Thanks for starting this thread as it truly (and insightfully) demonstrates the good, the bad and the truly ugly of my beloved BigSoccer community.
Which begs the question (off topic, I know), why does that stigma exist in the US, a more well-off country?
Like this, right? http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1355/19_96/57042470/p1/article.jhtml http://colorblind.typepad.com/the_colorblind_society/2004/02/exclusive_white.html
Yes, but would this have happened without the government and Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson, Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King's involvement? Maybe, just maybe, someone standing up for the powerless and addressing issues that the country at large sees as non-issues can bring about a positive change. Go figure. I realize these may be new concepts and all, but please have an open mind.
Maybe you should fast forward to the 21st century? We have made advances. Why must we try to live in the past? Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood, Doug Johnson, etc. Sport has been much more progressive than society. The best people get on the field, regardless of race. Maybe because of the way I grew up playing sports, I'm 36 - for one more day, and the times that I grew up I feel that race in sports is a non-issue. And, I feel that anyone that brings it up has a different axe to grind. I don't care what you look like. You can either do the job, or you can't. You can either play the position or you can't. You are either qualified for the position, or you're not. What does race, religion, ethnicity, where you were born, etc. have to do with this? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! That is the point of my posts. Just my perspective.
Then there's a lot of really sharp axes. We still haven't even gotten past the black quarterback debate. Besides, whether sports have become pure meritocracies on the field, I think the question of sports management is different. Hey I agree. But you've assumed that, despite the fact that race has nothing to do with the underlying ability of people's positions, people actually get their positions ONLY because of their ability. But we both know that that's simply not true (whether or not you even want to mention race as one of the factors).
you're real good with those scissors. it's a discussion of a complex topic, allow for some gray area. There's a big difference between calling a particular GM a racist and saying that institutional racism, a term I'm not sure you understand, has led to a situation in which certain groups are discriminated against. I never called any individual a racist (except maybe you, for which i apologize, you're probably no more racist than any of us). all i really wanted to say was that society, in this case the realm of business, including MLS among all others, needs to take into account the limitations that have been put on certain groups in america that make it far more difficult for members of those groups to gain credentials and have the connections necessary to be considered for prominent positions in almost any organization. for MLS, it makes more business sense than for most. yes, in time, ideally the situation will change, and there will be more "qualified" minority candidates developing. the problem is that when those in control at every level are saying that, and leaving it up to the level below to try to change things, then things never change. so go ahead and chop that up, devils, i haven't written a thesis on this or anything, it isn't all worked out, it's complex and painful and hard for anyone to face up to. but the playing field wasn't completely leveled for once and for all when civil rights laws were passed. whites continue to have many many advantages, the greatest being the distribution of wealth, power and income, which not surprisingly has yet to be overcome in the paltry 35 years since the civil rights struggle. do you really think that 35 years is enough?
I really hate this arguement. I was born into a family that was living right on the poverty line. I didn't see any wealth, power, or income in my own life. This is something people don't seem to get. There are plenty of people from all ethnicities that don't grow up with a silver spoon in their mouth. The opportunity to make a living is there for everybody now. As far as the coaching opportunities for MLS just ask the minority players to go into coaching if you want minority coaches. If Eddie Pope, Tab Ramos, Desmond Armstrong, Cobi Jones, and Hugo Perez don't go into coaching that is their decision, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that those MLS players are getting shut out of coaching positions because of race.
As I understand it, Perez has been trying to get into coaching and is a part-time assistant at the University of San Francisco. Armstrong recently look over as head coach at Montreat College in North Carolina. The two of them weren't exactly placed on the fast track.
But can you prove that race is a cause? Perhaps neither one of the them are good coaches. That sort of thing has happened before. Sachin
He was considered league-wide to be an exceptional leader and during his tenure with the Fire was as much a coach as any of the official assistants. MLS is trying to grow their ranks by utilizing the intimate knowledge that people who have time within the organization have attained thought thier time with the organization. This is fine in practice, but outside intelligence is something that cannot, and should not be overlooked. Lalas has a great deal of soccer experience, but little or no business experience. His hiring is one based on the hope that his years of experience in the sport translate to a knowledge that will make him good for the front office. The sporting landscape of the US is very condusive to the hiring of former players. The MLS is tyring this approach, and it may or may not pay off...only time will tell. I don't know the numbers, but I would imagine that a vast number of NCAA coaches are white. Based on this fact, there is a glut of white men who have the experience necessary to be considered for a coaching position in MLS. I'm not defending the fact that that the MLS heirarchy is made up by a majority of caucasions, but the fact of the matter is that this isn't necessarily wrong. Jobs are not about a racial balance, they're about who can perform the position the best. I do agree, however, that racial diversity is a good thing, but the canidates have to be qualified. Until evidence is shown that MLS is not hiring the best canidate (possibly because of his race), this argument is just another pointless exercise in political correct ideology.
It is also a snapshot in time and does not take into account the non-WASP coaches who have served in the league. Have you ever heard of Octavio Zambrano, to name one? And more if you include assistants. Ralph Perez comes to mind. The point is that today's assortment of coaches does not reflect the historical range of coaches.