Diversity In Sports Forum

320 East 9th Street,Charlotte NC 28202

18 May, 2023

Description

We are all aware of the alarming statistics: As of December 18, 2022, there are only 15 Black head coaches at NCAA FBS programs, representing just 11.45% of the head coaches at the 131 member institutions. Despite legislation such as Title IX passed 50y ears ago and, disparities still persist in regard to opportunities and careers for minorities and women in sports. Black head coaches accounted for eight percent of hires (3 of 47) in the five years before the NFL's 2003 adoption of the Rooney Rule, which required teams to interview at least one non-White candidate before making a hire. The rate has increased to 18 percent of hires since then (25 of 137).  These are just a few examples of why the conversation around inclusion on every level of the sports industry continues to be of utmost importance. The purpose of the Paraison Invitational Diversity and Equity Panel is to explore why such discrepancies persist and to discuss best practices for promoting diversity within the sports industry. With the goal of moving the conversation along toward actual, effectual change, we want to accelerate the pace at which such change occurs and inspire the next generation to keep pushing the movement forward. Some ways we feel this goal can be accomplished include: increasing opportunities for up-and-coming ethnic minority and/or women sports professionals; exposing minority and female young adults to various areas of the sports industry space and its inner workings early and often; appealing to owners and investors for their support in creating changes within their own ranks that reflect the demographic make-up of their teams and clubs.