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NFL pledged to address racism, owners still won’t put Black coaches in charge

Bostonian 6y ago
If black under-representation among NFL coaches is attributed to racism, why not black over-representation among NFL players? The skills in playing and coaching have some overlap but are not the same. The mental component of coaching is much larger, and blacks do tend to be under-represented in cognitively demanding white-collar jobs, a pattern that is consistent with lower average education levels and standardized test scores.
- vagrantJin 6y ago
  > cognitively demanding white-collar jobs Tread carefully with such generalized conclusions. There are many factors at play, most important being economics. Im sure if you're on HN you can do research on the literature yourself. Anecdotally, I'm black, have an undergrad degree in biochemistry and went the route into bioinformatics before going into software making good money and living really well. I got lucky. 1) Born just before the countries first open and democratic election in the mid nineties. 2) Family moved into a really quiet, really boring suburb. 3) Mother was a teacher so thoroughly middle class and never have to worry about making ends meet. 4) My second older sister was a book worm, older brothers are engineers, first older sister is an analytical chemist. Younger brother is an investment banker. 5) unfettered access to public library 2min walk from my house - unheard of in my country for a black kid in the nineties. 6) school had a computer lab 7) Parents could afford my university fees and books. Nowhere in this whole equation does my cognitive ability a gift from the gods. I was just well positioned to make the right moves and use the opportunities. Many black kids have no such opportunities and sports seems to be the only thing accesible. Notwithstanding every successful black person they is holding or kicking a ball or singing. Next time, take a second to think things through.

If black under-representation among NFL coaches is attributed to racism, why not black over-representation among NFL players? The skills in playing and coaching have some overlap but are not the same. The mental component of coaching is much larger, and blacks do tend to be under-represented in cognitively demanding white-collar jobs, a pattern that is consistent with lower average education levels and standardized test scores.

vagrantJin 6y ago
> cognitively demanding white-collar jobs Tread carefully with such generalized conclusions. There are many factors at play, most important being economics. Im sure if you're on HN you can do research on the literature yourself. Anecdotally, I'm black, have an undergrad degree in biochemistry and went the route into bioinformatics before going into software making good money and living really well. I got lucky. 1) Born just before the countries first open and democratic election in the mid nineties. 2) Family moved into a really quiet, really boring suburb. 3) Mother was a teacher so thoroughly middle class and never have to worry about making ends meet. 4) My second older sister was a book worm, older brothers are engineers, first older sister is an analytical chemist. Younger brother is an investment banker. 5) unfettered access to public library 2min walk from my house - unheard of in my country for a black kid in the nineties. 6) school had a computer lab 7) Parents could afford my university fees and books. Nowhere in this whole equation does my cognitive ability a gift from the gods. I was just well positioned to make the right moves and use the opportunities. Many black kids have no such opportunities and sports seems to be the only thing accesible. Notwithstanding every successful black person they is holding or kicking a ball or singing. Next time, take a second to think things through.