Football Coaches: The Hiring Process

[damaniac]

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This prob won't come across the right way but oh well.

IMO When you force people to do things in favor of minorities it only helps breed racism. People, whether they're white, black, brown, green or purple don't like being told what to do. When people stop focusing on the color of someone's skin and start focusing on their abilities then maybe there will be an end to racism.

If I was the person in charge of hiring a coach(college or NFL) I should have the right to interview whoever I wanted. I shouldn't be forced to interview someone b/c of the color of their skin but b/c of their ability to do the job.

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In an ideal world I agree. The problem is I think people notice race and act upon it (subconsciously or not), and I think they have always done so and probably will. I don't think just pretending it isn't a factor will make it go away; in fact, it leads us to just pretend it isn't a problem, even though it is.

Now, as to whether a particular remedy is going to make things better, that is certainly a real concern. If you put quotas in place, you're setting up a real crappy system. At least the interviewing rule, as was mentioned earlier, doesn't force any actual hiring but does force teams to give people who have been ignored before a chance to get a foot in the door, which then gives them some connections. It's limited, the burden isn't that big, and it (seemingly) helps to overcome some of the inertia.