What Is Race Norming In The NFL?

The NFL has been race norming for years, and it’s time for a change. Here’s everything you need to know about this controversial issue.

What is race norming?

In the NFL, race norming is the practice of using different cognitive testing standards for Black and white players. The theory behind race norming is that Black athletes, on average, score lower on cognitive tests than white athletes. Therefore, the thinking goes, if everyone is held to the same standards, Black athletes will be at a disadvantage.

So, under race norming, a lower score for a Black player is not indicative of poorer cognitive function; rather, it simply means that they are not as far above the average for Black players as a white player with the same score would be.

Race norming was first implemented in the early 1990s as part of the league’s concussion settlement with former players. The settlement included Neuropsychological Testing (NPT), which all retired NFL players were eligible to receive. However, in 2016, it was revealed that the league had been using race-based norms when interpreting the test results.

This practice came under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that many Black former players who had been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease would not have qualified for benefits if their test results had been interpreted using white norms.

In response to the outcry, the NFL removed race-based norms from its NPT interpretation in 2017. However, it’s important to note that race norming is still used in other areas of cognitive testing, such as whenplayers are evaluated for return-to-play after suffering a concussion.

Critics of race norming argue that it perpetuates stereotypes and is ultimately counterproductive. They point out that if everyone is being held to different standards, then no one is truly being evaluated fairly. Moreover, they argue that racism should not be factored into test interpretation at all; instead, individuals should be evaluated based on their own individual merits.

How did race norming come about?

In the early 1990s, the NFL began using a sophisticated statistical tool called the “race-norming” to determine which players were eligible for disability benefits. The race-norming was designed to adjust for what experts believed were inherent differences between blacks and whites on tests of cognitive function.

Under the race-norming, if a white player and a black player had the same score on a cognitive test, the black player was assumed to have performed better than the white player. That assumption was based on data from testing done in the 1970s that showed that, on average, blacks scored lower than whites on tests of cognitive function.

The race-norming was used to make benefits determinations for more than 20 years, until it was uncovered by a CBS News investigation in 2016.

Following the CBS News investigation, lawmakers introduced legislation that would have banned the use of race-norming in the NFL disability program. But that legislation did not pass and race-norming continues to be used in the program.

How does race norming impact the NFL?

Race norming is the practice of using different standards for different racial groups when administering tests or other evaluations. In the NFL, race-norming was used in the cognitive testing of former players as part of the league’s concussion settlement.

The idea behind race norming is that, because different groups have different average scores on various tests, using the same cutoff score for everyone would result in some groups being unfairly disadvantaged. For example, if the average score on a test for white people is 70 and the average score for black people is 60, using a cutoff score of 70 would mean that more black people would be considered to have failed the test than white people.

Race norming was used in the NFL’s concussion settlement in order to try to ensure that players of all races would have an equal chance of being found eligible for benefits. However, some critics argue that race norming is itself a form of discrimination, as it effectively lowers the standards for certain groups.

What are the potential benefits of race norming?

There are a few potential benefits of race norming in the NFL. First, it could help to level the playing field for players of all racial backgrounds. If race norming is implemented properly, it could ensure that all players have an equal opportunity to be selected for the NFL draft, regardless of their skin color. second, race norming could help to increase diversity in the NFL. We know that the vast majority of NFL players are currently black, but if race norming is put into place, it could help to increase the number of Hispanic and Asian players in the league. Finally, race norming could also lead to more accurate assessments of player ability. If all players are being evaluated using the same standards, it would be easier to identify the truly talented ones, regardless of their racial background.

What are the potential drawbacks of race norming?

In theory, race-norming could help to level the playing field in the NFL and other professional sports leagues. However, there are some potential drawbacks to this practice. One is that it could reinforce stereotypes about race and intelligence. For example, if black players are disproportionately likely to be categorized as having lower cognitive functioning, this could lead to the belief that they are not as intelligent as white players.

Another potential drawback is that race-norming could lead to fewer black players being drafted or signed by NFL teams. If teams believe that black players are less likely to meet the cognitive requirements of the league, they may be less likely to draft or sign them. This could limit opportunities for black athletes and further exacerbate disparities in the league.

Finally, race-norming could create a two-tiered system in the NFL, with black players being relegated to a lower level of competition than white players. This could have a negative impact on the quality of play in the league and Once again, this could limit opportunities for black athletes and create additional disparities between white and black players.