Racial discrimination in the coaching labor market has garnered substantial attention among researchers; however, scholars have struggled to empirically answer the question of why these disparities exist. The stacking of players into certain positions based on race in football substantially impacts future coaching candidate pools, as studies consistently find that incumbents of central positions experience more upward mobility in their careers. The purpose of the present study is to identify factors that allow coaches to make lateral moves into central coaching positions, specifically focusing on race. Examining all lateral moves among position and assistant position coaches across 32 National Football League seasons, logistic regression results indicate that, holding central position playing experience constant, Black coaches are less likely to lateral move to coach central positions. Moreover, earlier and later in the sample period, minority head coaches were less likely to assign Black assistant coaches to coach central positions. In addition to race, a separate effect of central position playing experience exists, which further emphasizes the effect of racial stacking, resulting in Black coaches experiencing discrimination still emanating from their playing careers. Based on these findings, implications within and outside sport are discussed.
Concussions in the National Football League (NFL) are a rising topic of concern and debate. With the implementation of new protocols, NFL players are required to be removed from play and must follow specific processes before full return to play after sustaining a concussion. While concussion severity is the primary determinant of time-off, it is possible that other factors associated with player value influence time-off as well. The purpose of this study is to examine determinants of NFL games missed after a concussion. NFL concussion data from 2012 to 2015 were used in conjunction with player salary, position, previous concussions, average plays per game, and season during which the concussion occurred. Results indicate that quarterbacks and players who sustained multiple concussions missed more games, while players involved in more plays per game miss less games, providing evidence that player health and value are determinants of time-off after a concussion. Additionally, the number of games missed has increased each year, which could be the result of NFL efforts to increase safety and increased media attention.
Effects of deviant behavior committed by NFL teams' coaching staffs and players on head coach dismissals are examined before and after a personal conduct policy change. Using 505 observations from 2000 through 2015, survival analysis results indicate deviance committed by players affect head coach retention decisions. More specifically, workplace deviance committed by subordinates, as measured by player fines, increases head coach dismissal likelihood, regardless of the institutional emphasis on personal conduct, represented by a personal conduct policy modification. However, penalty yards and off-duty legal incidents committed by players only increase the likelihood of head coach dismissal following the personal conduct policy modification, which was implemented to deter deviant behavior viewed by external stakeholders. Though head coaches are dismissed following instances of player misconduct, when those instances of misconduct result in suspensions (i.e., coaches are unable to utilize all their resources), the likelihood of head coach retention increases, suggesting suspensions may operate as an excuse for poor performance, thus allowing head coaches of deviant players to potentially forestall their dismissal. Highlights:• Four types of deviance and a policy change are used to explain leader dismissals • Deviance committed by subordinates increase the likelihood of leader dismissal • Penalties and legal incidents increase dismissal likelihood after a policy change • Leaders may forestall dismissal when punishments limit their available resources
Racial bias in sport is a prevalent research topic. Much of the previous research regarding bias among referees in sport focused on sports such as baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Professional American football is unique because race is more clearly defined when compared to these other sports. Additionally, by examining holding penalties, which are known to be more subjective and called predominately by a single official on the field (i.e., the umpire), racial bias in officiating can be more efficiently analyzed in professional American football. The purpose of this study is to examine potential racial bias regarding holding penalties in the National Football League (NFL). Three years of data from the 2013 to 2014 through 2015 to 2016 NFL seasons were used, including the races of officials and players involved in holding penalties. Results showed no evidence of racial bias in the calling of holding penalties by White officials. However, Black umpires were found to call more holding penalties when led by a White referee. Additionally, Black players were more likely to have holding penalties called on them earlier in the game by all officials.
Rule changes are not uncommon in most professional sports, and scholars often study the effects of such changes. Given the substantial increase in rule changes and the substantially different nature of new rules (e.g., safety driven) in the National Football League since 2005, the authors examined how coaches adapt to the changing National Football League in terms of coaching strategies and securing subsequent head coach positions in the labor market. Using agency theory, the authors identified agency misalignment when coaches employ strategies whereby incurring more penalties results in on-field success, but decreases their likelihood of obtaining future employment as a head coach. In addition, the authors found evidence that, regardless of the penalties accrued, former coaches who previously held more head coaching jobs, are Black, or are younger have higher chances of securing subsequent head coaching positions. However, these attributes do not increase team performance, indicating that coach-hiring decisions are incongruent with determinants of coach performance.
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