Basketball and football wouldn’t be “DEI hires”. The notion that some people don’t like about DEI is hiring people based on race and not on qualifications. Which actually isn’t what DEI is. It’s utilizing people’s differences to enhance an organization. So, technically the NBA and NFL are hiring the best players based on skill and not on race.
Kangarou on
This only makes sense if you (falsely) conflate DEI with just “incorporating black people”. DEI in basketball or football would be something like highlighting the WNBA or mixing up rosters to give every player equal field time, which most sports fans hate- they want their team(s) to win, and that requires heavy bias in a number of ways.
Teddyk123 on
The pessimist in me wants to say people like my parents are more accustomed to seeing minorities as a service role. Whether it’s mowing the lawn or providing entertainment on the T.V., it’s for their benefit. They are much less comfortable with a minority peer or boss.
Tainted_Bruh on
He’s right, just not in the way many people will understand him.
Conflating “DEI” with “black people” in this case is wrong. Rather, it’s that barely passable role player coming off the bench to shoot 3s who’s a fan-favorite for “reasons”. Or that mid QB that gets the starting job yet again over another younger or more talented QB who’s black.
So yeah, them folks love them some *real* DEI without even knowing it.
SentrySappinMahSpy on
Wouldn’t European and Asian players be DEI hires in American sports? Black players have dominated football and basketball for a long time. They’re more like the default.
Thomas_DuBois on
You would be surprised about the number of people that would be fine with segregated leagues.
7 Comments
Interesting theory
Basketball and football wouldn’t be “DEI hires”. The notion that some people don’t like about DEI is hiring people based on race and not on qualifications. Which actually isn’t what DEI is. It’s utilizing people’s differences to enhance an organization. So, technically the NBA and NFL are hiring the best players based on skill and not on race.
This only makes sense if you (falsely) conflate DEI with just “incorporating black people”. DEI in basketball or football would be something like highlighting the WNBA or mixing up rosters to give every player equal field time, which most sports fans hate- they want their team(s) to win, and that requires heavy bias in a number of ways.
The pessimist in me wants to say people like my parents are more accustomed to seeing minorities as a service role. Whether it’s mowing the lawn or providing entertainment on the T.V., it’s for their benefit. They are much less comfortable with a minority peer or boss.
He’s right, just not in the way many people will understand him.
Conflating “DEI” with “black people” in this case is wrong. Rather, it’s that barely passable role player coming off the bench to shoot 3s who’s a fan-favorite for “reasons”. Or that mid QB that gets the starting job yet again over another younger or more talented QB who’s black.
So yeah, them folks love them some *real* DEI without even knowing it.
Wouldn’t European and Asian players be DEI hires in American sports? Black players have dominated football and basketball for a long time. They’re more like the default.
You would be surprised about the number of people that would be fine with segregated leagues.