A Story About Opportunity

I recently read an article on ESPN about how the NFL's Rooney Rule wasn't really working since no minority coaches were hired for the, like, 20 coaching positions available this off season. After reading some of the stupidity in the comments I wrote, and tried to post, this little story! Unfortunately it got rejected due to the site rules on comment length. So instead, I'm posting it here:

A Story About Opportunity

A bunch of white guys get together and invent football and only allow white guys to play and to coach.

Year after year they refill their teams and coaching positions with other white guys, because that’s all they want around.

Finally one white guy says “hey, this black guy is pretty good, maybe I’ll let him play” and the other guys say “go ahead, but we’ll stick with the white guys we know and trust.”

Eventually the black guy does well enough that some of the other white guys say to themselves “I guess if I see a black guy who is good enough I could let him play too.”

After several years, there are a bunch of black guys playing with the white guys…but not at ‘skill’ positions, because “they’re not skilled enough.”

Finally one white guy says “hey, this black guy is pretty skilled, maybe I’ll let him play a skill position” and the other white guys say “go ahead, but we’ll stick with the white guys we know and trust.”

Eventually the black guy does well enough that some of the other white guys say to themselves “I guess if I see a black guy who is skilled enough I could let him play a skill position too.”

After several years, there are a bunch of black guys playing skill positions with the white guys…but not at ‘leadership’ positions, because “they’re not smart enough.”

Finally one white guy says “hey, this black guy is pretty smart, maybe I’ll let him play a leadership position” and the other white guys say “go ahead, but we’ll stick with the white guys we know and trust.”

Eventually the black guy does well enough that some of the other white guys say to themselves “I guess if I see a black guy who is smart enough I could let him play a leadership position too.”

After several years, there are a bunch of black guys playing leadership positions with the white guys…but there are no coaches, because “they’re not experienced enough.”

Finally one white guy says “hey, this black guy is pretty experienced, maybe I’ll let him coach” and the other white guys say “go ahead, but we’ll stick with the white guys we know and trust.”

Eventually the black guy does well enough that some of the other white guys say to themselves “I guess if I see a black guy who is experienced enough I could let him coach too.”

After several years, there are a bunch of black guys coaching with the white guys…but there are no coordinators or head coaches, because “they’re not sophisticated enough.”

Finally one white guy says “hey this black guy is pretty sophisticated, maybe I’ll let him be a coordinator” and the other white guys say “go ahead, but we’ll stick with the white guys we know and trust.”

Eventually the black guy does well enough that some of the other white guys say to themselves “I guess if I see a black guy who is sophisticated enough I could let him be a coordinator or head coach too.”

…but that NEVER happens because there are so few positions and so much money at stake that instead they “stick with the guys they know and trust.”

The End