Patrick E. McCarthy
Define diversity to you; why is it important? To keep a complex topic simple: Does the workplace reflect the diversity of our society? If any race or ethnicity is meaningfully underrepresented, there is a problem. It’s depressing that we have to even answer why diversity is important, but again to keep it simple: 1) There is a moral imperative to make sure EVERYONE in society has a fair opportunity to get ahead; 2) If an organization isn’t diverse there may be bias in the underlying hiring and promotion processes, which could signal other malignant issues; and 3) Organizations can’t serve an increasingly diverse market without understanding the people within that market.
Opportunities missing in sports: Many industries (Wall Street, legal, medical) have established internships designed to get people of color into those professions early in their career. While I’ve seen some things here and there, I think the sports world could do a lot better on this front. The unfortunate part is it starts at the top — there needs to be more diversity in team ownership as well as in the C-Suite at league offices and the companies that make up the sports ecosystem.
Champion of diversity: The late Dan Rooney. The impact the Rooney Rule has had on diversity in the coaching ranks of the NFL is unparalleled. While the rule isn’t perfect, there is no doubt we’ve gotten guys like Mike Tomlin and Todd Bowles as a result of it. No longer is a black coach a rarity in the NFL. Beyond that, Ambassador Rooney was a mentor to many; while I wish I had the opportunity to spend more time with him, the time we did spend together during the Steelers recapitalization was invaluable to me and had a major impact on the development of my career.
