The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), part of the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program, has released a report examining the racial hiring practices in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Based on statistics from the 2008 season, the MLS earned a third consecutive solid A for racial hiring after getting A’s in the categories of MLS League Office, players, head coaches, team president/CEO and team professional administration. This was, again, the second best grade in men’s professional sport following the NBA for racial hiring.
For gender hiring practices, the MLS grade increased substantially from a C+ in 2008 to a B in 2009. MLS received an A+ for gender in the MLS League Office in 2009. That offset a D+ in team professional positions and a C- in team senior administration.
Dr. Richard Lapchick, the primary author of the study, is the director of the institute and chair of the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program in the College of Business Administration. The study was co-authored by Ashley Turner and William Johnson.
The full report can be viewed on the TIDES Web site.