Bosh: I Won’t Watch NFL Games Until There Are More Black Coaches

Brian Flores, former Miami Dolphins coach and NFL head coach filed a lawsuit against the NFL and his team. It caused shockwaves in the sports world. Chris Bosh, a Hall-of-Fame of the NBA Hall-of-Famer, stated that he would no longer be able to watch NFL games until more African-American general managers are hired.

The two-time NBA champion, who split his 13-year-career between the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat, echoed Flores sentiment that the league is purposefully working to ensure that black people are not given equal opportunity to coach (something everyone claims when “equality” is not implemented on their terms).

“Over the last few weeks, I’ve watched the discrimination behind that disparity play out in real time,” Bosh wrote in an article on his website. “I’m happy anytime anyone gets a job, but it sure seems like the white guys are having an easier time becoming head coaches and general managers nowadays, while Black coaches are held to an entirely different standard.”

Also, he tweeted that he would not tune in to NFL games until the “problem” was fixed.

Now, what is that “different standard?” How are they forced to play by a different set of rules? Are there policies in the hiring process that clearly and explicitly highlight the fact that teams want to stop blacks from being able to get coaching or GM positions?

We are yet to witness any concrete examples.

Flores & Bosh feel dissatisfied by the inequitable outcome in the league. They ignore the fact that all races are eligible for equal employment opportunities at the NFL.

In 2003, the NFL implemented the Rooney Rule, which was an attempt to “foster and provide opportunity to diverse leadership throughout the NFL” (note the word “foster,” not “guarantee”). The rule was changed to incentivize coaches who develop talent. These people then earn positions throughout the league. Draft picks are available depending on their performance. Despite the rule, Flores called it a “well-intentioned failure.”

The NFL isn’t racist when it comes to hiring people of color. But even if black people are not hired immediately after a rule change, that’s okay; proving you are worthy of an NFL coaching gig takes years of training and networking that does not happen immediately after a rule change like the one in 2020.

In these cases, the issue is how many people are satisfied with the NFL’s diversity. For the NFL to truly be inclusive, how many black men must be head coaches? Will black people all of a sudden have value if they are given these “positions of power” in the NFL? Is it fair to give jobs just for looking like Bosh?

This is a list of questions that no one wants or can answer. These arguments seem to be more about creating trouble than solving problems.

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