This past week as I watched the NBA playoffs on ESPN, a particular sports news headline flashed on the bottom of the screen and caught my eye. Beginning with a quote from National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver, the headline essentially stated that although the NBA does recognize the lack of minority hirings for coaching positions, the league does not plan to adopt a similar policy to the NFL’s “Rooney Rule.” Initiated in 2003 after U.S. civil rights attorneys Cyrus Mehri and Johnnie Cochran released a study showing that black head coaches are less likely to be hired and more likely to be fired than white coaches, the Rooney Rule requires that every NFL team interview at least one minority candidate when searching for a new head coach. Moreover, after seeing this headline, I began thinking about the implications of the Rooney Rule in relation to systemic racism. After further researching employment statistics for various demographics, I found that there are significant discrepancies between black and white Americans when it comes to finding a job. Not only is the unemployment rate of black Americans nearly 5% higher than that of white Americans, black Americans are also incredibly underrepresented in high-paying jobs (Lincoln). I believe that these discrepancies are the result of systemic racism perpetuated by American society. Relating this issue to what we have discussed in lecture this semester, this scenario can be compared to de Beauvoir’s concept of “Other.” While de Beauvoir argued that women are the Other to men, in this case, the other can be described as minority job applicants. Just as de Beauvoir emphasized, this Other group does not receive access to the same opportunities as others. Although progress has been made over time, the Jim Crow Laws created a foundation of racism in the United States that still exists today. Despite efforts to hire an increasing number of minorities (take the Rooney Rule, for example), many companies fail to attack the problem of underrepresentation in employment at its roots. Until businesses consciously make efforts to deviate from what are often considered “normal hiring practices,” systemic injustice and inequality will perpetuate in the United States.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver on the potential institution of a “Rooney Rule”: https://www.sportscasting.com/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-wants-to-avoid-copying-the-nfl-if-possible/
“What Corporations Can Learn About Diversity From The NFL’s Rooney Rule”: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/02/01/what-corporations-can-learn-about-diversity-from-the-nfls-rooney-rule/#698b2eea47de
Works Cited
Lincoln Quillian, . (2020, June 15). Hiring Discrimination Against Black Americans Hasn’t Declined in 25 Years. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2017/10/hiring-discrimination-against-black-americans-hasnt-declined-in-25-years
Great work, I really enjoy how you managed to tie in de Beauvoirs’s theory and mentioned the Jim Crow Laws that were the foundation for systematic racism in America. Business needs to take a big step forward in creating an equal work environment and opportunities for all.
I wasn’t actually aware of the Rooney Rule- that’s so simple and effective- putting quotas on number of minorities an employer must hire can cause resentment in white applicants, who may feel a less qualified candidate was hired, and create insecurity in the minorities hired, as they may feel themselves, or be outright told by their peers, that they were only hired due to their minority status, not their qualifications. But this, forcing employers to at least interview one person of color, and then let their qualifications speak for themselves, is brilliant. It won’t fix any subconscious bias on the part of the employer, but it forces them to extend their hiring pool just enough to break through the social circles and nepotism that is another factor impacting equal employment for minorities.