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Sports journalism draws comparison to college football - Nov 13, 2008 | 13:20:28
posted by: Ryan Powell
This entry was written by David Pickle, the NCAA's Managing Director of Publishing. Almost everybody who follows sports must agree that there are too few head football coaches in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision. If no new minority hires are made between now and the beginning of next football season, only four of 119 coaches would be African-American. That's clearly unacceptable. The media is outraged, and properly so. However justified the anger and frustration are, one has to be struck with the parallels between the problems of college football and those of another highly visible American institution: sports journalism. It probably is true that the prominence of college football trumps the relative obscurity of newspaper sports editors. It's safe to say that 99 percent of the readers of the local newspaper do not know who the sports editor is, and even fewer care. That's nothing against sports editors; it's just that their chosen field is obscure by nature. Conversely, almost every fan is deeply aware of who is coaching their favorite teams. So, if interest is the standard, then you have to say the problem with college football coaches is a bigger one. Often, though, the problem in college football is framed in the fact that about half of the FBS student-athletes are black while about 95 percent of the coaches are white. I'm among those who believes that disparity is the heart of the problem. But if almost half of the participants are minorities - and the percentage is certainly higher in some professional sports -- then why are Blacks routinely excluded from directing how they are covered at the nation's newspapers? Maybe journalists and college administrators should compare notes to solve their mutual problem. 
CommentsI applaud the question of the day. The more I learn about the NCAA, the more I appreciate your work. Nonetheless, is that a rhetorical question? No doubt the composition of the media impacts sports coverage. I have learned as a pseudo journalist and assistant professor that predominately white media composition impacts the tone and overall coverage of sports; in particular athletes of color. Graduation rates are up and very few media outlets allotted space to applaud the academic progress of student-athletes. From a asocial justice standpoint the media (i.e., Proposition 48) should exert more pressure with regard to issues like black football coaches, Latino student-athletes, and black female athletes. These are issues that will ultimately benefit sport. The stale conversations about salaries, expenditures, and the academic/athletic conflict will not promote social change. Moreover, media composition (i.e., editors) impacts what black journalists are willing and able to write. This injustice hit home when I contacted black male journalists to write about black female athletes and the promise of Title IX. I am still waiting for a return call. Black male journalists cannot forget that they have a platform and a responsibility - especially when it comes to our sisters, mothers, and daughters. Cats like Roscoe Nance, Bill Rhoden, Gary Howard, and yes Jason Whitlock have carried the torch, but we need more. Have a fabulous Friday! That's all well and good if you count only the mass media, it's also very convenient as you're looking at a mass media (newspapers) that are currently undergoing a massive upheaval. You don't mention bloggers at all and the next generation of sports journalists are going to come from those ranks. Where are the black male bloggers covering sports? If there aren't many, then why not? Shouldn't that be something that's mentioned here? BTW, if you want someone to write a story about black female athletes and the promise of Title IX, did you bother contacting any bloggers? This is a point of convenience for you guys. You keep banging on a ceiling and wondering why you can't break through when you (apparently) aren't even bothering to work with the base. BTW, let me also point out that I covered the issue of race in coach hiring last year on Corn Nation in an interview with Charlotte Westerhaus: http://www.cornnation.com/2007/11/30/221811/78 It's not an issue lost on bloggers, i.e., people who aren't members of the "mass media". Perhaps you should reach out to us more often. We are the future, whether the 'mass media' wants to recognize that or not. Post a Comment |
  
It means that two very good teams with very good coaches made it to the final game.
- Marie
   
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