Discrimination in Hiring

Conlin and Emerson (2006) focus on whether a NFL franchise’s hiring process is more discriminatory than their retention of coaches “in-house.” The authors mention how racial discrimination in the NFL can be observed in the decisions of the front office and the coaching staff. Similarly, Branham (2008) points out that the “pipeline” to become head coaches in the NFL makes it hard for minority coaches. This is because not many collegiate head coaches are people of color. One very important aspect on this topic is the lack of diversity among NFL front offices, which is a lot like firms and organizational structures. These are the people who are hiring and promoting. Conlin and Emerson (2006) results show that nonwhite players and coaches are being discriminated against in the hiring process. The authors mention that organizations may not depart from their already established coaching staff in regard to the types of employees hired, which decreases the chances for organizational diversity. Between 1990 and 2002, African American coaches had greater first-year success, higher average performance during their head coaching tenure, and performed better in their last year before being terminated in comparison to white coaches (Braddock, Smith, and Dawkins 2012). Braddock, Smith, and Dawkins found that African American coaches are less likely to hold decision-making authority in the NFL.