Stacking and Tracking: “Racialized Jobs” Among Division IA College Football Coaches

Jacob C. Day

North Carolina State University

2009 Scholarly Conference on College Sport

College Sports Research Institute

Chapel Hill, NC

Racial Disparity among College Football Coaches

• Currently 7 black head coaches (6%) at the NCAA Division I-A Level.

• Black coaches make up 28% (286) of the total assistants and only 12% (31) of the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators.

• Black athletes make up 50% of the participants at the Division I-A level.

Stacking and Tracking – Occupational Inequality Literature

• Individual differences determining coaches’ mobility– Human capital, Social capital

• Labor market characteristics determining mobility– Sponsored mobility, Vacancy chains,

Occupational Internal Labor Market.• Implicit assumption that all coaches

occupy the same occupational positions.

Stacking and Tracking – Occupational Inequality Literature

• Racialized Jobs (Collins 1997)– Job requirements include actual or

symbolic connection to black community.

– Limit manager’s ability to develop skills and experience necessary to move up the corporate ladder.

Stacking and Tracking – Sports Literature

• Stacking– Racial segregation of athletes into

positions based on their “centrality.”

– Minority football players are overrepresented in non-central positions (e.g. wide receiver, running back, defensive end, etc.).

Stacking and Tracking – Sports Literature

• Tracking– Stacking among athletes leads to the

reproduction of racial segregation among coaches (Anderson 1993; Braddock 1989).

– Less is known about how the structure of coaching staffs impacts future career outcomes.

Research Questions

• Are black coaches more likely than white coaches to be in non-central coaching positions?

• How does being in a non-central coaching position impact a coach’s future career opportunities?

Data

• Full-Time Coaches on all 12 coaching staffs in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).– N = 120 (10 per team)– Used media guides to gather coaches’

biographical information and career histories.

Basic Structure of NC State’s Coaching Staff

Defense Offense

Special Teams

HC

DC OC

ST RB OL TE

GAGA

DLDBLB

Basic Structure of NC State’s Coaching Staff

Defense Offense

Special Teams

HC

DC OC

ST RB OL TE

GAGA

DLDBLB

Basic Structure of NC State’s Coaching Staff - Executive

Defense Offense

Special Teams

HC

DC OC

ST RB OL TE

GAGA

DLDBLB

Basic Structure of NC State’s Coaching Staff - Central

Defense Offense

Special Teams

HC

DC OC

ST RB OL TE

GAGA

DLDBLB

Basic Structure of NC State’s Coaching Staff – Non-Central

Defense Offense

Special Teams

HC

DC OC

ST RB OL TE

GAGA

DLDBLB

Variables

• Dependent:– Current Position

• Executive – Head Coach, Offensive and Defensive Coordinator.

• Central – Quarterback, Linebacker, and Offensive Line Coaches.

• Non-Central – Running Back, Wide Receiver, Defensive Line, and Defensive

Backs coaches.

– Central Position Years• Total years after their first full-time position

• Independent:– Race (White vs. Black)– Years Coaching Executive, Central, and Non-

Central Positions (not including current position).– First Full-Time Position (Non-Central vs.

Executive/Central)

Results of Multinomial Logistic Regression Predicting Current Position

Non-Central vs. Executive

Central vs. Executive

Non-Central vs. Central

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6

Black 12.873* 3.860** 1.604 .982 8.025* 3.933**

Played DIA .325* .622 .303* 2.220 1.072 1.410

Played Central .874 1.505 2.300 1.706 .380** .678

Graduate Degree 1.651 2.457 1.281 2.002 1.289 1.227

GA/SA Years 1.055 .986 .903 .826 1.168 1.193

NC First Full-Time 1.759 1.696 .888 .411 1.981 .994

Executive Years .778* .853* .912

Central Years .886** 1.094** .810*

Non-Central Years 1.098* .996 1.103*

-2 Log Likelihood 196.325 161.522 196.325 161.522 196.325 161.522

N = 110; * = p < .05; ** = p < .10; Table entries are odds ratios.

Results of Multinomial Logistic Regression Predicting Current Position

Non-Central vs. Executive

Central vs. Executive

Non-Central vs. Central

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6

Black 12.873* 3.860** 1.604 .982 8.025* 3.933**

Played DIA .325* .622 .303* 2.220 1.072 1.410

Played Central .874 1.505 2.300 1.706 .380** .678

Graduate Degree 1.651 2.457 1.281 2.002 1.289 1.227

GA/SA Years 1.055 .986 .903 .826 1.168 1.193

NC First Full-Time 1.759 1.696 .888 .411 1.981 .994

Executive Years .778* .853* .912

Central Years .886** 1.094** .810*

Non-Central Years 1.098* .996 1.103*

-2 Log Likelihood 196.325 161.522 196.325 161.522 196.325 161.522

N = 110; * = p < .05; ** = p < .10; Table entries are odds ratios.

Results of Multinomial Logistic Regression Predicting Current Position

Non-Central vs. Executive

Central vs. Executive

Non-Central vs. Central

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6

Black 12.873* 3.860** 1.604 .982 8.025* 3.933**

Played DIA .325* .622 .303* 2.220 1.072 1.410

Played Central .874 1.505 2.300 1.706 .380** .678

Graduate Degree 1.651 2.457 1.281 2.002 1.289 1.227

GA/SA Years 1.055 .986 .903 .826 1.168 1.193

NC First Full-Time 1.759 1.696 .888 .411 1.981 .994

Executive Years .778* .853* .912

Central Years .886** 1.094** .810*

Non-Central Years 1.098* .996 1.103*

-2 Log Likelihood 196.325 161.522 196.325 161.522 196.325 161.522

N = 110; * = p < .05; ** = p < .10; Table entries are odds ratios.

Results of OLS Regression Predicting Years in Central Position

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3

Constant11.347*(1.683)

9.642*(1.394)

10.237*(1.424)

Black-5.021*(1.408)

-.916(1.281)

-4.309**(2.350)

Played DIA-.024

(1.253).028

(1.023).099

(1.014)

Played Central1.202

(1.275)1.981**(1.047)

1.986**(1.037)

Graduate Degree-.337

(1.321)-.578

(1.079)-.547

(1.069)

GA/SA Years-.377(.443)

-.099(.364)

-.093(.360)

NC First Full-Time-5.838*(1.366)

-5.510*(1.116)

-6.495*(1.246)

Total Years.272*(.037)

.276*(.037)

Black * NC First Full-Time4.419**(2.576)

Adjusted R2 .251 .501 .510

* = p < .05; * = p < .10; GA/SA years and Total years are centered on mean

Results of OLS Regression Predicting Years in Central Position

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3

Constant11.347*(1.683)

9.642*(1.394)

10.237*(1.424)

Black-5.021*(1.408)

-.916(1.281)

-4.309**(2.350)

Played DIA-.024

(1.253).028

(1.023).099

(1.014)

Played Central1.202

(1.275)1.981**(1.047)

1.986**(1.037)

Graduate Degree-.337

(1.321)-.578

(1.079)-.547

(1.069)

GA/SA Years-.377(.443)

-.099(.364)

-.093(.360)

NC First Full-Time-5.838*(1.366)

-5.510*(1.116)

-6.495*(1.246)

Total Years.272*(.037)

.276*(.037)

Black * NC First Full-Time4.419**(2.576)

Adjusted R2 .251 .501 .510

* = p < .05; ** = p < .10; GA/SA years and Total years are centered on mean

Results of OLS Regression Predicting Years in Central Position

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3

Constant11.347*(1.683)

9.642*(1.394)

10.237*(1.424)

Black-5.021*(1.408)

-.916(1.281)

-4.309**(2.350)

Played DIA-.024

(1.253).028

(1.023).099

(1.014)

Played Central1.202

(1.275)1.981**(1.047)

1.986**(1.037)

Graduate Degree-.337

(1.321)-.578

(1.079)-.547

(1.069)

GA/SA Years-.377(.443)

-.099(.364)

-.093(.360)

NC First Full-Time-5.838*(1.366)

-5.510*(1.116)

-6.495*(1.246)

Total Years.272*(.037)

.276*(.037)

Black * NC First Full-Time4.419**(2.576)

Adjusted R2 .251 .501 .510

* = p < .05; ** = p < .10; GA/SA years and Total years are centered on mean

Results of OLS Regression Predicting Years in Central Position

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3

Constant11.347*(1.683)

9.642*(1.394)

10.237*(1.424)

Black-5.021*(1.408)

-.916(1.281)

-4.309**(2.350)

Played DIA-.024

(1.253).028

(1.023).099

(1.014)

Played Central1.202

(1.275)1.981**(1.047)

1.986**(1.037)

Graduate Degree-.337

(1.321)-.578

(1.079)-.547

(1.069)

GA/SA Years-.377(.443)

-.099(.364)

-.093(.360)

NC First Full-Time-5.838*(1.366)

-5.510*(1.116)

-6.495*(1.246)

Total Years.272*(.037)

.276*(.037)

Black * NC First Full-Time4.419**(2.576)

Adjusted R2 .251 .501 .510

* = p < .05; ** = p < .10; GA/SA years and Total years are centered on mean

Race Differences in Returns to Central/Executive First Full-Time Positions

First Full-Time Central/Executive First Full-Time Non-Central0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Predicted Average Years in Central Positions by First Full-Time Position and Race

White Black

First Full-Time Position

Ye

ars

in C

en

tra

l Po

sit

ion

s

Conclusion

• Preliminary support for “racialized” jobs operating in the college coaching profession.

• Evidence suggests that black coaches receive less benefit from starting in an advantaged position than white coaches.

Conclusion

• Future research will expand scope to include the entire population of DIA coaches.

• Examine coaches career trajectories more directly with a longitudinal research design.

• Examine a coaches structural position within a network of professional relations.

Social Network Structure

Social Network Structure

Social Network Structure