Record five black officials chosen by NFL for Super Bowl

As The Undefeated reports, this year’s Super Bowl is set to be a record-breaking one for African-American representation since the league began over 40 years ago in 1967.

This is, of course, a huge leap forward since the times when there were restrictions on what positions could or could not be taken by black people. Besides positions such as center, quarterback, middle linebacker, or free safety, black people were ruled out for any other playing or officiating position, leading to a white-dominated field.

The recent news that there will be five black officials for this year’s Super Bowl is a massive step-up in this case. Especially considering that there are only seven-game officials in total, the turning of the tide is extraordinary. A further cause for celebration is that the game officials were not picked out of pity or any other shallow reasoning – they were chosen purely on metrics, based on the Game Officials’ Accuracy Ratings. This objective selection shows a great step forward towards equality in the Super Bowl, and in sports in general.

Perhaps to be worked on is the fact that just 36 of the overall 122 officials are African American. Though four of these may be crew chiefs or officials, there are still steps to be taken towards a more balanced representation. For now, though, the 5 out of 7 black officials in this year’s Super Bowl is a cause for celebrating and championing diversity.