How much truth to Sheffield's statement?

Question

According to news reports (I have not read the article). GQ this month has an article with Gary Sheffield that states that the reason that there are not as many black ball players is because the black players from the US will not be abused by managers and front office staff. Whereas Latinos will keep quiet just so they can play ball. Because of this the front offices perfer to keep the Latinos and get rid of the blacks even if they are of the same calibar.
A recent study showed that the percentage of Black ball players in baseball is at the lowest point in the history of the study (started in 1980's). There are 59% white, 29%Latino, 8% Black, 3% Asian.
Any thoughts?

Answer 1

I think there's a little truth in Sheffield's statement, but it's definitely an oversimplication. The facts about players from Latin America:

1) They do not enter the MLB draft. Except for the exceptional few Latino players, the majority of them are signed for very little money until they make it to the big leagues. They come from poorer communities where baseball is their only way out of poverty. So they're probably more likely to please their bosses.

Americans (not just blacks but everyone else) have more options (other sports or careers), are typically better educated, and less likely to view baseball as their only way out of poverty. There are plenty of Americans who didn't make it to the big leagues but were successful in other ventures (like business). So maybe American-born players are less motivated to be "controlled" by their bosses.

2) MLB teams have baseball academies and clinics all over Latin American. Only a few teams have these facilities in the U.S. (I think the Dodgers set one up, but I don't know if any other team has).

Is it because Latinos don't have the adequate training so MLB teams are filling that gap? Or is it a financial gain because teams can sign these players cheaper than Americans from high school or college?

Or is a MLB team's return on investment (ROI) is higher in Latin America than in the U.S.? If a young player trains at an academy in the U.S., and then decides he wants to play football or basketball instead... That's a zero ROI. In Latin America, the young player has only one choice = baseball...

Maybe this qualifies as "more control".

3) You can't believe every word that comes out of Sheffield's mouth. He says things that are provocative and makes everyone talk. But does he really mean it? I think he just wants everyone to talk about why there's so few black players in MLB...

I always believed MLB has been very short-sighted in the last 20 years. It's more about revenue and profit generation. Whether it's the 1994 strike, overexpansion, or building new ballparks- MLB has really under-invested in the sport of baseball. They have only cared about the bottom line.

But just like a company that invests in research & development... if you don't reinvest your profits into the sport- you're no longer profitable.

Individual MLB teams are not going to build youth academies in their community. They want to use their profits into selling more tickets. MLB itself has to start building up more interest among the youth if baseball is to continue to grow in the U.S.

Answer 2

Sheffield is a ballplayer and not a deep thinker. Black players are in decline because they do not have opportunities to play baseball in the inner cities, so they are playing hoops or football. This guy is allegedly an abuser of anabolic steroids, which makes him a cheater. He should just pipe down a little.

Answer 3

There is no truth to the Sheffield statement. Recently Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, and Hank Aaron commented on the reduced numbers of black baseball players in MLB. They attribute the problem to lack of interest in kids ages 8-15 and reduced areas to play and learn the game in the inner-city, and Aaron himself is taking on the problem to get younger black kids interested in baseball again. Sheffield is way off base on this one and I tend to believe Aaron and the others.

Answer 4

It isnt true. He feels offend because of the cuality that many black players have and theyre being replaced by latin players, i agree that many black players can do it right but it doesnt mean latin players cant. If we realize theres a big number of latin players that are black, just like David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Endy Chavez a few among them all. The point is that if these latin players could get to big league and be who they are now is cause they have talent, thats something he doesnt mention cause its easier to an american player to get a multimillionar contract than it is to a latin player, the latin player gotta show what hes made of while an american player gets it easily even before comin to big league. So i dont agree.

Answer 5

No truth whatsoever. Sheffield is talking out of his ***. Honestly. African Americans think that everything has to do with race and racism. Grab ahold of yourself, we are living in 2007 not 1907. Race is no longer an issue. Things are taken out of context. Although the facts are there, it is because African Americans are pursuing other sports that are dominated by their race. These are obviously basketball and football. Sheffield needs to think before he talks.

Answer 6

Sheffield has repeatedly shown himself to be angry and a malcontent. He has spoken so foolishly in the past that his words are not given any serious discussion. He is the boy that has cried 'Wolf!', too many times.