How Many Blacks In The NFL?
Contents
How many black players are in the NFL? This question has been asked many times, but the answer is not as simple as it seems. There are a number of factors that contribute to the answer, including the history of the sport, the current state of the league, and the demographics of the players.
NFL History
There have been many great black players in the NFL throughout its history. For example, some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time are black. In the past twenty years or so, black players have become more prominent in the NFL. In fact, about 70% of the NFL is black.
The first black player in the NFL
The first black player in the NFL was Frederick Douglas “Fritz” Pollard. Pollard was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 27, 1894. He played college football at Brown University and led his team to an undefeated season in 1915. He then went on to play professional football for the Akron Pros in 1920, becoming the first black player in the NFL. After a few years out of the league, Pollard returned to play for the Hammond Pros in 1924. He then played for the Milwaukee Badgers from 1926-1928 and finally ended his career with the Providence Steam Roller in 1929. Pollard was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
The number of black players in the NFL today
Black players have been a part of the National Football League (NFL) since its inception in 1920, but their numbers were always relatively low. That began to change in the 1960s, when the league began to actively recruit black players. The number of black players in the NFL grew steadily throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and by the early 1990s, they made up more than 20 percent of the league’s total player population.
Today, blacks comprise roughly 70 percent of all NFL players. This increase in black participation has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in black head coaches and front office personnel. In recent years, the NFL has also made a concerted effort to add more blacks to its officiating ranks.
The Reasons For The Low Numbers
It is no secret that the number of black NFL players is quite low in comparison to other races. In this article, we will discuss the reasons behind this disparity. Some people believe that the reason is that blacks are not as talented as other races when it comes to playing football. However, this is not supported by any evidence.
The lack of role models
The dearth of African-American head coaches and general managers creates a void in terms of role models for young black men who aspire to have careers in football front offices. Sure, there are black assistant coaches and pro personnel directors, but they don’t hold the same cache as head coaches and GMs. When you don’t see many people who look like you in a particular profession, it’s harder to envision yourself in that role.
The socioeconomic factors
While the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and ’70s worked to end segregation and gain legal equality for African Americans, economic inequality has persisted. Incomes for black households are still only about 60% of those for white households, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
There are a number of reasons for this socioeconomic disparity, including a long history of discrimination in education, employment and housing; lower rates of intergenerational mobility; and concentrated poverty in certain urban areas. All of these factors make it more difficult for black Americans to succeed in the NFL or any other field.
The racism in the NFL
There are a lot of racists in the NFL. There are a lot of people who don’t want to see blacks succeed. They don’t want to see us get to the quarterback position because they feel like we’re not intelligent enough. They don’t want to see us as head coaches because they feel like we can’t lead men. These are all stereotypes that have been placed on us, and it’s something that we have to fight against every single day.
The NFL is a very conservative institution. It’s very set in its ways and it’s very slow to change. That’s why you saw the protests this past season from players like Colin Kaepernick and Doug Baldwin. They’re trying to open up the eyes of the NFL and show them that there are black players who are just as talented as any other player in this league.
The problem is that the NFL is so conservative that they’re not really willing to change. They’re not really willing to look at the numbers and see that black players are being discriminated against. They’re not willing to look at the fact that there are only four black head coaches out of 32 teams. They’re not willing to look at the fact that there are only seven black quarterbacks out of 32 teams. These numbers are abysmal and they need to be changed.
But, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the NFL is really interested in change right now. They’re more interested in making money and pandering to their conservative fans than they are in doing what’s right. And until they start valuing black players more, this problem is only going to get worse.
