The NCAA Constitution
vests in each institution the responsibility to establish and maintain an
environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity among its
student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics department staff. Likewise, the NCAA’s Strategic
Plan sets forth a belief and commitment to “an inclusive culture that
fosters equitable participation for student-athletes and career opportunities
for coaches and administrators from diverse backgrounds.”
In the 1970s, the moving force in
women’s athletics was the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for
Women (AIAW), which was governed by women and focused on student-athlete
welfare, the benefits of participation and the importance of intercollegiate athletics. By 1980, the AIAW had created 41 national
championships in 19 sports and had signed a four-year television contract.
During its 1980 annual convention, the
NCAA debated a full "governance plan" that would expand the NCAA
Council’s allocating four slots to women; create the necessary women's
sports committees to conduct women's championships; allow member institutions
to be eligible for NCAA championships if they used either NCAA or another
governing body's rules; and stipulate that institutions had until August 1,
1985, to choose whether to affiliate their women's programs with and abide by
only NCAA rules. After a spirited debate in which many women athletics
administrators rejected the NCAA's involvement in women's athletics, the Association
adopted the new governance plan. Thus
began a new phase of NCAA history, and a corresponding decline of the AIAW. As institutions opted to move their
women’s programs under the NCAA umbrella, the AIAW membership dwindled,
and by 1982, the AIAW was no longer viable.
The primary anticipated benefits
associated with NCAA involvement in women’s sports include greater
exposure for women’s sports and increased opportunities. However, rather than increasing
opportunities for women as athletics administrators and head coaches, a subsequent
growth in the number of female student-athletes resulted in an increased
interest on the part of men in both administration and coaching. Ultimately, the majority of the
leadership roles held by women, including a large percentage of coaching
positions, were replaced by men as the NCAA assumed governance of women’s
sports.[1]
In the late 1980s,
former NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers formed two standing committees: 1)
the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) and 2) the Committee
on Women’s Athletics (CWA). Subsequently,
despite the committees’ conscientious efforts and sustained advocacy, the
2005 MOIC Biennial Study of the Race and Gender Demographics of Member
Institutions’ Athletics Personnel reported minimal gains in
administrative and coaching positions for women and racial and/or ethnic
minorities. Since 1995, the total
percentage of women in administrative positions has increased by only
6.0%. Female athletics directors
have increased by only 2.3% to 18.3% of total athletic directors. Assistant athletic directors increased
by 1.7% to 33.1% of the total and the number of female associate athletic
directors decreased by 1.1% to 35.5%.
The most frequent positions for women generally include administrative
assistant (88.6%); life skills coordinator (66.7%) and academic advisor (57.1%)
The 2005 MOIC Study
indicates that the percentage of African-American senior level administrators
has remained virtually unchanged since 1995 with minimal increases among
African-American women, primarily as Senior Woman Administrators or academic
advisors. The largest
increases for African-American men were less than 3% and were also entry or
mid-level positions. (e.g., Intern, Ticket Manager, Equipment Manager.) The largest increases for
African-American women were equally small, below 2.5% and also primarily represent
entry or mid-level positions (e.g., Intern, Academic Advisor.) The most frequent positions for
African-American men and women were all entry or mid-level positions. African-American men were most
frequently hired as academic advisors (11.8%); life skills coordinators (8.8%);
strength coaches (8.5%) and equipment managers (7.3%). For African-American women, the
positions with the highest frequency include life skills coordinator (8.8%);
academic advisor (8.2%); and intern (4%)[2]
African-American
students now represent more than 50% of all student athletes in revenue sports. However, African-American representation
in athletics administration and coaching, particularly in the highly visible
sport of football, continues to lag.
According to a 2004 study conducted by the Black Coaches Association
(BCA), a total of 18 African-American men have occupied the head coaching
position in Division IA football since 1979. The BCA Hiring Report Score Card
also notes that there are only two Hispanic head coaches in Division IA
football and no representation from the Asian American or Samoan American
communities.[3]
In
2006, the NCAA celebrates one hundred years of creating opportunities for
student-athletes to realize their dreams in the classrooms and on the playing
fields. This year also marks
the celebration of 25 years of women’s athletics in the NCAA. As the NCAA celebrates its
centennial it has taken an opportunity to reflect on the many achievements and
noteworthy moments in the Association’s history. The Association, however, must also
carefully measure where progress has been made and where deficiencies may
continue to exist.
The
lack of opportunities for women and racial/racial and/or ethnic minorities
continues to be an issue within the Association. NCAA committees continue to work
on improving this representation, including the Executive Committee
Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity Issues; the MOIC and CWA. Moreover, the NCAA also has established
several programs designed to develop female and minority talent, including the
NCAA Fellows Leadership Development Program, the NCAA Leadership Institutes for
Ethnic Minority Males and Females, and the NCAA Men’s and Women’s
Coaches Academies. While these
programs do much to move the ball, more must be done.
Managing
diversity and inclusion goes beyond merely increasing representation. Additional broader diversity and
inclusion issues deserve the
Association’s attention including the need to 1) increase the
participation of underrepresented groups in sports lacking racial and racial
and/or ethnic diversity; 2) foster, promote and support diversity education a
conference and institution levels for student-athletes, coaches and athletic
administrators; and 3) create an enhanced knowledge and support of Title IX for
the public, as well as for members of the Association.
In January 2006, NCAA
President Myles Brand created the Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning
Committee (DLSPC) and charged it to identify strategies and recommendations
that will enable the NCAA to foster the diversity of student-athletes; promote
a climate of inclusion within intercollegiate athletics; enhance equitable
career opportunities for underrepresented coaches, officials and
administrators; and strengthen the support, integration and promotion of
women’s sports within intercollegiate athletics. The DSLPC, chaired by
Andy Geiger, former Athletic Director, The Ohio State University and Charlotte
Westerhaus, NCAA Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, is convened for
the short term of calendar year 2006 and will report its findings during the
NCAA national convention in January 2007.
Thus
far, the DLSPC has identified several diversity priorities and objectives
including:
In sum, the DLSPC will
continue to meet and work on creating a pragmatic and effective strategic plan
for the Association with the aim to increase the participation of those gender,
racial, racial and/or ethnic, and cultural groups who have historically been (and
presently are) underrepresented among students, faculty, and staff. In addition, as student-athlete
population grows to reflect the breadth of a multicultural society, the strategic
plan will set forth strategies and recommendations that will advance a climate
that supports the broad diversity representation within intercollegiate
athletics.
[1]
Linda Jean Carpenter & R. Vivian Acosta, Women in Intercollegiate
Sport: A Longitudinal, National
Study – Twenty Nine Year Update 1977-2006 available at http://webpages.charter.net/womeninsport
[2] 2005 NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee’s Biennial Study of the Race and Gender Demographics of Member Institution’s Athletics Personnel
[3] C.
Keith Harrison, Black Coaches Association Hiring Report Card for Divisions IA
and IAA Head Football Coaching Positions available
at http://www2.ncaa.org