LEAD1, MOAA, and the Black AD Alliance Coalition to Launch Initiative Examining Search Firm Placements and FBS Athletics Department Hiring Trends in Order to Increase Opportunities for Athletic Administrators and Coaches of Color

By: Todd S. Shumaker, Church Church Hittle & Antrim

LEAD1, the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association and the Black AD Alliance have turned their focus to hiring practices in college athletics. This effort builds on a LEAD1 white paper from January 2021 in which the organization proposed that search firms “serve as a ‘public trust’ and must be responsible for helping guarantee fairness, as well as integrity and inclusion in the hiring process.” The results of an NCAA survey from 2020-21 reflect that fewer than 20% of athletic director and head coaching jobs among the top Division I schools are held by people of color, while more than half of the athletes in the sports of football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball are students of color. The initiative will continue to review data on an annual basis with the goal of “increas[ing] transparency between people of color and decision-makers in the search process.” The article includes a link to the original white paper, “Actionable Recommendations to Create More Diverse Senior Leadership in NCAA Division I FBS College Sports.”

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