In 2008 we are faced with a question: What is the easier path for an African-American male, becoming president of the United States or an NCAA Division I football coach? The answer reveals something sordid about college sports, as well as university presidents and the boosters who back them. At present, there are 120 Division I-A football programs, and you can count the number of African-American head coaches on one hand… literally. There are currently four: Turner Gill at Buffalo, Randy Shannon at Miami. Kevin Sumlin at Houston, and Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, the new head coach at New Mexico.

 

This number had been 50 percent higher, but then Ty Willingham of Washington and Ron Prince of Kansas State were pushed out the door–leaving just the four, half the number of a decade ago. That’s 3.3 percent, in a sport where 50 percent of the players are African-American. It’s not as if there are no black assistant coaches either. African-Americans make up 312 of the 1,018 assistant coaches. Therefore, the message being sent by the NCAA football world truly is as simple as black and white: African-Americans are only good enough to bleed, sweat and get their ACLs torn out. Only then are you qualified to hold a clipboard. But the top job has a "Whites Only" sign on the door.

 

Charles Barkley ayaa tan ugu yeeray markii uu almaskiisa, Auburn, u shaqaaleysiiyay gobolka Iowa Gene Chizik shaqada tababarka halkii uu ka ahaan lahaa Gill, kaasoo ka soo horjeeday wax kasta oo uu ku guulaysto Buffalo. "Waxaad dhihi kartaa ma ahan wax ku saabsan jinsiyadda, laakiin ma barbardhigi kartid labada résumés oo aad tiraahdo [Chizik] wuu u qalmay shaqada. Dhammaan tababarayaashii ay wareysteen, Chizik waxaa laga yaabaa inuu lahaa qoraalkii ugu xumaa ... miyaanay helin shaqooyin oo waxay helayaan shaqooyin [waxtar leh] marka la shaqaaleysiiyo," Barkley ayaa yidhi. "Ma helayaan shaqooyin wanaagsan si joogto ah uguma guulaysan karo Gobolka Kansas Wuu ku guulaysan kari lahaa Auburn."

 

Xaqiiqadani waxay si gaar ah uga jirtaa shirka Koonfur Bari. SEC waa qaybta heerka dahabka ee kubbadda cagta. Kooxaha ugu sareeya sida Florida, LSU iyo Alabama dib u soo nooleeyay waxay garoonka dhigeen ciyaartoyda ugu fiican waxayna noqdeen tubooyinka faa'iidada. Sidoo kale waa shirka ay leeyihiin dugsiyada leh asalka halgankii ugu qadhaadhaa ee isdhexgalka intii lagu jiray dhaqdhaqaaqa xuquuqda madaniga ah – oo ay ka mid yihiin, Alabama, Mississippi iyo Gobolka Mississippi. Waxay noqon kartaa shirku inuu dejiyo isbeddel heer qaran ah oo bayaan ka soo saara in dhammaan waagii hore ee Koonfur ay dabayshu ka baxday. Laakiin SEC waxa ay taariikhdeeda lahayd hal tababare oo Afrikaan-Maraykan ah, Sylvester Croom oo ka tirsan Gobolka Mississippi, wuuna is casilay.

 

Tiro ka mid ah macallimiinta kulliyadaha, oo ka baxsan rikoorka, ayaa bixiya sharraxaad sida "maskaxda yar" ee madaxweynayaasha jaamacadda, ama waxay sheegaan in dhaqanka maamulayaasha kulliyadda "ay u adkaystaan ​​​​isbeddelka."  Tababare Johnny Lopes, oo ahaa tababarihii dhanka difaaca ee kubbada ee USC intii u dhaxaysay 1979-1985 ayaa igu yidhi, “Tababarayaal badan oo cadaan ah ayaa dareema in tababarayaasha madowga ahi aanay lahayn caqligii ay ku tababari lahaayeen heerka kuleejka. Dareenkooda nacaybka ah waxay u baahan yihiin inay xiriir wanaagsan la yeeshaan taageerayaasha Waxay ku saabsan tahay lacag.

 

Laakiin waxaas oo dhan waa nooc, hab wareeg ah oo lagu yiraahdo ereyga "cunsurinimo." Musharixiinta u qalma waa la dhaafaa sababtoo ah waxay leeyihiin maqaar midab khaldan. Xaqiiqooyinka murugada leh ayaa ah in 92.5 boqolkiiba madaxweynayaasha jaamacadaha, 87.5 boqolkiiba agaasimayaasha ciyaaraha fudud iyo 100 boqolkiiba guddiyada shirku waa caddaan. Xitaa ka sii muhiimsan, xoojiyeyaasha xadhkaha jiidaya ma raadinayaan isbeddel. Maalgeliyayaasha hodanka ah ee doofaarka doofaarka ayaa ah kuwa ugu yeeraya khalad kasta oo ismoodsiis ah oo kala duwanaansho ah. Waxay raadinayaan nin la yaqaan oo ay qamri ku heli karaan, ninka ay yaqaaniin. Waxay la mid tahay Eddie Murphy ee caanka ah "White Like Me" SNL sketch ayaa nolosha u soo baxay. Isla marka dhammaan dadka madowga ah ay ka baxaan qolka, waxay u tahay xaflad qof kasta oo ku jira sanduuqa, oo uu ku jiro tababaraha cusub. Xoogga xoojiyeyaashu waxay sidoo kale ka dhigtaa qorshayaal waxqabad oo la taaban karo sida NFL xoogaa guul ah "Rule Rule" oo ka yar mid waxtar leh. Xeerka "Rooney Rule" wuxuu dhigayaa in milkiilayaasha NFL ay ugu yaraan waraystaan ​​qof midab leh marka uu furmo tababarku. Tani waxay ka caawisay inay burburiyaan qaar ka mid ah darbiyada NFL. Laakiin NCAA, halkaas oo dhiirrigeliyeyaashu ugu yeeraan tallaalada, xulashooyinka gaarka ah ee madaxweynayaasha jaamacadda ayaa aad u yar.

 

Kubadda cagta ee kulliyadda, gaar ahaan, waa inay xasaasi u ahaataa eedeymahan. Ciyaarta waxaa loogu yeeraa "dhaqaalaha dhirta" sababtoo ah ciyaartoyda ardaydu ma helaan dime ciyaaraha isboortiga oo soo saara balaayiin doolar oo dakhli ah. Xalku waxa uu noqonayaa in uu ku noolaado cunaqabatayn aad uga adag "Rooney Rule." Kaaliyeyaasha aqoonta leh ayaa halkaas jooga marka shirarka waa inay lahaadaan kooto kala duwan ama waa in lagu ganaaxaa lacagta baaquliga ah iyo deeqaha waxbarasho. Tani waa xeeladda kaliya ee run ahaantii shaqayn doonta. Waa markii madaxweynaha NCAA Myles Brand uu muujin lahaa hoggaan dhab ah. Ama waxaa laga yaabaa in taageerayaasha isboortiga ay bilaabaan inay soo rogaan kanaalka. Waxaa taa ka sii wanaagsan in ardayda dhigata xarumaha kuleejyada ay soo saaraan boorsooyinkii ay ku diiwaan gelinayeen dadka si ay u codeeyaan oo ay bilaabaan diiwaan gelinta dadka halganka ugu jira sidii ay u heli lahaayeen waaxda ciyaaraha fudud ee kala duwan. Fariintu waa sahlan tahay: dariiqa loo maro Aqalka Cad waa inaysan ka sahlanaanin dariiqa loo maro kubbadda cagta ee Gobolka Oregon.

 

 

[Dave Zirin waa qoraaga "Taariikhda Isboortiga Dadka ee Maraykanka" dave@edgeofsports.com. Kala xidhiidh isaga Edgeofsports@gmail.com.]

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