Richard Thompson Ford at Slate makes a good case here. Roughly 20 percent of NFL head coaches are black, but only five percent of college head coaches. What's the main difference between the two jobs? The best way for an NFL franchise to make money is to win. The best way for a college football program to make money is to please the boosters. Usually that involves winning, but not necessarily. As Ford notes, "the real problem isn't a specific racist hiring decision but rather a soft, pervasive bigotry among the boosters and alumni who ultimately run the show."