Discrimination in a Rank Order Contest: Evidence from the NFL Draft

Ian Gregory-Smith (), Alex Bryson and Rafael Gomez

Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, 2023, vol. 6, issue 3, No 7, 215-231

Abstract: Abstract This paper examines discrimination in the NFL draft. The NFL is a favorable empirical setting to examine the role of skin color because franchise selectors are required to make rank-order judgements of players based on noisy signals of future productivity. Since wages are tightly related to the rank-order of the draft for the first four years of a player’s career, even if discrimination plays only a marginal role in selection, there could be a large discriminatory impact. We observe racial differences in drafting. However, much of the variation is explained by Black and White players selecting into different playing positions. Conditional upon a large set of control variables, including athletic performance at a marque selection event (the NFL combine), we do not find robust evidence of racial discrimination in NFL drafting between 2000 and 2018. However, we do find some evidence that Black players are disadvantaged relative to White players in later rounds of the draft.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s41996-023-00118-y

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