Summary:
The purpose of my research was to see how minority head coaches in the NFL were portrayed in the media both before and after the Rooney Rule. I found that since the implementation of the Rooney Rule, there has been a change in how minority head coaches are represented in the media. They gained more attention and sympathy from the media and more specifically, USA Today.
After the rule was enforced, the league saw a rise in the number of coaches in these positions. The rate of success of minority coaches also increased. This was visible when Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, two African-Americans, coached against each other in the Super Bowl. This was significant because there were 93.18 million viewers for the 2007 Super Bowl (Sports Media Watch).
The pursuit of getting minority head coaches a better chance at equal opportunity was a popular topic in the world of sports. This still remains true today, as numbers of minority coaches have not spiked as much as many would like. The topic is very relevant and the fight for equality is still being fought.
Future Research
For future work, I would recommend analyzing the success rates of minority head coaches from 2002 until present day. There are people out there who think that this rule has failed because of the lack of success it has had lately. Lawsuits have occurred because of unfair hiring practices relating to franchises conducting fake interviews when they have their preferred candidate in mind. I think that it is interesting to see what will happen in the future in regards to new rules.