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Differences in the Success of NFL Coaches by Race, 1990-2002

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  • Janice Fanning Madden

Abstract

Although there have been numerous analyses of racial discrimination in professional sports, none have analyzed football coaching. Analyses of the regular season win records, and of making the playoffs, for National Football League (NFL) teams coached by both African Americans and Whites between 1990 and 2002 show that African American coaches were more successful. The analyses make racial comparisons for overall season records, records in the first year, and records in the year of an involuntary departure for the coach. There is evidence that teams that hire African American coaches are better than those that hire White coaches. Analyses that consider team quality effects also find significantly better performance by African Americans. African American coaches have been insignificantly less successful in the playoffs, however. Overall, the results are consistent with African American coaches being held to higher standards to get their jobs in the NFL.

Suggested Citation

  • Janice Fanning Madden, 2004. "Differences in the Success of NFL Coaches by Race, 1990-2002," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 5(1), pages 6-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:5:y:2004:i:1:p:6-19
    DOI: 10.1177/1527002503257245
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lawrence M. Kahn, 1991. "Discrimination in Professional Sports: A Survey of the Literature," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 44(3), pages 395-418, April.
    2. Lawrence M. Kahn, 1992. "The Effects of Race on Professional Football Players' Compensation," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 45(2), pages 295-310, January.
    3. Mark Gius & Donn Johnson, 2000. "Race and compensation in professional football," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 73-75.
    4. Lawrence M. Kahn, 2000. "The Sports Business as a Labor Market Laboratory," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 75-94, Summer.
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    1. Nolan Kopkin, 2014. "You’re Fired!: The Impact of Race on the Firing of Black Head Coaches in Major College Football," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 373-392, December.
    2. Solow, Benjamin L. & Solow, John L. & Walker, Todd B., 2011. "Moving on up: The Rooney rule and minority hiring in the NFL," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 332-337, June.
    3. Quinn A. W. Keefer, 2022. "Sex Differences in High-Level Managerial Jobs: Evidence From Professional Basketball," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 23(3), pages 301-328, April.
    4. C. Edward Fee, 2006. "Promotions in the Internal and External Labor Market: Evidence from Professional Football Coaching Careers," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 79(2), pages 821-850, March.
    5. 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.
    6. Joshua Pitts & Daniel Yost, 2013. "Racial Position Segregation in Intercollegiate Football: Do Players become more Racially Segregated as they Transition from High School to College?," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 40(2), pages 207-230, June.
    7. Andrew P. Davis & Tom R. Leppard & Alexander B. Kinney, 2022. "A shame of inches: Are teams with black head coaches more heavily penalized in Division 1 college football?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(2), pages 259-273, March.
    8. 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.

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