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Discrimination in Hiring Versus Retention and Promotion: An Empirical Analysis of Within-Firm Treatment of Players in the NFL

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  • Michael Conlin
  • Patrick M. Emerson

Abstract

If the costs and benefits of discriminating at the hiring stage differ from those at the retention and promotion stages, as recent evidence suggests, the effect of an individual's race on a firm's hiring decision should differ from its effect on the firm's retention and promotion decisions. This paper presents the first direct empirical test of this proposition. Using data of players drafted into the National Football League (NFL), we show that after controlling for draft selection, position, team, draft year, collegiate division, and team wins the prior season, white players have a 0.13 lower probability of having an active contract and start 1.56 games less than nonwhite players. When compared with the average probability of a drafted player having an active contract, 0.48, and the average number of starts, 2.6 games, these results provide strong evidence that nonwhite players face hiring discrimination in the NFL but are treated more equitably in retention and promotion decisions. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.

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  • Michael Conlin & Patrick M. Emerson, 2006. "Discrimination in Hiring Versus Retention and Promotion: An Empirical Analysis of Within-Firm Treatment of Players in the NFL," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 115-136, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jleorg:v:22:y:2006:i:1:p:115-136
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    4. W. David Allen, 2015. "The Demand for Younger and Older Workers," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 16(2), pages 127-158, February.
    5. David Branham, 2008. "Taking Advantage of an Untapped Pool: Assessing the Success of African American Head Coaches in the National Football League," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 35(4), pages 129-146, December.
    6. Brunello, Giorgio & Yamamura, Eiji, 2023. "Desperately Seeking a Japanese Yokozuna," IZA Discussion Papers 16536, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. W. David Allen & William P. Curington, 2018. "Managerial time constraints and young worker productivity: Natural experiments with NFL rookies," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(2), pages 180-199, March.
    8. Jed DeVaro & Suman Ghosh & Cindy Zoghi, 2018. "Job Characteristics and Labor Market Discrimination in Promotions," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(3), pages 389-434, July.
    9. Ian Gregory-Smith & Alex Bryson & Rafael Gomez, 2023. "Discrimination in a Rank Order Contest: Evidence from the NFL Draft," Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 215-231, September.
    10. Brian D. Volz, 2017. "Race and Quarterback Survival in the National Football League," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 18(8), pages 850-866, December.
    11. Philip L. Hersch & Jodi E. Pelkowski, 2016. "Are there too few trades during the NFL draft?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(7), pages 516-519, May.
    12. Keefer, Quinn & Kniesner, Thomas J., 2024. "Compensation Peer Group Effects: Evidence from NFL Professional Football," IZA Discussion Papers 17440, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Salaga, Steven & Juravich, Matthew, 2020. "National Football League head coach race, performance, retention, and dismissal," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 978-991.
    14. Quinn A. W. Keefer & Thomas J. Kniesner, 2023. "“Injury risk, concussions, race, and pay in the NFL”," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 67(2), pages 107-136, October.
    15. Stephen L. Ross, 2003. "What Is Known about Testing for Discrimination: Lessons Learned by Comparing across Different Markets," Working papers 2003-21, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics, revised Nov 2003.
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    17. John Goddard & John O. S. Wilson, 2009. "Racial discrimination in English professional football: evidence from an empirical analysis of players' career progression," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 33(2), pages 295-316, March.
    18. Jemuel Chandrakumaran, 2021. "The AFL Pick Trading Market as a Coasian Utopia," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 22(1), pages 75-84, January.

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