African American Coaches Day Date in the current year: February 6, 2024

Racism in sports is an ongoing issue in many parts of the world, and racism towards Black athletes and coaches has been especially severe for a long time. The upper levels of many sports are predominantly white, and Black athletes that do reach them have to work twice as hard as white athletes to prove their worth. The situation in college sports is similar, despite the universities’ attempts to diversify their student bodies.

Racism is an even more serious issue when it comes to coaches. While African American athletes may be deemed good enough to play, they are often considered not good enough to coach others, or at least not good enough to occupy top coaching and management positions. In the National Football League, for example, more than half of all players are Black, but Black coaches have historically been denied top jobs. They are more likely to be given interim positions and have to work harder to keep their jobs than white coaches.

In some sports and leagues, special policies have been implemented to combat racial discrimination and give Black coaches a chance to prove themselves. For example, the Rooney Rule in the NFL, established in 2003, requires teams to interview ethnic minority candidates when filling head coaching vacancies. An actual hiring quota was established in 2022; it requires that at least one member on the offensive coaching staff of each NFL team must be an ethnic minority or a woman.

However, policies like the Rooney Rule are just a drop in the ocean, especially taking into account that there are loopholes that team management can exploit. This is why there are organizations that fight for equality and against racism in sports. They are primarily focused on improving hiring opportunities and professional development of ethnic minority coaches in high school athletics, college and professional sports.

The origins of African American Coaches Day are unclear, but it is crystal clear that we do need a day to celebrate Black coaches, raise awareness of institutional racism in sports at all levels, and consolidate efforts to obliterate racial stereotypes and combat racism.

You can join the celebration by learning more about famous Black coaches and obstacles they had to face on their way to the top, giving a shout out to all the African American coaches you know, donating to an organization that supports Black athletes and coaches, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media using the hashtag #AfricanAmericanCoachesDay.

If you’re an ethnic minority coach yourself, consider sharing your story online to inspire African American and other ethnic minority athletes who want to pursue a coaching career to take a risk, help raise awareness of racism in sports, and encourage athletes, coaches, sports agents, managers, and other stakeholders to take a stand against systemic racism together.