Grading the Schools With the Largest Athletic Programs on Their Gender Diversity in Leadership Posts

The latest report on the status of women and racial and ethnic minorities in leadership positions at the 130 educational institutions in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCCA has been released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida. These are generally the schools with the nation’s largest athletic programs.

The scorecard gave a grade of B- for racial diversity in leadership positions at these schools but a grade of F for gender diversity.

In the fall of 2021, 20.8 percent of the presidents or chancellors of these 130 colleges and universities were women. This is up from 17.7 percent in the previous year.

Women made up only 10 percent of all athletics directors. Here too, there was slight progress; up from 9.2 percent in 2020.

Women made up 37.8 percent of faculty athletic representative positions in 2021. This was down from 40.3 percent in 2020.

“Overall, White people held 324 of the 395 campus leadership positions reported in this study, which was the same from last year,” said Richard Lapchick, founder and director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics In Sport. “The people tasked with leadership positions should represent those who they lead. Unfortunately, in college sports, specifically at the FBS institutions, the overrepresentation of White men has strongly influenced the lack of opportunities for women and people of color. While women and people of color serving in leadership positions at FBS institutions is improving, it should be noted that the numbers are not a reflection of the student-athlete body. To provide the best experience and services for student-athletes, individuals in leadership positions need to be able to relate to the student-athlete body. I challenge the leadership at all colleges and universities to mirror the diversity of their students and student-athletes in a way that is more equitable for all leadership positions.”