Inclusion Should Guide Future Sports Industry Conversations

Not too long ago, I was 10. It’s an odd age, to be honest. Old enough that you are convinced you have the answer to everything. Young enough for that to not quite ring true, even if a smaller, more stubborn version of myself would argue otherwise.

Perhaps I was too young to understand everything, but I was old enough to comprehend various elements of my reality. Occasionally, I would be the only one to return home from a sleepover with my hair unkempt. I would be the one barefaced when we played makeovers.

When appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Riz Ahmed was queried about his role in Sony’s rendition of Marvel’s Venom. He revealed that he never imagined being in a movie like that, growing up, he never saw people who looked like him in blockbusters.

He mentioned that he did not like to talk about diversity all that much: “I feel like it sounds like an added extra. It sounds like the fries, not the burger.

“That’s not what it’s about for me. It’s about representation, and representation is absolutely fundamental in what we expect from our culture and our politics.”

He is correct in various ways. Diversity is a term at the forefront of collective action, but representation is equally, if not of greater importance. Yet, I think back to the experiences mentioned above. Diversity was not much of a focus for me. While representation was important, all I wanted to feel was included.

Now, as a young Black woman eager to make her mark in the sports industry, conversations around diversity have never been louder. But in all the efforts to diversify the industry, I cannot help but wonder if the importance of inclusion has been understated.

Diversity In The Industry: The Stats

In November 2024, I attended The Black Collective of Media In Sport (BCOMS) The D Word 5 Conference hosted at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge. The UK’s biggest conference focused on diversity in the sports media celebrated its tenth anniversary, supported by the Chelsea Foundation and Refresh. 

BCOMS believes the media should better represent our diverse society. As a result, through several means, including its Masterclass programme and events, BCOMS works to increase the representation of people from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented communities in the sports media.

Throughout the day, the event consisted of various panels composed of industry professionals. One panel included a non-academic study carried out by BCOMS. It covered several major sports, including the 2024 UEFA Men’s European Football Championship and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The study revealed that out of 421 broadcasting roles across the major broadcasters, just 11% were filled by Black broadcasters. Only 4% were filled by Asian broadcasters, while 38% were taken by women.

The statistics on the representation in the written media stood out. Of 215 roles, only 4% were filled by Black writers, while Asians made up 5%. Women in the written media amounted to 12%, but from those, only two were Black women, and one was Asian. 

Diversity In the Industry: Why The Stats Do Not Depict the Entire Picture

The study was noteworthy for several reasons. The first was the initial shock. The numbers would send a shiver down the spine of even the most confident aspiring underrepresented sports journalist.

The second was confusion. 

I glanced around the room, which was full of industry professionals, diverse in race, gender and ethnicity. While sitting among a collective so varied in identity, it was difficult to compute that the sports industry did not reflect the many faces beside me. 

Lost deep in thought, I was reminded of a conversation I had with Carl Anka, Manchester United correspondent for The Athletic.

He said: “I go to Old Trafford twice a week. Twice a month minimum because of the home games. I will walk down, and there will be a steward, and most of the stewards will be Black or Asian minority. They’ll check my bag, and they’ll check my pass.

“But the moment I walk into the press room and I pick up my accreditation, I am the only Black person working in that room.”

The anecdote was akin to the last piece of the puzzle falling into place. Diversity exists within the sports industry. But perhaps the issue lies in where diversity is included. Namely, in positions where major decisions take place.

Why Inclusivity, Not Diversity, Is The Next Step

Diversity is fundamental. Representation matters. But inclusivity is overlooked.

According to the Black Footballers Partnership, 43% of Premier League players have African or Caribbean heritage. While 39% of the GB Olympics Athletics team for the Paris games had African or Caribbean heritage, and 53% of the same Athletics team were women. Asian men make up 12% of Grassroots footballers, and 15% of all female Grassroots footballers are Asian. 

Meanwhile, Carl Anka represents diversity within the sports industry, as do the engineers, TV producers and sports writers who attended the BCOMS conference. If you were to go onto YouTube and switch on AFTV, you would notice Robbie Lyle, who was also in attendance. As a young Black woman, I represent diversity within the industry. 

Drew Christie, Co-founder and BCOMS Chair uttered a phrase at the conference which has stuck with me since.

He said: “[Underrepresented groups have struggled] not because they didn’t have talent, but because they didn’t have access.”

Looking around the room, at the conference, in the stadiums and those who play there, the objective to diversify the industry continues its upward trajectory. However, to be included is an entirely different matter. 

To be included in front-facing, senior positions are paramount. The experiences of Carl Anka and the findings of the BCOMS study highlight the issue. The best strategy for addressing cultural bias in the sports media seems to increase the representation of underrepresented communities.

Hence, the next step lies in the inclusion of these individuals in decision-making roles where they can make a difference.

There comes a time when you must accept that there is, or at least there will be, a place for us all at the table. Some seats simply take a little more time to craft than others.