I have a theory on why black coaches haven’t had great success historically and I hope people are open to it.
A coach is typically a father/paternal figure. The NFL is majority black, and it’s also a physical passionate sport, the players have to be reigned in a bit.
If you were a black kid, that didn’t grow up w/ your dad In the home, and suddenly around your teenage years he appears and tries to assert some level of control or dominance, would you respect it, or reject it.
History suggest rejection. No one rejects a black man’s authority more than a black child that didn’t grow up w/ many black father figures around. He doesn’t relate to him and thus there was an entire generation of black players that simply rejected the leadership of other black men.
It’s a generational thing, it’s a wound, and it takes time to heal. Is it healing? Absolutely, there are more successful black coaches and HC’s in the the NFL and college than b4 and that’s not because of the Rooney rule, it’s because they are having success connecting because fewer black men are incarcerated or dead than before. They are more present for child rearing and thus the newer generation that’s coming in has more respect for them.
They see them more they are familiar w/ them.
As time progresses more black coaches will continue to be successful and ultimately people are hired on their potential for success…not just color.
It just happened that the coaches that were must successful w/ connecting w/ the black players happened to be the white.
In theory, my theory. But that theory has a happy ending…it just takes time.