TheUndefeated.com, ESPN's year-old platform focusing on the intersections of sports, race and culture, has published Segregation in the NFL - an in-depth examination of the complex role race plays in determining which players play certain positions on NFL teams. NFL locker rooms are among the most diverse workplaces on the planet, yet the individual positions on team rosters can resemble the black and white squares of a chess board in terms.
In this week's NFL Draft, Stanford University's Christian McCaffrey is expected to be the first white tailback selected in the first round in decades. The story of the running back position is part of a much bigger narrative about race and football, dating back to a time when African-Americans were unofficially banned from playing in the NFL. Even today, the racial composition of NFL lineups is shaped as much by societal factors as the inclination of decision-makers to stick with what has worked so well for so long.Highlights:
The Undefeated is ESPN's content HUB exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture. Launched on May 17, 2016, TheUndefeated.com combines innovative long-form and short-form storytelling, investigation, original reporting and provocative commentary to enlighten and entertain African Americans, as well as sports fans seeking a deeper understanding of black athletes, culture and related issues.
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