Minority sports reporters

I take exception with all this.
If you don't want to put in the work, then we don't need you, regardless of race or gender.
Maybe the "fast" track is a little slower in this business but there is nothing that says once you enter a field you are automatically going to shoot straight to the top. And if you leave a job/profession/field for a year, health concerns or not, you are very likely going to need to take a step backwards to being moving forward.
So esentially, what I'm getting from all this navel gazing is that there are a ton of great minority candidates not getting jobs because they are minorities? I'd buy that 50 years ago, hell maybe even 10 years ago, but not now.
I still think it's as simple as the number of employees being proportional to the number of candidates available.

 

Well, perhaps it is not your experience, but I have seen too often white leave newspapers for other ventures and come back from the cold and get similar jobs they have left or come back at a higher level.
This may sound cliche, but when you have not walked in someone else's shoes, you will NEVER understand what it is like to be someone that is different. Just like I don't know or understand what it is like to be a female in sports. I know its tough, but never walked in their shoes.

 

One can always be Loopy's caddie . . . but that's not a position I would aspire to.

 

I 100-percent agree with you on this one. I'll never truly know what it's like. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been in the "minority" in a situation [some social, some professional] and it is a strange feeling. No way to describe that, so I can't imagine what it's like to live every day like that.

 

To those decrying the lack of diversity in the NBA and NFL, it's simple:

Those jobs on the court and the field have plenty of clearly-defined, objective, quantative measurables: vertical leap, size, strength, speed, hands, quickness, agility, etc. You get out the tape measure, weigh 'em, run 'em through drills, break them down on video, and pick out the best players -- black, white, brown or purple. Like someone said, I don't think there's a bunch of qualified white players being shut out of the NBA and NFL, nor a bunch of qualified blacks being shut out of MLB.

But jobs like, say sports editor, have plenty of subjective qualities, hard-to-measure generalities: people skills, management skills, decision-making, planning, etc. You interview candidates and come up with your best guess as to who's best. And it's often the person you're more comfortable with, which is only a problem if minorities make you uncomfortable. Which can lead to qualified minority journalists being shut out.

 

I've seen the opposite, with journalists of all races and genders leaving the business and at best, they come back at the same level. More often than not, they do have to take a step back. Obviously, there are exceptions, but to say the white guys don't lose ground if they are out of the business for a while is inaccurate, at least from what I've seen.

 

I'm not sure threatened is exactly the right word here. That makes it sound like white males are afraid to compete on an even playing field. Maybe some are, but I think more are just frustrated when the field tips too far the other way.

When there are open positions for which white males are being told they need not apply, or they find out during the process that they have no shot whatsoever simply because they can't help the paper diversify, that is where I have a problem with it.

I think you also have to look at reporter positions separately from columnists and editors. I do agree that there is a larger problem with minorities and women getting the opportunity to advance to the higher-profile positions. I also believe the questionable quality of some diversity hires is part of the problem. If somebody gets a job just because of their gender or race, that editor isn't likely to give that person the respect they deserve. And you can be sure that stigma will follow them elsewhere, too.

I'm not sure I have a better idea, but the current approach doesn't work very well.

 

the only thing to take from the numbers and the study is that it's a total myth that white males are getting shut out of jobs so jobs can be handed to women and blacks.

other than that, there are no other conclusions to draw from the study.

just like the black person who buys the myth that you can't make it in america because of racism, the white guy who buys the myth that he can't get a job because of "reverse" racism is an idiot.

 

There is a great sense of entitlement in ths country that has nothing to do with race, gender, etc. I'm not going to say the playing field is comlpetely level, but you are right Jason, it is a myth in a lot of cases. People have always needed "The Man" to blame shortcomings on.

This is a delicate subject with me because I have a very dear friend in a completely different line of work, who is convinced his gender (male) and color (white) have something to do with him hitting the ceiling on promotions. He was on the "fast track" until recent corporate initiatives to "diversify" the company.

It's too much of a coincidence not to consider he's being held back because of these initiatives, but at the same time... there's also a chance he just reached the top level his talent and connections will allow.

I'm honestly not sure any of the jobs he's been turned down for have been filled by minorities, but it helps him sleep better at nigh to rail against the systemt, so that's what he goes with.

 

As bruhman points out, there is a big problem with the sports/sportswriting hiring analogy.

Sports (at least when it comes to the performers) is a much more egalitatian enterprise than sportswriting to begin with. If you put a cornerback, black or white, on the field and he can't cut it, it will soon become obvious to coaches, fans, media, etc. His performance can easily be evaluated in a public forum. Coaches, fearing loss of their jobs, eventually will replace that cornerback with someone else of any color . No one (except maybe the demoted player and his agent) will complain because everyone can see change was in order. Sure, decisions are also made based on finances (Player A is cheaper than Player B) and politics (Player A is a draft pick, the coach doesn't like young players, etc,) but again these decisions are made out in the open and subject to public review. And it's easier to objectively evaluate an athlete's ability in the first place.

In sportswriting, jugments on who is "better" can be more subjective, if only because the goals of newspapers and the requirements of the different positions at newspapers vary widely. Office politics also play a greater role than in sports, where playing favorites at the expense of production can get you fired. It can be easier to "hide" poor performers at newspapers so the loss in quailty isn't always so obvious to the public as with teams. So there is not as much financial pressure to make a change--keep sending out that crappy cornerback and eventually fans may stop coming, but a bad reporter may not always be so obvious to the public. That reporter isn't going to cause a noticeable dip in circulation or cause advertisers to bail out. And we all know how long dead weight hangs around at newspapers, anyway, for whatever reasons.

Newspapers (and most professional industries, for that matter) and sports teams are totally different worlds. Sports are the worst kind of analogy in this case. Pick an industry that isn't so egalitarian, objectively evaluated or subject to public scrutiny.

 

I think this is a common problem – and probably not just with newspapers. I often hear that when a women or minority is hired, it must be because the company is trying to diversify. This is just the kind of out-right arrogance and sense of entitlement that makes me crazy. Sometimes, a woman or minority is simply better, hands-down and perhaps they work harder because they have more to prove. I know the last thing I would want is someone saying I got my job because I was female or a minority, and psychologically, it may drive me to do more and push harder than the white guy sitting next to me who thinks I have it easy.

 

What kind of shit are you smoking dude? Many of the people of color I've seen in lockerrooms, and even women, are BETTER than some of the good ol' boys. The problem is that they aren't given the chance to prove it. And many times when they do get that opportunity, many feel threatened. There is no logical reason why many of the best african american talent is relegated to the NBA. However, when it comes to college basketball, that remains basically lilly white. Nor is there a reason wy many female scribes are relegated to recreation sports or sidebars.
It's a joke.