Sports

Report: Little Diversity Found in Sports Departments

Published

11 years ago

June 11, 2015

Michael Wilbon speaks at the Shirley Povich Symposium panel in 2011. He is one of the most respected Black journalists in America. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Michael Wilbon speaks at the Shirley Povich Symposium panel in 2011. He is one of the most respected Black sports journalists in America. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

KYLE HIGHTOWER, Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The number of jobs held by people of color and women in sports departments at newspapers and websites remains low, with most jobs dominated by white males, according to a study released Wednesday.

The report by the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports once again gave the more than 100 outlets that belong to the Associated Press Sports Editors a C-plus grade for racial hiring and its fourth consecutive failing grade for gender hires in jobs that include sports editor, columnist, reporter and copy editor.

The biennial report is the fifth on APSE since 2006.

Last year, 91.5 percent of sports editors, 90.2 percent of assistant sports editors, 83.5 percent of columnists, 85 percent of reporters and 83.3 percent of copy editors or designers were white. Also, 90.1 percent of sports editors were men.

“The report card is disappointing and shows how far we have to go,” said Mike Sherman, APSE’s president and sports editor of The Oklahoman. “It’s imperative that APSE continue to encourage and assist member organizations as they strive to build staffs that reflect the growing diversity of our communities.”

To that end, Sherman noted several efforts APSE has used to foster diversity.

For three years APSE has offered Diversity Fellows, a nine-month program for mid-career minority male and female journalists interested in pursuing careers in management.

Mary Byrne, an NFL, NHL and motor sports editor for ESPN, will become APSE’s first female president since Sandra Rosenbush in 1993. Other continuing efforts are conducted by Scripps Howard, which holds a Day of Diversity at Hampton University, and the Sports Journalism Institute, which places minority journalists into internships.

ESPN had a number of people of color who were columnists and sports editors. Of the 16 people of color who were sports editors in the top circulation classification, seven worked at ESPN. Of 11 women who were sports editors at that same level, seven worked for ESPN.

The Boston Globe employed two of the 10 black sports editors in the study and three of the 21 female sports editors.

The 2013 report indicated whites made up 90.9 percent of sports editors, 86.6 percent of assistant sports editors, 83.9 percent of columnist, 86.3 percent of reporters and 86 percent of copy editors/designers. Males accounted for 90.4 percent of sports editors that year.

Report author Richard Lapchick said it’s imperative that media outlets find a way to ensure their staffs are more representative of the communities they cover.

Lapchick recommends APSE consider formalizing a policy similar to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires organizations to have a diverse pool of candidates, including women and people of color, for each key job opening.

While some sports departments have their own policies to ensure diversity, Lapchick said it should be APSE-wide.

“I think formalizing it makes a statement. Individuals are doing it, but there’s no tracking, so we don’t know how extensive it is and there’s nobody holding them accountable,” Lapchick said. “If there were a formal policy, I think it would provide some of the results to change the numbers. We would not end up with as bad of results as some of the media outlets collectively have had.”

___

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http://tidesport.org/

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WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

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The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

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McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

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Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

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West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.