In today’s world, where equality and diversity are taking organizations by storm, the conversation regarding professional sports and racial equality has arisen.

It is no surprise that certain sections of sports have different demographics regarding race. The MBL tends to have a majority of white players, while the NBA tends to have a majority of black players. Recently the conversation surrounding this subject has turned towards whether this is positive or negative and whether or not action needs to be taken.

In recent years we have seen media coverage regarding the controversy between professional athletes and their political protests during games, particularly kneeling during the national anthem. The reasoning behind the protests has been debated, despite the players themselves coming out and explaining their behavior. While some individuals have been punished for their actions, others have been supported. One implication of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem is that skin color tends to define and determine one’s life experiences and career. Many organizations have chosen to respond to this by implementing affirmative action that creates required minimums for racial hiring preferences, despite the obvious contradiction of giving an individual a job simply based on their skin color. According to an article published by American Thinker in 2017 titled Is It Time For Racial Equality in Pro Sports? the author argues that in order to achieve equality and fairness in the professional sports industry we must integrate a system referred to as “disparate impact.” Essentially this concept encompasses the idea that an organization’s racial makeup must represent the local population’s racial makeup. As the author stated, in the US, African American men make up 6% of the population, therefore they should represent 6% of the pro sports population. Although this would in and of itself be racist since individuals would be hired and fired first according to skin color then according to talent if our society decides to politicize this industry that is, unfortunately, the direction our country will be headed in. This has been a proposed solution within the professional sports industry, but it seems as though it has not officially been implemented yet.

While this issue remains up for debate, recent events, particularly surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement have given the green light to political protests whether it be on uniforms or on the field, or in the form of court art. It has become apparent that the professional sports industry stands behind equality and justice for all, particularly African Americans and has therefore given leeway to any kind of protest regarding this issue. However, only time will tell what the future of pro sports and diversity will look like.