One of the most unique aspects about professional sports is the fact that these organizations operate under the philosophy of meritocracy on the field, as most organizations succumb to nepotism, biases, and other factors . The NFL is meant to be the pinnacle of professional football, with every position, from the water boy to the general manger, being occupied by the most qualified and adept individual for the job. The NFL sites that its mission is “to provide our fans, communities and partners the highest quality sports and entertainment in the world, and to do so in a way that is consistent with our values [of respect and integrity],” and by going against their own mission to seek out the best and brightest to fill every position, the NFL is acting hypocritically, and subsequently unethically (NFL.com). While the NFL may state that it is committed to meritocracy that “strives be a model of diversity and inclusion,” their current state shows a disproportionately low number of women (NFL.com). “NFL sidelines are dominated by men, but in communities across the country, the game is increasingly being played, coached and managed by women” which points to the notion that a hiring bias may be the root of this disparity (Crawford). Considering the increase in women participating in football in other capacities such as fans and players at the amateur level, it is very telling that the NFL has not seen a significant uptick in female coaches and executives. If the NFL prides itself on being the pinnacle of professional football, then to ignore the myriad qualified women because of a history of stereotypically masculine culture would be unethical, as the NFL is not providing their fans with the best possible product.

Skeptics of the notion that it is unethical for the NFL to ignore the countless number of women who are influencing the game in other capacities could say that women are not represented in leadership roles in the NFL because they simply are not qualified enough. The argument could be made that “Most women don’t have the background for [head coaching positions]” and therefor there is no ethical conflict with meritocracy (Jacobson). This argument does not fully understand that if women are not ever considered for leadership positions in male dominated fields because they are not qualified, then they will never gain the experience necessary to be qualified, as male coaches with NFL or collegiate experience will constantly have an advantage during the hiring process. This line of thinking creates a self-fulfilling prophecy which unethically inhibits women from ever breaking into leadership roles in men’s sports. The number of male coaches and executives that have reached a great deal of success in the NFL without ever playing football at the professional or even collegiate level serves to further exemplify the overemphasis some place on playing experience in these leadership positions. Bill Belichick, the third most winning coach in NFL history, never played football past the high school level, so it would be misguided to assume that women are not fit to lead NFL teams in a coaching or executive capacity because they lack the playing experience of their male counterparts.