Professional sports leagues in the U.S. have tried to tackle the issue of diversity and inclusion among their leadership for decades with league-wide rules and policies designed to create opportunities for underrepresented groups. Success has varied across leagues. However, since the murder of George Floyd galvanized a national reckoning around race, diversity and inclusion within all industries, including professional sports, has become increasingly important and urgent to businesses and their stakeholders. In professional sports, some leagues have taken more progressive and innovative approaches than others, implementing more than surface-level efforts, drawing input from across their leagues, and supporting individual player efforts on inclusion, and other issues ranging from social justice to civic engagement.
The WNBA, for example, is a leader in diversity and inclusion, with inclusive representation seen across the league, including team ownership, front office leadership, and coaching. In 2021, the WNBA received top scores for racial and gender hiring practices among professional sports leagues from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, which issues an annual Racial and Gender Report Card. The WNBA has held the top position since 2004. Read More
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