Understanding the under-representation of African American coaches: A multilevel perspective

The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive, multilevel framework for understanding the under-representation of African Americans as head coaches of university athletic teams. I argue that factors at the macro-level (i.e., institutionalized practices, political climate, stakeholder expectations), meso-level (i.e., prejudice on the part of decision makers, discrimination, leadership prototypes, organizational culture of diversity), and micro-level (i.e., head coaching expectations and intentions, occupational turnover intentions) all impact this phenomenon. The framework's applicability for policy development and changes initiatives is also discussed.