Racial Tasking and the College Quarterback: Redefining the Stacking Phenomenon
in Journal of Sport ManagementClick name to view affiliation
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The purpose of this study was to ascertain if positional segregation continues at the quarterback position in college football. To determine its existence, we examined differences in run and pass plays executed by African American and White quarterbacks over four different seasons in the NCAA DI-FBS (N = 548). Results revealed significant differences such that African American quarterbacks rushed the ball more and averaged fewer pass attempts than their White counterparts. Likewise, the percentage of rush attempts made by African Americans nearly doubled that of Whites, while White quarterbacks passed the ball 12% more often than their African American counterparts. We argue that these findings support that a new form of discrimination and positional segregation, one we define as racial tasking, may exist.
Bopp and Sagas are with the Department of Tourism, Recreation, and Sport Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
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