Altruism, Diversity, and Profits

In the National Football League (NFL), in presence of an opening for a Coach, and availability of minority persons who are qualified for such an opening, a team in the NFL is required to interview available and qualified minority coaches. The policy works because a minority person can attempt to prove he qualified to be invited for interview, yet was overlooked. This rule is termed the ‘Rooney Rule’ after former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney who was instrumental to adoption of the policy.

It is a fact that most of the players in the NFL are minorities, more specifically minorities of Black or African American descent. With so many African American families vested in the NFL because a father, brother, son, uncle, nephew, or potential catch for marriage either plays in the NFL, is employed by the NFL, or makes a living that somehow is connected to the NFL, African Americans are bound to watch football. They have too much at stake in the entire enterprise. This is not to say the average Black person does not enjoy football. This is to say even if they did not, the economics of the entire enterprise would draw them to watch.

Partly because they outnumber everyone else, and due in part to the fact that tailgating parties which transpire in tandem with watching of hits that make even the fan least prone to violence grimace and go, ‘ouch he got splayed’ from a…