1. Please go to the website for The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (https://www.tidesport.org/racial-gender-report-card).
2. Please review the most recent report cards issued for the:
a. NBA (2023)
b. NFL (2023)
c. MLB (2023)
d. WNBA (2023)
3. After reviewing the reports, please compare and contrast the 2023 findings across the different leagues. Please prepare and submit a response to the following questions:
a. What similarities in hiring practices do you see across the different leagues?
b. What differences in hiring practices do you see across the different leagues?
c. What trends in hiring practices do you observe across the different leagues?
d. Is what you learned what you expected to find? Why/Why not?
e. Did you learn something new that surprised you? If so, what was it? Why do you think you were surprised by this new information?
Sample Answer
The 2023 Racial and Gender Report Card (RGRC) data from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) reveals a complex landscape of hiring practices across the NBA, NFL, MLB, and WNBA, highlighting areas of success, stagnation, and regression.
The WNBA is the undisputed diversity leader, consistently earning high overall grades, while the NBA leads the men's leagues. MLB and the NFL show mixed results, with significant gaps at the highest levels of power and in on-field leadership roles.
Comparison of 2023 TIDES Report Findings
a. What similarities in hiring practices do you see across the different leagues?
Strong Commitment to Diversity Initiatives: All leagues show a strong, publicly noted commitment to diversity pipeline programs and initiatives, with both the NBA and MLB earning an A+ in the Diversity Initiatives category. This indicates a shared investment in long-term programs (e.g., MLB Youth Academy, HBCU recruiting) aimed at diversifying the future talent pool.
What was not expected:
MLB's Black Player Decline: The fact that the percentage of Black players in the MLB hit a record low of 6.2% was a surprising negative, especially considering the league's high grade for its diversity initiatives. This suggests a failure to retain Black talent through the development system.
e. Did you learn something new that surprised you? If so, what was it? Why do you think you were surprised by this new information?
The most surprising new information was the dramatic decline in Black head coach representation in the NFL to only 9.4% (three coaches).
Why this was surprising:
I was surprised by this because the NFL operates under the high-profile Rooney Rule, which was specifically designed to ensure minority candidates are interviewed for senior roles. The data indicates that despite the rule—and despite having a majority-Black player population—the league is currently regressing in its most visible and powerful on-field leadership position. The surprise stems from the apparent ineffectiveness of a known diversity policy in achieving its stated goal, suggesting a significant disconnect between interviewing practices and actual hiring outcomes for the most powerful coaching roles.