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50% of NBA Coaches Should Be Women - Adam Silver

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Ha...I started a thread on this awhile ago on another forum. It got...interesting, to say the least.

My view -- which I believe is strongly supported by basic logic and empiricism -- is that the modern left has gone too far in pushing the absurd fantasy that equality of outcome must be forced, rather than accept the fairness of equality of opportunity.

Let's consider reality: how many women are like me and are even interested in sports? I'm one of a small percentage. I can guarantee you it's very difficult for me to find other women who are as into pro basketball as I am. Sure, perhaps the occasional Becky Hammon might be able to do such a thing; she's exceptionally smart and no-nonsense, and obviously understands the game well. But that doesn't mean we're going to find 14 more of her.

There will always be a disparity among men and women in certain fields, and it's due to biology. I'm about as systematic as any woman I know, but I still avoid risk-taking and leadership positions. I'm not well-suited for them. Very few women can ascend high in those types of fields. Notice I said very few; I'm not saying we need to bar women completely from such type of work. You've got your Margaret Thatchers and whatnot who come around now and then. But we have to realize it's tougher, and that expecting there to be complete 50/50 in all things is simply asinine. A large number of women will always prefer things like teaching school-age children, nursing, and various care-taking jobs (I myself work night shift in direct care). And this is perfectly fine. Accept an 80/20 or 90/10 disparity. It's not discrimination, it's simply the way things work.

Let's put it this way: You won't see Adam Silver demanding that 50% of the construction workers building arenas must be women.
 
People can talk about this subject, pros, cons, execution, biological differences, etc., in a non-overtly political way. It is beneficial and a topic that is pertinent as we may soon have a female head coach in the NBA.

However, once people start saying "The Left," "The ______ Agenda," "Media driven," and other terms that directly imply a partisan direction this thread will have to be reevaluated and probably shut down.

So far mostly good. Let's continue to heed the counsel of our better angels.
 
I don't think it's necessary to keep rehashing that what silver said is wacky. He's wrong. But there should also be more than zero female coaches.
 
I don't think it's necessary to keep rehashing that what silver said is wacky. He's wrong. But there should also be more than zero female coaches.

Something we can agree on.
 
People can talk about this subject, pros, cons, execution, biological differences, etc., in a non-overtly political way. It is beneficial and a topic that is pertinent as we may soon have a female head coach in the NBA.

However, once people start saying "The Left," "The ______ Agenda," "Media driven," and other terms that directly imply a partisan direction this thread will have to be reevaluated and probably shut down.

So far mostly good. Let's continue to heed the counsel of our better angels.

Thanks for the clarification. As a businessman I am very careful to keep partisan political discussions out of the workplace for the simple reason that it's a major distraction from what we're trying to do and the purposes of the organization (private sector for-profit company). There is no need to bring political considerations into a discussion of the advisability of hiring / mandating female head coaches. To paraphrase a famous movie, it's not political, it's strictly business. I'd feel the same way about religious discussions in the workplace (less of an issue these days than years ago).

It's why i think Adam Silver was absolutely correct and smart to state that any player who demonstrated during the national anthem would be disciplined. Notice no NBA player objected to that. The reason is simple: it's better for business to not piss off customers unnecessarily. Adam Silver and the players, though, do have strong political opinions which they convey off the court which is their absolute right to do so and I commend them for it.

Regarding the specific issue of hiring female head coaches -- obviously there would be a one-time media and cultural boost for the team that hires the first female head coach but in the end all that matters is whether any given coach helps you win more than the alternatives. Anything else is rubbish. So if Becky Hammon wins more than say Nick Nurse I'm all for it -- otherwise not.

Regarding coaching in general I think it would be a good idea for most teams to have a female coach for the simple reason that -- out of fifteen players -- there's a good chance at least one might be more comfortable communicating on some things with a female rather than a male head coach. It would make the overall coaching staff more effective.
 
I don't think it's necessary to keep rehashing that what silver said is wacky. He's wrong. But there should also be more than zero female coaches.
It should be 50% men, 50% women, and 50% attack helicopters.
 

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