact the decisions of college athletics teams and the need for athletic directors to be more accountable Leadership Inequality in College Athletics Despite the widespread debates and discussions on the role of leaders in college athletic teams and their influence in hiring minority members, most interviewed leaders try to avoid the issue of race and gender. For example, in one of the interviews involving an aspiring director, the interviewer asks the interviewee how his previous experience would help him develop a diverse team: a team that would encourage the hiring of team members from minority teams. In response, the interviewee indicates signs of physical discomfort and answers that the issue does not affect their effectiveness as managers (Belza 2021). The responses indicate a lack of seriousness among college team managers in addressing the issue of inclusivity and the need to elect leaders who understand the role of diversity in improving athletic teams and the overall performance and integration of students. While most people may argue that the mentioned questions were relevant for the interview and the leadership positions in college teams, the questions indicate that some college boards do not care about the real qualifications of directors and team leaders when hiring. Some college athlete board members search for applicants who are likely to contribute to hiring more team members into college teams. Greed is also another critical issue that affects hiring practices in college athletics. Some interviewees for leadership positions know that their beliefs and ideals do not match the college system's need for inclusivity, but they proceed to accept the positions. Leaders implement hiring practices and other policies that discourage college athletics from hiring or placing minority members in certain positions. On the other hand, ...