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How about making sure Professional Sports (NBA, MLB, NFL etc..) has diversity? I am not saying we should not strive for diversity but looking for diversity whe

by kumarm 12y ago

How about making sure Professional Sports (NBA, MLB, NFL etc..) has diversity? I am not saying we should not strive for diversity but looking for diversity when its convenient for us and ignoring other times would only make one look phony.

aaronbrethorst 12y ago
I'm not sure if you're trolling or not, but... Facebook[1] alone employs more people than the sum of pro NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL players. Facebook: 6,818 NFL[2]: 1,696 MLB[3]: 1,280 NHL[4]: 1,500 NBA[5]: 450 Facebook Employees - Pro Sports Players = 1,892 [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook [2] http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/total-players-nfl.html http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/total-players-nfl.html [3] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_players_are_in_MLB http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_players_are_in_MLB [4] https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100104123254AA3jTeI https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100104123254A... [5] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_total_number_of_players_in_the_NBA http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_total_number_of_player...
anigbrowl 12y ago
We already have. At one time pro sports were segregated or whites-only. MLB was effectively segregated until 1947, the NBA was integrated in 1950; football was never formally segregated as far as I am aware. Some argue that hockey is still effectively segregated, though you could equally argue that ice skating is simply more prominent in certain Euro-American demographics. I presume you're referring to the prevalence of black athletes in some sports, particularly basketball where thy are way over-represented. But that is in fact the result of meritocracy. This is so dreadful to some people that last year there was an attempt to form a whites-only basketball league, although the chances of this going anywhere are negligible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_color_line http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_color_line http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Fives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Fives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_players_in_American_professional_football http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_players_in_American_profe... http://africanamericanhistorysp2014.voices.wooster.edu/racism-in-a-segregated-sport/ http://africanamericanhistorysp2014.voices.wooster.edu/racis... http://www.thenation.com/article/all-white-basketball-league-bringing-segregation-back http://www.thenation.com/article/all-white-basketball-league... I don't have a firm opinion about diversity in tech companies, but your comment suggests you're unaware of the historical context.
- QuantumChaos 12y ago
  So why do you believe that achievements of Blacks in basketball is a result of their higher ability, but not the same for Whites in tech?
  - Iftheshoefits 12y ago
    For starters, "Whites in tech" generally start out with the advantage of being white. In America, at least, that's an incredible advantage, even in today's "enlightened" age. It's like getting a head start in a foot race. Secondly, the tech industry is filled with just as much of a "network effect" as any other industry. That is, like any other industry, who one knows is at least as important as what one knows, and is often far and away the most important thing. For all its anti-intellectual accoutrement, sport is generally far more merit based than other industries, even if it's not perfect. That's because results tend to be black-and-white (har) and easily measured in a way that doesn't exist in our industry.
  - dragonwriter 12y ago
    I would say that its quite likely that both are a result of higher ability at the time that they are hired, and that, in both cases, those ability differences are also a result of economic injustice that disfavors blacks in society, as discussed in my other post in this subthread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8100861 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8100861
    - gfodor 12y ago
      So what you are suggesting is that this economic injustice causes downstream divergence in ability. Then the solution certainly cannot be affirmative action in hiring, since by that point the ratio of unskilled minority workers is not inherently discriminatory, it's a reality created by discrimination that led to a lack of skill development. I would tend to agree and would argue that the way to address this problem is to increase access to skill development, not hire un or under qualified people.
  - anigbrowl 12y ago
GFK_of_xmaspast 12y ago
Totally agree, the Rooney Rule needs to be applied to other sports as well, and with teeth.

by kumarm 12y ago

aaronbrethorst 12y ago

I'm not sure if you're trolling or not, but... Facebook[1] alone employs more people than the sum of pro NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL players. Facebook: 6,818 NFL[2]: 1,696 MLB[3]: 1,280 NHL[4]: 1,500 NBA[5]: 450 Facebook Employees - Pro Sports Players = 1,892 [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook [2] http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/total-players-nfl.html http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/total-players-nfl.html [3] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_players_are_in_MLB http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_players_are_in_MLB [4] https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100104123254AA3jTeI https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100104123254A... [5] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_total_number_of_players_in_the_NBA http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_total_number_of_player...

anigbrowl 12y ago

We already have. At one time pro sports were segregated or whites-only. MLB was effectively segregated until 1947, the NBA was integrated in 1950; football was never formally segregated as far as I am aware. Some argue that hockey is still effectively segregated, though you could equally argue that ice skating is simply more prominent in certain Euro-American demographics. I presume you're referring to the prevalence of black athletes in some sports, particularly basketball where thy are way over-represented. But that is in fact the result of meritocracy. This is so dreadful to some people that last year there was an attempt to form a whites-only basketball league, although the chances of this going anywhere are negligible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_color_line http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_color_line http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Fives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Fives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_players_in_American_professional_football http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_players_in_American_profe... http://africanamericanhistorysp2014.voices.wooster.edu/racism-in-a-segregated-sport/ http://africanamericanhistorysp2014.voices.wooster.edu/racis... http://www.thenation.com/article/all-white-basketball-league-bringing-segregation-back http://www.thenation.com/article/all-white-basketball-league... I don't have a firm opinion about diversity in tech companies, but your comment suggests you're unaware of the historical context.

QuantumChaos 12y ago
So why do you believe that achievements of Blacks in basketball is a result of their higher ability, but not the same for Whites in tech?
- Iftheshoefits 12y ago
  For starters, "Whites in tech" generally start out with the advantage of being white. In America, at least, that's an incredible advantage, even in today's "enlightened" age. It's like getting a head start in a foot race. Secondly, the tech industry is filled with just as much of a "network effect" as any other industry. That is, like any other industry, who one knows is at least as important as what one knows, and is often far and away the most important thing. For all its anti-intellectual accoutrement, sport is generally far more merit based than other industries, even if it's not perfect. That's because results tend to be black-and-white (har) and easily measured in a way that doesn't exist in our industry.
- dragonwriter 12y ago
  I would say that its quite likely that both are a result of higher ability at the time that they are hired, and that, in both cases, those ability differences are also a result of economic injustice that disfavors blacks in society, as discussed in my other post in this subthread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8100861 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8100861
  - gfodor 12y ago
    So what you are suggesting is that this economic injustice causes downstream divergence in ability. Then the solution certainly cannot be affirmative action in hiring, since by that point the ratio of unskilled minority workers is not inherently discriminatory, it's a reality created by discrimination that led to a lack of skill development. I would tend to agree and would argue that the way to address this problem is to increase access to skill development, not hire un or under qualified people.
- anigbrowl 12y ago

GFK_of_xmaspast 12y ago

Totally agree, the Rooney Rule needs to be applied to other sports as well, and with teeth.