Danny ChaiI’m about to write something, and maybe it’s racist. Actually, I don’t think it’s racist, I’m just asking a question. So Jieun and I once had a heated discussion where she was saying there should be affirmative action for Asians in professional sports, like the NBA. And I just thought that was absurd and was arguing how modern sports in America is about as pure a merit based system as you can get, etc.
But you know what? The more I think about it the more questions I have. Why shouldn’t there be affirmative action in sports? What’s the real difference? I guess the biggest question I have is, why is it taken for granted that there are real physical differences between races but that there are no real intellectual differences?
I’m not saying that there are real intellectual differences between the races, don’t get me wrong. By no means. I’m just asking why we assume one way for the one but the opposite for the other. Why these assumptions? If physical tests show differences we just chalk it up to genetics. White men can’t jump. But if academic tests show differences we question the tests. Why? I dunno, it’s just interesting to me.
So my question is, why can’t we be consistent? And have stuff like affirmative action in sports? Is that absurd? And if it is, what are the implications? I dunno.
Another question I have. So in football, there’s a big push for more minority hiring at the head coach level. And I’m all in favor of that. But my question is, when will we know that the NFL has done enough? What’s the standard? Skip Bayless filled in for Jim Rome a while ago and got an caller who was asking someone like this. Skip completely blew him off because he’s a fool. But it’s an interesting question.
We all know it’s a problem, kind of perpetuated by the white old-boys club mentality of NFL owners. But what’s the standard of what’s enough? The percentage of black players? Of which I think (not sure) they form a majority? Or the percentage of blacks in American society in general? Which is like 10% or something like that? What should be the standard and why?
If the standard is the percentage of blacks in society, then we’re actually fairly close to the goal and it’s not as big a problem as is made of it. But if the standard is the percentage of players in the NFL, there are interesting implications. Does that mean that, say if there were an Asian American or Native American coach, that the NFL has no obligation to offer them any opportunity at all? After all, the number of such players in the NFL is negligible. So it’s right to give them no opportunities at all?
That doesn’t seem right. But then, it doesn’t seem right to say Asian Americans deserve as much consideration as blacks for head coaching positions either. That’s absurd. So my question is, what is the right standard and why? Slam me if you want, but I’m just wondering.