Before the holiday season picks up at the end of each calendar year, college basketball starts its season. Typically starting in early November, basketball fans celebrate their teams through the regular season and, hopefully, through March Madness. College basketball is one of the most popular sports to watch for Americans. According to a Gallup poll in 2017, approximately 38% of pollsters said they were fans of college basketball, making it the 6th most popular sport and the second most popular college sport to watch. College basketball celebrates the talent of its young student-athletes, and it is the primary track of aspiring NBA players. While the talented young players are more diverse than many other sports, the coaches could use more diversity than is currently being demonstrated.
What Does the Data Say About Diversity?
Data from the NCAA Race and Gender Demographics Database shows that among Division I men’s college basketball student-athletes in 2020, 22.9% were white, 56.0% were black, 2.1% were Hispanic/Latino, 0.4% were Asian, and 6.4% were mixed race. As shown in the pie chart below, minorities make up the majority of Division I men’s college basketball players.
However, the diversity of the coaches is not nearly as apparent in Division I men’s college basketball. Data from the NCAA Race and Gender Demographics Database shows that among Division I men’s college basketball head coaches in 2020, 70.6% were white, and 27.7% were black, with other minority groups severely lacking representation. For Division I Men’s College Basketball assistant coaches in 2020, 46.4% were white, 47.5% were black, and 1.4% were mixed race.
Why Diversity is a Problem in Men’s College Basketball
These statistics from the NCAA’s official website show the diversity of the players compared to the diversity of the coaches. Since the desegregation of college basketball and the civil rights movement, college basketball players have become increasingly diverse. Black Americans have historically been highly represented in college basketball. They continue to make up a large percentage of players in the sport. However, the coaches, specifically head coaches, are not on the same level of diversity as the players. Precisely 56% of Division I men’s college basketball student-athletes were black. However, less than 28% of Division I men’s college basketball head coaches were black. This fact is the sad reality of college basketball today, and it needs to change.
