Where the hell are all the Black and Asian Ballplayers at?

Question

I'm tired of all the Latino Ballplayers, They all seem to have the same names, theres like a 200 Rodriguezs and 300 Gonzales' in the league. Majority of them can't even speak English which hurts the game a lot. I'm not saying the Asian players can speak english, but we don't have enough of them in the league. And the Blacks need to stop playing Basketball and grab a bat and a glove.

Hey Pooperscooper you can kiss my black a.s.s. Don't be tellin me how I refer to my peoples alright. ITS BLACK not African American.

Hey Jon, You need to relax. Take a Viagra or something.

Answer 1

pooperscooper is right you people are being racist,why dose it matter what race the player is? are you people blind as well. There are black players barry bonds, jermain dye, kenny lofton, randy winn to name a few. and asian players the most popu lar are ichiro, matsui, dice-k, mabey there would be more if the damm japanese teams didn't charge to talk with the players about contracts..oh and can dice-k talk english . i don't think so they have translators just like my people. and what makes u think all latinos are illegal, I am mexican/puerto rican born in the USA so im just as american as all u if not more

Answer 2

Why is this even an issue in baseball? I know that Sheffield came out with his comments earlier in the week, but come on.

I guess the best way to explain it is something that I heard on a sports talk show the other day. When it comes to sports like basketball and football, most schools provide the equiptment for this. Also, you can pretty much play basketball and football anywhere. If you play baseball, you have to buy your glove and bat, and that can be expensive. Plus, with baseball, you cant play it everywhere. Baseball is also a little bit more skilled than say basketball, not to say you dont need skill for basketball. I know how to throw a basket, but I would not know the first thing on how to throw a curve ball.

That was part of the answer that they were giving on the radio. Now this is something that I also think.

With basketball and football, there is really no minor leagues. Either you are in the big show or you are not. By the time you turn 20 or 21, you could be making the big money and playing in the professional league. In baseball, you have a minor league. Granted, if you get drafted high, you might get a nice bonus, but it still doesnt mean that you are going to make it into the majors. You are looking at the possibility of 5-10 years in the minors just to make it into the majors. Granted, some do make it up quicker, but not always. In any given year, 3000 or so players could be drafted in baseball, and probably at least half of them will not make it into the majors.

So basically, it can be a matter of money. Inner city kids dont have to pay for the equiptment, and are looking at millions soon out of high school. That seems like a bigger reward than having to wait longer to make the big money. It is sad to say, but money can be a deciding factor. If you dont have it growing up, are you going to turn down millions right away? Many dont respect the rich history of the game.

I hope that might help answer your question on black players have gone. As for me, I could care less who the player is, as long as there is a good player on the field.

Answer 3

I tend to think that if there were more skilled players of any race not in the majors, you'd see them on teams like the Pirates and the Royals... teams that have no competitive advantage now, and would probably loose to good minor league clubs on most years. (We're not talking the odd year when they break .500 or even string together a playoff run, but your normal year... just after they sold all their good players to the Yankees and drafted the 5th best pitcher in the draft with the 4th overall pick, yet again a college kid who will likely be getting Tommy John Surgery)
If there were more good Black and Asian players to be had, they'd be there, where any advantage that can be taken, must be.
Then again, the way the Pirates pay, it's possible most Asian players can make more playing in Tokyo. Japan's economy is doing pretty well after all.

Answer 4

My understanding is that it's because baseball has no real collegiate level of play and an extraordinarily organized minor league system. Therefore, Major League Baseball can recruit uneducated, non-english speaking people from wherever. This offers unlimited supply of hungry players from latin america and carribean countries to compete with American players for a spot on the roster.
In football and basketball, you basically have to be admitted to a large American University, or you'll never play pro. And in order to play at a university, you have to be scouted in a large american High School and basically be a regular American citizen or at least have grown up here.

Answer 5

i dont buy the answer of "its because the inner city kids cant afford the equipment to play base ball"do you think the latin americans are coming from rich neighbor hoods?of course not....they played baseball with whatever they could find....milk cartons,cans,sticks etc. also,if you can find a field big enough to play football,then is probally big enough for some form of baseball.besides,in the 60's and 70's stickball was big in the inner city,you can play that most anywhere.

the reason less blacks are playing baseball is it is not as popular as used to be.football is now americas favorite sport.
and basketball was always popular with the black youth.
my son who plays football and basketball ,wont even watch a baseball game with me,he says its too boring.i can understand that.


most asian players stay in their own country to play .

Answer 6

They're getting a few Asians from the Japan leagues but it does seem like more and more black people (yes, I went there. I said 'black') are not playing baseball. They're choosing to play basketball or football.

Answer 7

I think it's just because baseball really isn't as popular as it used to be. Back in baseball's heyday you had most athletes wanting to play baseball. Now with football and basketball being more popular you have maybe a 1/4 or a 1/5 of athletes wanting to play baseball.

I really don't think it has anything to do with race or MLB not projecting their sport to black athletes, it's just that baseball isn't as popular as the NFL or NBA is.

Answer 8

Most of the black players are drawn to other sports like basketball and football, and a lot of asian players prefer to stay there and play. I agree there probably aren't enough of them, but the ones that are playing now are gems, besides Sheffield.

Answer 9

good lord...i hate this argument. does it matter how many gonzalezes or rodriguezes or whatever there are? i mean, seriously...if you're so upset, why don't you get up and do something about it, instead of complaining on yahoo?

you really have no room to complain, dude...and yeh, sheffield already went with that argument, so it's kind of unoriginal.

besides, even black people in the U.S. aren't as drawn to baseball, and they do choose to play other sports. in latin american countries, practically the only sports are baseball and soccer, and baseball offers a good opportunity for the great prospects out there to get out of the poverty or whatever that they're in. don't blame the hispanic players...blacks should be playing more baseball and getting themselves noticed, if they really wanted to be more represented.

Answer 10

Listen up, kiddo--
Worry more about the quality of the game, and less about the ethnicity of the players. The best guys make the grade, regardless of skin, name, language spoken, or any of that other crap that doesn't mean a thing. MLB, or any other sport, ain't on a quota system. That's why the game is still great--they don't play favorites. They play whoever plays it the best, and whoever wants it the most. . . .