Race and the NFL Draft: Views from the Auction Block

Previous research suggests that minorities are more likely to perceive racially-based discrimination in a variety of settings than are whites, in large part because of the ways their personal experiences with racism shape the lens they use to view the world. We examine a labor market that is typically considered an exception to patterns of racism in employment, the industry of professional football. We interview athletes who attempted to gain employment in the National Football League, a labor market where access to valued positions is heavily restricted by industry practices. Findings from field research and semi-structured interviews indicate that minority workers experience symbolic discrimination during the hiring process. Differential treatment of players reflects stereotypes about minority families and masculinity. Although minority and white players describe much of the actual content of their labor market experiences in similar fashion, their perceptions of these experiences differ sharply, with minority athletes identifying far more negative repercussions.

Seth L. FeinbergEmail:

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Mikaela J. Dufur   is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Brigham Young University. Her work has examined collegiate and professional football players and collegiate basketball coaches to examine the effects of race and sex on productivity and promotions in the labor market. Her recent research focuses on the accrual and use of children’s social capital in multiple contexts. Seth L. Feinberg   is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Western Washington University. His current research examines neighborhood social organization in response to mortality and disaster, and he is presently collecting data for a new project of social sustainability in a West African fishing village.