Recently NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a statement condemning racism and the systemic oppression of Black people, which many thought was too little, too late. While the commissioner wants people to believe the NFL is quite diverse, studies show otherwise. Below is a comparison of the diversity that exists in the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals organizations, which we decided to run in honor of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19 throughout the United States as the day the last remaining slaves, located in Texas, were actually emancipated. Many companies are now allowing employees the day off to honor the holiday. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill recently announced that Juneteenth would be a permanent paid team holiday for Arizona, in order for the franchise to “reflect on the history of civil rights in the United States and how we can all work together for a much better future.” The Seahawks will be observing the day off as well.
Second of all, I will analyze the diversity of the Cardinals and Seahawks starting from 2013 when the NFL first started publishing the NFL Diversity and Inclusion Report. The three categories we will look at will be: Players, General Managers, and Head Coaches.
