What Percentage of NFL Players Are Black?

In recent years, the NFL has been criticized for its lack of diversity, particularly when it comes to its players. According to a recent report, only about 21 percent of NFL players are black.

Introduction

African Americans currently make up about 70% of the NFL players according to a recent study. This is a significant increase from the year 2000 when African Americans made up only about 45% of NFL players. The NFL has been working hard to increase the number of African American players in the league and it seems to be paying off.

History of the NFL

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world. The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February and played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

The NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League (AFL) in 1966, and effective with that season’s playoffs, six AFL teams joined 13 NFL clubs to form an expanded league that retained the “National Football League” name and logo. This began an 18-year stretch where each league had 13 clubs; after both leagues added new franchises – respectively Baltimore and Cincinnati for 1922 and Houston for 1960 – both circuits had 14 members until Houston suspended operations for several years following its first year. When that franchise resumed play in 1968 under new ownership as part of another AFL–NFL merger agreement approved that year by Congress creating today’s NFL, it brought back to 14 their number of franchised members which has remained constant since then.

The current state of the NFL

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world, the wealthiest professional sport league by revenue, and the sport league with the most valuable teams. The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February. This is an ongoing list of African American players who have played for NFL teams throughout history.

The percentage of NFL players who are black

In the National Football League (NFL), the ratio of black players to white players was 21.9 percent black as of 2009. The percentage of black NFL players has steadily increased since the 1970s when it was estimated to be around 10 percent. In 1978, a “Rozelle Rule” was implemented following an unsuccessful lawsuit brought by Calvin Hill and other black NFL players, which mandated that team owners must interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations positions. This rule is no longer in effect, but it did help increase the number of black coaches and executives in the NFL.

There are several reasons why the percentage of black NFL players is higher than the percentage of blacks in the general population, which is estimated to be around 13 percent. One reason is that blacks have a higher incidence of athleticism and physical strength than whites. Studies have also shown that blacks are more resistant to injuries and recover from them more quickly than whites. Additionally, playing football has become more popular in recent years among black youths. Consequently, there are more black high school and college football players from which NFL teams can recruit.

Conclusion

As of the 2019 season, 58.9% of NFL players are black. This is down from the all-time high of 67% in 1971, but still considerably higher than the percentage of blacks in the general population, which is 13.4%.