With so many Black athletes claiming center stage in the sports universe, one might be inclined to declare that athletics is the one slice of American life where equal opportunity abounds. Some might even say that sports represent a model of ethnic diversity that should be admired and emulated by all.

Reality, however, paints a much different and much bleaker picture.

True, there's ample Black representation when you're talking about the athletes who compete. But when you look at the percentages of Blacks employed in the non-jock positions in sports, there's a drastic drop-off. You just won't find many people of color holding down jobs as coaches and athletic administrators.

In recent years, Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society has compiled hard data in its Racial Report Card to demonstrate that these shortcomings in hiring minorities are not imaginary. Pro sports has performed horribly in this area, considering 79 percent of the players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 66 percent of the National Football League (NFL) are African American.

For example, according to the recently released 1997 Racial Report Card (RRP), 15 percent of office management in the NFL is Black, as are 22 percent of officer support staff. In the NBA, the respective numbers are 17 percent and 31 percent. Additionally, just 24 percent of NBA coaches and 10 percent of NFL coaches are African American.

Black athletes have taken professional sports to a higher level. But when it comes to who coaches, who manages, and who gets the administrative positions, athletics is strictly a White man's game.

And that's not the end of it. College sports, long perceived as a more equitable arena for equal opportunity than their professional counterparts, also fall short -- way short.

In fact, according to the RRP, college sports -- where 61 percent of the basketball players and 52 percent of the football players are Black -- have an even more dismal record for racial and gender hiring practices when compared to the NFL and the NBA. At Division I institutions, the ranks of college athletics directors include 9.1 percent Black men and I percent Black women. Black men make up 7.5 percent -- and Black women, 1.8 percent -- of Division I associate and assistant athletics directors. Additionally, Black men constitute 6.1 percent -- and Black women 1.3 percent -- of faculty athletics representatives.