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Not enough black baseball players?

allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,668 ✭✭✭✭
edited November 2007 in General Discussion
Baseball starts to see hue of issue

By Terence Moore | Saturday, November 24, 2007, 04:52 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Terence Moore

One by one, a who's who of African-American baseball players filed into a room in New York City to partake in a conference call with the commissioner.

It was a secret meeting.

Well, until now.

"Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter. I mean, they were all there, and it was quite remarkable," said Bud Selig, over the phone from his Milwaukee office, confirming the unprecedented session earlier this month that recently was discovered by an AJC columnist. "We're not going to stop until we get this thing done."

Selig's reference was to the pitiful number of African-American players in the game despite Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier 60 seasons ago. Only eight percent of the players in the majors last season were African-American, compared with 27 percent in the mid-1970s. Worse, the Braves continued their silly trend of having no more than one African-American on their roster at a given time. Even worse, the Braves joined the Houston Astros as the only teams to begin last season without an African-American player.

The Braves eventually added Willie Harris, the same African-American outfielder from Cairo, Ga., who didn't make their original 25-man roster despite an impressive spring training.

Something is wrong from Atlanta to Houston to San Diego. Selig knows it, which is why the commissioner whose close friend is Hank Aaron, the African-American slugger of the 1950s through the mid-1970s, decided to call this meeting. Not only did Selig invite all of today's prominent African-American players to attend, but he requested the presence of Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager and Hall of Famer who is an adviser to the commissioner's office. They huddled with Jimmie Lee Solomon, another African-American, who is Selig's executive vice president of baseball operations.

The mission was two-fold: First, to have Selig receive information from the group on what it considered as the reasons for the drop in African-American players. Second, to have the group return at a later date with possible solutions.

Is this posturing by the commissioner, or is he actually swinging for the fences and expecting a grand slam?

"To answer your question, the commissioner is very concerned, and he's very serious about this, and what he's trying to do is figure out some way to find a solution to this, which is why he's reaching out to this group," said Robinson, from his home in Los Angeles. "There's just not a simple solution to the problem. But what we have a tendency to do is that when somebody says there is a problem and that it should be taken care of, we have a tendency to ignore it initially. I'm not saying the commissioner ignored it, but that is what has happened to all of us in the game.

"We saw things happening over the years, but we didn't really pay much attention. But now when you look around on the field, and you see the lack of African-Americans, it's to the point where it is obvious that something has to be done."

It's so obvious that many still don't get it or just prefer to ignore it.

Take, for instance, that gathering for the game's front-office types in Orlando earlier this month. They congratulated each other on their idea of diversity throughout baseball. They bragged about the growing dominance of Hispanic players. They cited Ichiro Suzuki, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Matsui as Japanese stars evolving into American stars.

Selig listened, while trying not to clench his teeth. "They mentioned Taiwanese players and so and so forth, and I said, `Look. We're more diverse than ever, but I'm a great student of history of this sport in every way, and the legacy of Jackie Robinson, an African-American, is so rich. We should - just because it's the right thing to do - make sure that legacy endures with as many players as possible.'

"With that in mind - and I know I had a long talk with Hank Aaron about this - you had that group of African-Americans come together in New York, and they're going to come and see me with their recommendations. I want to build more baseball academies, but I also want to know what they want us to do, and what they are willing to do with us, too."

Sounds good. It always does. Now let's see if all of this will help the Braves and other franchises stop flirting with returning to the 19th century.

Permalink | | Categories: Braves / MLB, Terence Moore

Comments

  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,668 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I see that Terence Moore is concerned that an appropriate percentage of players of each race particapate.
    It's funny, I watched the Georgia Bulldogs play the other day, and when the defense took the field, all eleven players were black.
    Terence Moore hasn't complained about that.
  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,493 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Have they watched an NBA game lately?
  • iluvgunsiluvguns Member Posts: 5,351
    edited November -1
    quote: Have they watched an NBA game lately?

    I haven't watched the NBA since the late 70's. I have always wondered how Magic Johnson worked out with the Lakers. I do remember hearing something about Micheal something-or-other playing really well.

    Really, IHMO, this is a non-story. It's professional sports. If you can play and help the team win, they don't care if the person is pink and green. The problem with MLB is that they have lost all their young fans. Young folks today, especially black, gravitate towards basketball. The rewards come much faster.
  • Don McManusDon McManus Member Posts: 23,681 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Amazing. MLB is racist when the black representation is within a few percentage points of the overall population percentage. Methinks if one removes the over-representation of the Hispanic population, the relative percentage is greater than the general population percentage. The real tragedy is that whitey is under-represented in MLB.

    What crap. As iluvguns states, if any player will make an owner money, that player will be hired. Professional sports is the most color-blind industry in the country. Except, of course for Hockey. U.S. teams have acquiesced to Canadian demands to limit access to non-whites into this, the Canadian national game.
    Freedom and a submissive populace cannot co-exist.

    Brad Steele
  • adminadmin Member, Administrator Posts: 1,079 admin
    edited November -1
    I am far more concerned about the lack of black professional bowlers. Someone call Congress - we need a law...
  • Rack OpsRack Ops Member Posts: 18,596 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
    I see that Terence Moore is concerned that an appropriate percentage of players of each race particapate.
    It's funny, I watched the Georgia Bulldogs play the other day, and when the defense took the field, all eleven players were black.
    Terence Moore hasn't complained about that.


    +1

    Football needs more white running backs!

    I'd also like to mention my concern for the lack of white basketball players
  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,493 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by admin
    I am far more concerned about the lack of black professional bowlers. Someone call Congress - we need a law...


    Black swimmers and race car drivers need addressed also.
  • TxsTxs Member Posts: 17,809 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm probably coming down on the wrong side of this issue for some, but IMHO a lot of this is due to the decline of kids baseball programs across the country. Seems that nowadays I'm mostly seeing the small "participation award" type local programs with most of the kids dropping out before their teens.

    At one time all communities had active programs through various organizations, but this is no longer true. The bottom line is that the more kids you can keep involved in a sport for years the larger number of skilled adult players you'll have.

    The wife and I have been coaching, sponsoring and hauling our kids to ball games/practices for about 15 years now. In fact, our local affiliation hosted my daughter's softball organization's national tournament here last summer, with teams from 11 states involved.

    Kids learn alot more from participating in this sport than just how to hit, throw and catch.
  • kimikimi Member Posts: 44,719 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If they are worried about appropriate-represenattion then football and basketball needs a complete overhaul, but EQUAL or APPROPRIATE representation is far from their racist goals.
    What's next?
  • tacking1tacking1 Member Posts: 3,844
    edited November -1
    It's sports for goodness sake. In my opinion, professional sports, (or any sports for that matter) is the last place that racism is prevelent. The fact that, as Jimmy the Greek pointed out, blacks are gifted in those areas would indicate that the reason is not that black people are not welcome in baseball, but are not seeing baseball as the sport of choice.

    The reasons are probably more socio-economic than racist.
  • CaptplaidCaptplaid Member Posts: 20,298 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The reasons are probably more socio-economic than racism.

    Look in history. The great player often came from poor upbring or the nationalities at the bottom. The lowest rung on the economic scale has provided the athletes. Babe Ruth came out of an orphanage. Dimagio was an Italian . Baseball was full of Italians and Irish when the blacks entered the game. Now there are the mexicans below the blacks in the economics of America.

    Unfortunately, some people are stuck in the past and still want handouts, programs and mandated equality.
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    if you've ever been to a game you'd be hard pressed to see 1% african American in the stands, their just not interested, i refuse to believe in today's society this would actually be a race issue, and major league baseball would pass up opportunity for an outstanding player because of race

    the way it reads i was waiting for a punch line, still sounds fishy, i guess there is not enough crime in baseball
  • Colt SuperColt Super Member Posts: 31,007
    edited November -1
    We need quotas !!

    The EEOC needs to investigate.

    Black players should get extra points on their job applications.

    The ideal candidate would be a black, homosexual, midget, who stutters, is blind and paraplegic, and has lupus.

    DO NOT LET THIS HORRIBLE SITUATION STAND!!!

    Free America from the chains of ism-isms !!

    Doug
  • kimikimi Member Posts: 44,719 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Captplaid
    The reasons are probably more socio-economic than racism.

    Look in history. The great player often came from poor upbring or the nationalities at the bottom. The lowest rung on the economic scale has provided the athletes. Babe Ruth came out of an orphanage. Dimagio was an Italian . Baseball was full of Italians and Irish when the blacks entered the game. Now there are the mexicans below the blacks in the economics of America.

    Unfortunately, some people are stuck in the past and still want handouts, programs and mandated equality.


    Very good Captplaid. Your last sentence brings us back to the facts of the matter, which some people will never allow themselves to believe.
    What's next?
  • kimikimi Member Posts: 44,719 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
    We need quotas !!

    The EEOC needs to investigate.

    Black players should get extra points on their job applications.

    The ideal candidate would be a black, homosexual, midget, who stutters, is blind and paraplegic, and has lupus.



    Free America from the chains of ism-isms !!

    Doug


    [:D][:D][:D] DO NOT LET THIS HORRIBLE SITUATION STAND!!! Especially if a white person stands to benefit!
    What's next?
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    why Lupus, why not sickle cell?
  • Colt SuperColt Super Member Posts: 31,007
    edited November -1
  • gearheaddadgearheaddad Member Posts: 15,091 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Soon it will be noticed how few Blacks are in the NHL. Or even Yacht Racing. OH NO!!
    It doesn't matter what color an athlete is. If he is pro caliber, he'll be found by a team. Everyone wants to scream race. I don't get it. It's o.k. to have Miss Black America and all Black Colleges. What if there was an all White college? Or Miss White America? Or the "White Kid College fund"?
    Sorry, just a rant!!
  • JorgeJorge Member Posts: 10,656 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    felix_trinidad.jpg

    About social status and success in professional sports:

    "Let's face it. White people can't box. Black people box better. Puerto Ricans... even better. It seems the lower you go on the social ladder, the better the boxer. If there's a Puerto Rican who is a good boxer, there's a Native American waiting to kick his *."

    - Chris Rock.
  • Sav99Sav99 Member Posts: 16,037 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It all goes back to little league. Players in the big leagues didn't start playing ball in high school, they all started as little kids. Decline in little league participation, in this case inner city little league, equals fewer black players in the majors. It's a shame really.
  • medic07medic07 Member Posts: 5,222 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sorry but I see this not as racism...but economics.

    Take a look at the pay for MLB compared to the NBA or NFL. Big difference. Baseball truly is a TEAM sport. All must work together to win...you dont know where that ball is going when it leaves the bat.

    The NBA while a team sport, one or two players can actually carry the team through on a game. You dont hear about every guy on the team...usually just one (it was always Michael Jordan or Shaq).

    NFL...again...a team but one person can stand out amongst all of the rest and do the most work (LT, Smith, Dion).

    It is about the dead presidents in your bank...its about fame...and about noteriety. These athletes want to be the STAND OUT in the crowd...not a part of a team.

    If we think sports is racist, then we need to shake up the whole thing.
    More blacks in MHL, Rodeo, NASCAR.
    More whites in NBA and boxing

    Maybe sports is sexist too...dont see ANY women out there on the field on Sunday with the NFL.

    We are coming apart at the seams with illegals and we are worried there may be discremination in the MLB??? Please...
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