Quotes by Richard Lapchick

“And I could see the relief on my own 16-year-old daughters face. Shes a softball player, and she will not have to conform to the stereotypical view of what a female should be, of the unattainable body type that has been promoted for decades.”

“Had I guessed, I probably would have guessed the West would have the largest percentage based on the image, at least, of free-thinking universities. Thats a pretty astonishing figure.”

“Theres been a general improvement in the leagues over a period of time.”

“First of all, the policy is not racist. The intention is to make the league image more corporate rather than hip-hop, which has been the going trend for years, ... Its a natural outcome of what happened last year with the brawl. As for the NBA, its probably the most progressive league with regard to its diversity practices. There may be some resistance to this policy, but (the NBA) needs to just stick to its guns.”

“Theres been a general improvement in the leagues over a period of time. I think the glaring gaps are at the college level at what are considered to be the top positions.”

“The key is admitting students who are qualified to be in that school.”

“I am rarely surprised on issues of race and gender that the movement is so slow to get more people of color and women in those top positions.”

“The goal is to open the process to get the best people in the room and hire the best people. We feel like once that process is opened up, more African-Americans are going to be hired as presidents, more are going to be hired as athletic directors.”

“I would make the analogy that if my son or daughter had legal problems, I would try to get the best representation possible, and thats the way universities view these firms.”

“I can tell you I go on a lot of college campuses and I see a lot of very handsome-looking cars driven by a whole lot of athletes. I must admit it makes me wonder how are these guys driving these beautiful cars, and I dont know the answer to it.”