Race and Occupational Mobility in the National Football League

Abstract

The Rooney Rule was implemented in the National Football League (NFL) in 2003 to increase levels of employment for ethnic-minority coaches by requiring teams within the league to interview candidates of color for head coaching and executive level positions. However, only three coaches of color were employed at the beginning of the 2020 season. Framed within the larger context of occupational mobility, the present study aims to identify mobility trends for white coaches and coaches of color and analyzes the root causes for the difficulties that candidates of color experience when seeking higher-level positions within NFL organizations. Results illuminate a variety of institutional issues that exist within the NFL and allow for the development of recommendations that are useful for scholars and practitioners alike.