Tune In to Live Streamed Sports Hiring Task Force Meeting Today at 1p.m.
August 16, 2021 – Today, the Louisiana Minority Sports Hiring Task Force will convene for the first time; the meeting will be steamed live for public viewing and public questions and commentary can be submitted before and during the event.
“You’re cheating yourself if you don’t have diverse perspectives,” said Minnesota Timberwolves Gersson Rosas, the NBA’s only Latino president. Louisiana legislation seems to agree with this sentiment as the House of Representatives and state Senate have unanimously passed Representative Ken Brass’s HCR-19 bill to improve gender and ethnic diversity among the state’s college athletic directors and head coaches. The development of the Louisiana Minority Sports Hiring Task Force is a first step by state legislation toward increased inclusion.
The Doug Williams Center conducted a 2021 study on sports administration diversity among 13 of Louisiana’s NCAA member institutions. Research findings will lay the groundwork for this afternoon’s discussion.
According to Nicole Melton, assistant professor of sports management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, “athletics organizations must understand how diversity ties into the overarching goals of a successful franchise” in order to truly embrace the progress of women and people of color through the ranks of sports management. Her research suggests that the most diverse programs are also the most competitive.
Data from McKinsey’s 2020 Why Inclusion Matters report shows that organizations in the top 25% for gender diversity in leadership were 25% more likely to enjoy above-average profits. Those in the top quartile for ethnically diverse leadership teams outperformed institutions with the lowest diversity by 36%.
Today’s meeting begins the task force’s work to move Louisiana’s collegiate sports administration closer to the many benefits of improved inclusion. Some of these potential benefits could include:
- diverse leadership could improve the marketability of programs and teams to athletes, fans, and sponsors;
- inclusive leadership could introduce broader scopes of creativity in problem solving;
- and when leadership is selected from a broader a pool of talent, hiring teams are more likely to access the best candidates for each role.
Led by The Doug Williams Center’s Executive Director Brandon A. Logan, the task force consists of Board of Regents Higher Education representatives, university presidents and athletics directors, representatives of the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints, along with private sector business owners. Together, they will examine factors that can improve diverse hiring for these key roles and provide insights to influence new legislation and increase the hiring of women and people of color.
To watch the live stream of today’s task force meeting, tune in to https://regents.la.gov/live/ at 1 p.m. To submit questions and comments before and during the meeting, email webinar@laregents.edu. For media inquiries, contact Raven Thissel at rthissel@dougwilliamscenter.com.
About The Doug Williams Center
Founded in 2020, The Doug Williams Center exists to build an ever-growing network of solutions for diversity and inclusion in collegiate and professional sports. The Center is a learning commons and advancement space for audiences to examine the history of race and politics in American sports and build holistic perspectives on the cultural impact to provide resources for ongoing social progress. With the support of its esteemed Advisory Board and multi-disciplinary academicians, the Center offers thought leadership and practical resources to sports industry entities. A hub for academic of research and development, The Doug Williams Center is an affiliate of Grambling State University.
