Joseph N. Cooper – The Conversation

Jerod Mayo on the sidelines during his last game in 2024 as New England Patriots head coach. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

February 7, 2025

The illusion of equal opportunity for minority NFL coaches

Joseph N. Cooper, UMass Boston

The firings of two Black NFL coaches at the end of the 2024 season touched off widespread debate on whether minority coaches face a double standard.

Nick Saban was an outspoken critic of changes to NIL rules and the transfer portal that empowered players. John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

January 23, 2024

Nick Saban’s ‘epic era’ of coaching is over, but the exploitation of players in big‑time college football is not

Joseph N. Cooper, UMass Boston

Nick Saban was one of the most successful coaches in college football history. But he was not a champion of players’ rights.

LSU’s Angel Reese, right, and LaDazhia Williams react during an NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinals basketball game against Virginia Tech on March 31, 2023, in Dallas. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

April 5, 2023

How white privilege plays into the first lady’s idea to invite runner‑up Iowa to the White House

Joseph N. Cooper, UMass Boston

Asking the mostly Black women’s basketball team at LSU to share the limelight with the white team it beat in the championship game represents a double standard, a scholar of sports and race says.

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