The 2009 Racial and Gender Report Card: MLS

Orlando, FL - The 2009 Major League Soccer Racial and Gender Report Card resulted in continued outstanding results for MLS regarding racial hiring practices and another significant improvement in gender hiring practices.

MLS earned a third consecutive solid A (92) for racial hiring after getting A's in the categories of MLS League Office, players, head coaches, team president/CEO and team professional administration. This was, again, the second best grade in men's professional sport following the NBA for racial hiring practices.

For gender hiring practices, the MLS grade increased substantially from a C+ in 2008 to a B (81 points, up from 78) in 2009. MLS received an A+ for gender in the MLS League Office in 2009. That offset a D+ in team professional positions and a C‐ in team senior administration.

MLS received an A+ for diversity initiatives with some of the best in professional sports.

MLS earned a combined grade of B+ with 86.5 points, up from 85.7 points in 2008.

Richard Lapchick, author of the study, said, "Major League Soccer has maintained an outstanding record on racial hiring practices and has continued to improve in gender hiring. MLS had an additional six percent increase in women holding professional positions in the League Office after a 16 percent increase in 2008. MLS went from barely a D+ in 2007 for gender to nearly a B‐ in the 2008 Report Card to a B this year. Commissioner Garber's headquarters team continues to lead by example. MLS consistently has among the best diversity initiatives in sport."

Using data from the 2008 season, The Institute conducted an analysis of racial breakdowns of the players, managers and coaches. In addition, the Report includes a racial and gender breakdown of the individuals involved in the management in the MLS League Office (2009) and at the team level, top team management, senior administration, professional administration, physicians, head trainers, and broadcasters. It is updated through September 14, 2009 for owners, head coaches, team presidents and general managers.

Tables for the Report are included in Appendix I. The extensive diversity initiatives demonstrated by MLS are listed in Appendix II.

It is imperative that sports teams play the best athletes they have available to win games. The Institute strives to emphasize the value of diversity to sports organizations when they choose their team on the field and in the office. Diversity initiatives such as diversity management training can help change attitudes and increase the applicant pool for open positions. It is clearly the choice of the organization regarding which applicant is the best fit for their ball club, but The Institute wants to illustrate how important it is to have a diverse organization involving individuals who happen to be of a different race or gender. This element of diversity can provide a different perspective, and possibly a competitive advantage for a win in the boardroom as well as on the field. MLS has continued its emphasis on diversity.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, TIDES, located at UCF, publishes the Racial and Gender Report Card to indicate areas of improvement, stagnation and regression in the racial and gender composition of professional and college sports personnel and to contribute to the improvement of integration in front office and college athletics department positions.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

• The percentage of minorities in the MLS League Office remained the same as the last RGRC at 43 percent.

• 48 percent of MLS League Office professional staff were women, a six percentage point increase for women since the last RGRC.

• There were four minority head coaches in the 2008 season. They were Denis Hamlett, Cobi Jones, Juan Carlos Osorio and Fernando Clavijo. Only Hamlett and Osorio were head coaches during the 2009 season. Cobi Jones remains part of the Galaxy coaching staff as one of the club's assistant coaches.

• 9.5 percent of the MLS assistant coaches were minorities, down from 17 percent.

• There were three CEO/team presidents who were Latino or Asian in the 2009 season. The same has been true since 2005. MLS has had the highest percentage of minorities as CEOs or presidents of any professional sport.

• MLS currently has no Latino or African‐American general managers.

• Among the 42 total team vice presidents in the MLS, there was an increase in the number of women from two to three, as well as an increase in the number of Latinos from one to two. There were no African‐American or Asian vice presidents.

• The percentage of MLS women as team senior administrators increased from 20.4 percent to 24.8 percent in 2008 while the percentage of minorities decreased by 1.6 percentage points to 18.9 percent.

• Minorities held 26.3 percent of the team professional positions in 2008, down by 6.1 percentage points.

• MLS has among the best diversity initiatives in the sports industry.

OVERALL GRADES

MLS earned a third consecutive solid A (92) for racial hiring after getting A's in the categories of MLS League Office, players, head coaches, team president/CEO and team professional administration. MLS had 93.4 points for racial hiring practices in 2008 and 93.3 in 2007.

MLS received an A+ for diversity initiatives with some of the best in professional sports.

MLS earned a combined grade of B+ with 86.5 points, up from 85.7 points in 2008. In 2007, the combined grade was C+/B‐ with 79 points.

GRADES BY CATEGORYPlayers

The percentage of white players in MLS slightly increased from 59 to 62 percent since the last Report Card resulting in an overall decrease in the percentage of players who were minorities to 38 percent in the 2008 season. Latino players jumped from 14 percent in 2007 to 16 percent in 2008 while African‐ American players decreased to 20 percent from 22 percent in 2007. Asian players remained the same at one percent, while "other" players of color decreased from three percent to one percent. There were 100 international players in MLS, a slight decrease of six players from the 2007 season.

MLS Grade for players: A+
MLS League Office

In 2009, the percentage of minorities in professional level positions in the MLS League Office remained at 43 percent. Fifty‐seven percent of MLS professionals were white, nine percent were African‐ American, 27 percent were Latino, four percent were Asian, and three percent were classified as "other" people of color. In all cases, they were the same as last year. In 2009, 48 percent of MLS League Office professional staff were women, a six percentage point increase since 2008.

Nelson Rodriguez, senior vice president, Strategic Planning, was the only Latino vice president. Geoff Hayes was promoted to vice president of Special Events in 2005 and is the only African‐American vice president. JoAnn Neale, Executive Vice President of MLS, and Kathryn Carter, executive vice president of Soccer United Marketing, were the only two female vice presidents in MLS. The MLS League Office has a total of 11 vice presidents including two senior vice presidents and four executive vice presidents.

One of the strategies MLS utilizes to increase opportunities for women and minorities is its internship program. During the spring of 2009, MLS recruited women or people of color into 23 of their 35 available positions. There were 15 women, two Asians, eight Latinos and five Latinas.

MLS Grade for League Central Offices:

Race: A+
Gender: A+

Ownership
It is worth noting that MLS is quite different than other professional leagues in its corporate structure. The "owners" are all investors in a single entity league. There is a great deal of autonomy given to each investor and the teams they manage, but ultimately they are investors in the League.

The MLS Board of Governors is comparable to a corporation's board of directors. There were no women board members, but the number of minorities increased from four to six in 2006, to nine in 2008 and to 10 in 2009.

These board members include African‐Americans Jim Nevels and Victor MacFarlane; Asian‐Americans Haruyuki Takahashi, Sunil Gulati and Will Chang and Latinos Gabriel Brener, Jorge Vergara Madrigal, Antonio Cue, Javier Leon, and Oscar de la Hoya. There were 49 members of the board in all, making the board 79.6 percent white and 20.4 percent minorities.

Head Coaches

There were four minority head coaches in the 2008 season. When Cobi Jones was hired by the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2008 as interim head coach, he became the first African‐American head coach in the 10‐year history that MLS had been covered by the Racial and Gender Report Card. The four coaches in 2008 equaled 30.8 percent of the total of head coaches.

The minority head coaches of color in the 2008 season were:

• Denis Hamlett, Latino, Chicago Fire

• Cobi Jones, African‐American, Los Angeles Galaxy

• Juan Carlos Osorio, Latino, Red Bull New York

• Fernando Clavijo, Latino, Colorado Rapids Only Hamlett and Osorio were head coaches during the 2009 season. Cobi Jones remains part of the Galaxy coaching staff as one of the club's assistant coaches.

MLS Grade for Head Coaches: A
Assistant Coaches

The percentage of Latino assistant coaches in MLS decreased from 12.2 percent to 7.1 percent. The percentages of white coaches increased from 82.9 percent to 90.5 percent, while the percentage of African‐American assistant coaches remained constant at 2.4 percent. Minorities held 9.5 percent of the positions representing a decrease of 7.5 percentage points.

MLS Grade for Assistant Coaches: B
Top Management

This category includes team CEOs/presidents, general managers and vice presidents.

CEO/President

There have been three (25 percent) minority CEOs or presidents of MLS since 2005. MLS has had the highest percentage of minorities as CEOs or presidents of any professional sport. Antonio Cue Sanchez‐ Navarro remains president for the Chivas USA. However, Javier Leon left Chivas USA and is now the president for the Chicago Fire. Both are Latino. Sunil Gulati, president for Kraft Soccer and the New England Revolution, is from India.

In the 2009 MLS season, the three minorities who are either CEO or president of MLS teams remain the same:

• Antonio Cue Sanchez‐Navarro, Latino, Chivas USA

• Javier Leon, Latino, Chicago Fire

• Sunil Gulati, Asian, New England Revolution

MLS Grade for CEO/President: A
General Manager/ Principal‐in‐Charge

Previously, Javier León was the chief operating officer and general manager of Chivas USA, but is now a key executive for the Chicago Fire and their ownership group. He was the first Latino in the general manager/principal in charge of day‐to‐day operations position in MLS since 2002. There has never been an African‐American GM in the history of the coverage of MLS in the Racial and Gender Report Card.

MLS Grade for General Managers: F
Team Vice Presidents

There was an increase of women who are team vice presidents from two to three in the 2008 season.

They were Deb Dowling‐Canino, vice president, Community Relations for the Colorado Rapids, Jennifer Ferron, vice president, Marketing Operations for the New England Revolution, and Ann Rodriguez, vice president, Sales and Marketing for the San Jose Earthquake. Zeke Chaidez, vice president, Business Operations for Chivas USA and Ann Rodriguez were the only Latinos in this position during the 2008 season.

Senior Administration

This category includes the following titles but is not restricted to: directors, assistant general managers, chief legal counsel, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, public relations director and director of community relations.

During the 2008 season, there was a 1.6 percentage point decrease for minorities in the team senior administration ranks from 20.5 to 18.9 percent while 81.2 percent of the senior team administrators in Major League Soccer were white, an increase of 1.6 percentage points. Latinos held 13.9 percent of senior team administrative positions, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points. Ashmi Shah, Director of Finance for San Jose Earthquake, was the only Asian in this position and the percentage of African‐ Americans decreased from 2.2 percent to 2.0 percent of senior team administrative positions in 2008.

In 2008, the percentage of women increased from 20.4 to 24.8 percent.

MLS Grade for Senior Administration Race: B+/A
Gender: C-

Professional Administration

Positions categorized as professional administration include, but are not restricted to: professionals who hold titles similar to manager, coordinator, supervisor, or administrator in business operations, marketing, promotions, publications and various other departments. The category excludes the traditional support staff positions such as secretaries, administrative assistants, staff assistants and receptionists.

Minorities held 26.3 percent of the team professional positions in 2008. Latinos decreased by 4.2 percentage points from 26.3 percent in 2007 to 22.1 percent in 2008. African‐Americans decreased slightly from 3.6 percent in 2007 to 3.4 percent in 2008 while the percentage of whites filling team professional administration posts increased from 67.5 to 73.6 percent. The percentage of Asians decreased by 1.1 percent to 0.4 percent while "other" people of color decreased to 0.4 percent as well.

The percentage of women in team professional positions decreased from 27.3 to 22.1 percent in 2008.

MLS Grade for Professional Administration:

Race: A+
Gender: D+

Diversity Initiatives

As can be seen in Appendix II, MLS has outstanding diversity initiatives. See Appendix II.

MLS Grade for Diversity Initiatives: A+
Physicians

White physicians decreased from 89 percent to 83 percent since the 2007 MLS season. Latinos held 11 percent of these positions in 2007 and increased to 17 percent in 2008. There were no female, African‐ American or Asian team physicians in either year.

Head Trainers

In 2008, Latino head trainers remained the same at eight percent, while white head trainers decreased from 92 percent to 83 percent. African‐Americans also had eight percent of the posts. This is the first time since coverage started that there was an African‐American trainer. There were no Asian or women trainers in 2007 or 2008.

Radio/TV Broadcasters

Radio and television announcers have the enormous ability to influence the way the public perceives athletes and sports, thus it is important that the people in the media be as diverse as the players on the fields.

There was a decrease in Latino broadcasters for MLS teams in the 2008 season. Latinos held 46.4 percent of these posts in 2007 before decreasing to 42.9 percent in 2008. African‐Americans decreased from 7.1 percent to 2.4 percent while whites increased from 46.4 to 54.8 percent. Women held 2.4 percent of these positions, down from 3.6 in 2007. There have been no Asian broadcasters since 2004.

HOW GRADES WERE CALCULATED

As in previous reports, the 2009 Racial and Gender Report Card data shows that professional sport's front offices' hiring practices do not nearly reflect the number of players of color competing in the game. However, to give it perspective for sports fans, The Institute issues the grades in relation to overall patterns in society. Federal affirmative action policies state that the workplace should reflect the percentage of the people in the racial group in the population. Thus, with approximately 24 percent of the population being minorities, an A was achieved if 24 percent of the positions were held by minorities, B if 12 percent of the positions were held by minorities, and C if it had only nine percent. Grades for race below this level were assigned a D for six percent or F for any percent equal to or below five percent. The category of players was weighted at 20 percent, League Office at 15 percent, head and assistant coaches at 20 and 5 percent, respectively, general managers and CEOs at 10 percent, senior administration at 15 percent and professional administrators at 15 percent for race.

For issues of gender, an A would be earned if 40 percent of the employees were women, B for 32 percent, C for 27 percent, D for 22 percent and F for anything below that. The 40 percent is also taken from the federal affirmative action standards. The Institute once again acknowledges that even those sports where grades are low generally have better records on race and gender than society as a whole.

METHODOLOGY

All data was collected by a research team at The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) in the University of Central Florida's DeVos School of Sport Business Management.

Baseline data was gathered from Major League Soccer. The data was placed in spreadsheets; each team had its own spreadsheet, with each position broken down by race and gender. The data was then combined into one master spreadsheet.

In addition, the League Office provided data on its own personnel. The findings were put into spreadsheets and compared to data from previous years. After evaluating the data, the report text was drafted; it references changes to statistics from previous years.

The report draft was sent to the League Office, so the draft could be reviewed for accuracy. In addition, updates were requested for personnel changes that had occurred during or after the seasons being reported. MLS responded with updates and corrections that were then incorporated into the final report.

The report covers the 2008 season for Major League Soccer. Listings of professional owners, general managers and head coaches were updated as of September 14, 2009.

ABOUT THE RACIAL AND GENDER REPORT CARD...

This is the 17th issue of the Racial and Gender Report Card (RGRC), which is the definitive assessment of hiring practices of women and minorities in most of the leading professional and amateur sports and sporting organizations in the United States. The full report considers the composition - assessed by racial and gender makeup - of players, coaches and front office/ athletic department employees in our country's leading sports organizations, including the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), as well as in collegiate athletics departments.

This marks only the fifth time the Report Card is being issued sport‐by‐sport; the reports for MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA have already been released. The complete 2009 Racial and Gender Report Card, including all the leagues, will be issued after the completion of the 2009 College Racial and Gender Report Card.

The Racial and Gender Report Card is published by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, which is part of the College of Business Administration at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando. Dr. Richard Lapchick has authored all reports, first at Northeastern University and now at UCF. (Until 1998, the report was known as the Racial Report Card.) In addition to Lapchick, Ashley Turner and William Johnson served as co‐authors of this report. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES)

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport serves as a comprehensive resource for issues related to gender and race in amateur, collegiate and professional sports. The Institute researches and publishes annual studies on hiring practices in coaching and sport management, student‐athlete graduation rates and racial attitudes in sports. Additionally, TIDES conducts diversity management training. The Institute also monitors some of the critical ethical issues in college and professional sport, including the potential for the exploitation of student‐athletes, gambling, performance‐enhancing drugs and violence in sport.

The Institute's founder and director is Dr. Richard Lapchick, a scholar, author and internationally recognized human rights activist and pioneer for racial equality who is acknowledged as an expert on sports issues. Described as "the racial conscience of sport," Lapchick is chair of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program in the College of Business Administration at UCF, where TIDES is located. In addition, Lapchick serves as president and CEO of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS), a group of more than 220 colleges and universities that helps student‐athletes complete their college degrees while serving their communities on issues such as diversity, conflict resolution and men's violence against women.

DeVos Sport Business Management Program
College of Business Administration, University of Central Florida

The DeVos Sport Business Management Program is a landmark program focusing on business skills necessary for graduates to conduct successful careers in the rapidly changing and dynamic sports industry while also emphasizing diversity, community service and sport and social issues. It is the only program in a business college to offer a two degree option, allowing students to earn a master's of business administration (MBA) degree in addition to the master's of sport business management (MSBM) degree. The program was funded by a gift from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation and RDV Sports, with matching funds from the State of Florida. It was ranked by the Wall Street Journal, Sports Business Journal and ESPN The Magazine as one of the nation's Top Five sport business management programs.