The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) has released the 2012 National Football League Racial and Gender Report Card. According to the data, the NFL achieved its third consecutive “A” for racial hiring practices and its first “C+ “ on gender hiring practices for a combined grade of “B.” Using data from the 2011 season, TIDES conducted an analysis of the demographics of players, managers and coaches. In addition, the report includes a racial and gender breakdown of top team management, senior administration, professional administration, physicians, head trainers and broadcasters. Richard Lapchick, director of TIDES, as well as the DeVos Sport Business Management Program, was the primary author of the study.
The Racial and Gender Report Card is issued sport-by-sport. The National Football League Racial and Gender Report Card follows the Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association studies and is the fourth report issued in 2012. The NFL Report Card will be followed by report cards on Major League Soccer and College Sport. The full report is available on the TIDES website.