What do you think about what Sabathia said about the lack of black ballplayers in the MLB?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070315/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_sabathia_race;_ylt=AqVStn7lW_YN2L1Ya80RD5gLMxIF

Is this a problem in your opinion?? Any ideas on how MLB or anyone for that matter could help to increase the baseball culture in the US?

d-town, you completely missed the point, did you even read the article, it's not really about race. It's about cultivating an interest in baseball, specifically in the urban areas, which just happen to be largely populated by blacks.

Answer 1

8.5% is low.I thought it was higher then that.I guess it is a little bit of a problem.Maybe they should try to get some free baseball camps in the inner cities.That could help.It would be nice to see the best players in the world,not just to kids who followed it.

Answer 2

Nobody twists anybodys arm to play any particular sport in this country. People play what they want to play. CC Sabathia cant do much about it. Blacks gravitate more towards hoops and football. Football and Basketball werent nearly as popular as baseball was in the '50s, 60s,-just after the color barrier was broken. Look at the black superstars from the 50s- Mays, Aaron, Banks, Newcombe, J. Robinson, F. Robinson, Ellie Howard-then on to the 60s, Billy Williams, Bob Gibson, McCovey, Jenkins-the sad thing about this history of great black ballplayers from this era is (I'm guessing) that its lost on too many black kids growing up today. But hey, times change. If you were a kid growing up in the 40s to mid 60s, you dreamed about becoming a major league basball player-no matter what race you were. Society is different, and there are more choices for kids today. Too bad, in a way. I'm sure that there are plenty more Sabathias, Ryan Howards, Jimmy Rollins, and Carl Crawfords out there who are playing different sports.

Answer 3

It is a big problem. For the last twenty years African-American youth has not in general gravitated to baseball.
As for reasons, well the rap/hip-hop culture does not mix bith baseball. The rap/hip-hop culture has as a basis three main focuses of posing, intimidation, and quick action. Baseball does not match well with any of those fascets.
Another reson is that a bick part of the African-American population resides in the inner cities of large metropolitan areas, specificly New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Each of those areas has high population densities, and a lack of open space. You could fit over 30 basketball courts into the area that holds one major league field.
When baseball stopped showing a weekly saturday game in 1990(finally it will return this year) that hurt exposure, and interest.
Also basketball has been the cult sport for urban African-Americans for over 40 years. The fact that over the last 20 years that basketball players have become major pro stars at young ages increases the cult love of the sport. Baseball has comformity that turns off the urban fan.

Answer 4

Its true. I realized that in fact their aren't many black players in the MLB. I think the game as a whole has become a sport which doesn't entertain people like it used to. We've got the NBA, and NFL to thank for that. People love contact sports, and baseball doesn't give people the rough hits, slam dunks, tackles, and whatever it is that makes those other sports interesting. I don't understand this reasoning. I think baseball can be pretty intense. Watching a double, triple, or any spectacular fielding play to me makes the game fun to watch. Its harder than most people think to play the sport.

Answer 5

First of all, I don't see poverty and being unable to afford the equipment to be a problem. Very, very poor kids from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and many other Latin countries have no problem getting a bat, ball, and glove.

The fact is that most black children in the US aren't interested in baseball. They'd rather play basketball or football. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but don't try to force a sport upon a child just because you think that there aren't enough people of your race involved.

Heck, you could make the argument that there aren't enough white kids playing basketball these days.

So, in my opinion, there is no problem in MLB due to the lack of American black players.

Answer 6

He is talking about African Americans, not people who have dark skin. There is a difference.
It is a problem in that it shows a lack of interest in young African American kids playing the game. The question then - is MLB soon going to be like the NHL for African Americans?

Answer 7

maybe if there were more black coaches? also it costs money to buy bats and gloves. as well as how many inner city playgrounds are big enough for baseball? and no playing stick ball in the street doesn't count.

and also..it would help if some of these stars like howard and the likes...actualy gave back to communites insteand of taking big checks to go talk at the camps where it costs 15 hundred to attend and its only attended by white kids. (got nothing against white folks so stop right there. i'm married to a russian and our childred are half mexican and half white)

Answer 8

..it's not really a problem.....people overlook, or forget, there are a lot of black hispanics playing. The concern is of American born blacks. Football & Basketball has allowed the good athletes the opportunity to earn big money and glory, without the time it normally takes for an athlete to develop his skills, in Baseball. The good black athletes want the money and glory now, and not interested in developing themselves and spending time in the minor leagues.

Answer 9

I agree with him. This is a problem. MLB go out of the country to promote the sport but won't make a n effort to help the inner city. I know they have certain programs but they don't help the inner city like they do the foreign players. Instead of them flying outhe country looking for talen they can just go to the hood and do the same. Its like we (Blacks) don't exist in this country. More can be done if they (MLB) wanted to do more.

Answer 10

Why should the color of skin be at issue? If I asked why aren't there more white players in baseball, I would be a racist. Things are what they are. The time for affirmative action to shore up racial numbers has come and gone. You can't make a kid decide he wants to be the next Barry Bonds or Hank Aaron when they all wanna be A.I. or Kobe. Do you think it could be the pervasive gangsta image that pervades basketball but has been kept out of baseball that is really at the root of all this? Rap and basketball go hand and hand. It shouldn't be necessary to promote a sport so more kids of one color will come play. That is without a doubt dumb, backwards, counter-productive and most of all racist.

Answer 11

I coach baseball and softball for 28 years and African American are not into the game thy told me the game is to slow for them and boring,the big red machine in the 1970's only had two white starter Rose and Beach and he part Indian,