Definition of Rooney Rule

What is the meaning of the term 'Rooney Rule' when it comes to sports?

When one looks at high profile coaches in both the National Football League (NFL) and in top divisions in European football like the English Premier League, they might notice that almost all, if not all, of the coaches are not of an ethnic minority. The NFL has had a rule since 2003 trying to address this issue by requiring teams to meet a quota of interviewing minority coaching candidates. It's called the Rooney Rule.

Named after former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers Dan Rooney (as opposed to Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney), it was created after two successful black coaches had been fired after having relatively good seasons. The rule itself has seen some measure of success, with Mike Tomlin taking over the Steelers and the NFL adding 14 non-white coaches over the next 12 seasons. Admittedly, when one looks at the league today, only three African-American coaches are in the league, the same amount as in 2003.

Across the Atlantic, some players have been campaigning for a similar rule to be applied, especially in England. Gordon Taylor, Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) said in September 2014 the sport "has a 'hidden resistance' preventing black managers getting jobs," pointing out that "you see so many black players on the pitch, yet we have two black managers out of 92." Black coaches like Kieron Dyer and Titus Bramble spoke out against the rule, saying jobs should be based on merit and not on race. The Rooney Rule was implemented for the England national team coach position in 2018.