ABSTRACT
The Racial and Gender Report Card (RGRC) (Lapchick, 2012) reported that between 2001-2010, the representation of women in executive management positions declined in five of the six major North American professional sport leagues (i.e., National Football League [NFL], Major League Baseball [MLB], National Hockey League [NHL], National Basketball Association [NBA], Major League Soccer [MLS]). In order to examine the existing status of women’s leadership roles in the sport industry, the 2012 RGRC serves as a useful reference. In the RGRC, the hiring practices in North American professional sports regarding women and people of color were assessed and employment categories received a grade. According to Lapchick’s RGRC data, the representation of women senior administrators is as follows: NFL 20%: 91women; MLB 18%: 71 women; NBA 25%: 189 women; MLS 20.7%: 31 women; and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) 52%: 30 women. Senior administration includes, but is not restricted to directors, senior managers, legal counsel, general counsel, senior advisors, assistant vice presidents, director of community relations, public relations directors, and general managers. The RGRC grades follow federal affirmative action policies stating that the percentage of people in the racial or gender group in the population should reflect the same number in the workforce. An A was given if 40% of employees were women, B for 32%, C for 27%, D for 22%, and F for below 22% (Lapchick, 2012).
