Why is there a lack of Asian representation in sports coaches? A team told Eugene Chung, who is Korean American, that he’s “not the right minority we’re looking for” when he applied for a coaching position. Chung, 51, played guard for three teams after entering the NFL in 1992.
Getty Images As sports tend to be considered a mirror of society, it is often believed to represent a meritocratic and egalitarian space for which the rest of society should aspire towards. On the contrary, modern sports remain a site of exclusionary practices that operate on several levels. Racism is an issue that pervades all of culture and sports are no exception. Sports coaching remains as an arena in which interconnecting disparities of race create structured power relations, serving to reinforce patterns of inclusion and exclusion. This is perhaps most prevalent within sporting organizations where it has been well-documented that White men have historically dominated both the administrative and head coaching positions disproportionately; a trend that exists at both the professional and intercollegiate levels of organized sport. According to the United States Census Bureau (USCB) in 2018, 76.5% of the American population identifies as White, 13.4% as Black, and 5.9% as Asian. These population percentages are similar when compared to proportions by ethnicity in the American workforce, based on data from USCB. However, when it comes to coaching, the proportions differ. Every year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) publishes demographic information on the coaches and athletes from various sports. In 2018, out of 58 to-
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June 2021 | Sports
tal sports across three divisions of men, women, and mixed competitions, 85.5% of head coaching positions were occupied by White coaches and only 1.01% of the same head coaching positions were occupied by Asian coaches. Perhaps the issue starts with the lack of Asian athletes, given that athletes tend to move on to coaching following their playing careers. If the trend is consistent with the majority of coaches being former athletes, then a lower percentage of Asian athletes could explain a lower percentage of Asian coaches. According to the NCAA database, here are the percentages of Asian athletes in sports in the U.S. in 2018: NCAA Sport
Total Athletes
Asian Athletes
Baseball
35,014
389 (1.1%)
Football
73,046
1,036 (1.4%)
Basketball
18,568
133 (0.7%)
Hockey
4,229
28 (0.6%)
If the low representation of Asian athletes is correlated to the lack of Asian coaches, then it is worth exploring the possible deterrents or barriers athletes of Asian descent face in joining the sports profession. In regards to cultural views on education and career, the data suggests that
Asian Americans prioritize their education and pursue careers that come with higher status and pay. According to 2017 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of the labor force with at least a high school diploma was more than 90% in the following groups: White (93%), Black (93%), and Asian (94%). However, Asians were the most likely of the groups to have graduated from college: 61% of Asians in the labor force had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 40% of Whites, 30% of Black, and 20% of Hispanic. In terms of occupation, 52% of employed Asians worked in management, professional, and related occupations – the highest paying major occupational category, compared to 41% of employed White, 31% of employed Blacks, and 23% of employed Hispanic people. The median weekly earnings have Asians earning the most ($1,207) followed by White ($971), Black ($710), and Hispanic ($690). When looking at unemployment numbers, Asians had the lowest rate of unemployment of any ethnicity at 3.4%. According to data from U.S. News, the median annual salary for a sports coach in 2017 was $32,270 or $620 weekly, which is well below the weekly earnings of an average employed Asian American ($1,207). The association could be made that there are so few Asian coaches in sports because Asians tend to pursue different careers for cultural and financial reasons. Stereotypes also lead to barriers for Asian Americans to join professional sports as Asians are often viewed as being nonathletic, short in stature, and physically weak. These stereotypes not only affect self-perceptions and performance, but also influence the feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors of others. These racial stereotypes, and the way in which the media reinforces them, creates additional challenges for Asians in sports. Sporting organizations should respond effectively and sensitively to evolving cultural landscapes that exist:
