Race and Baseball

[Saintsfan]

Double post sorry!

[Saintsfan]

Honestly I think the answer is simpler than Hunter and MLB want to admit. Basketball and Football.

I think there is probably a lot of truth in this point. But that just suggests that the MLB needs to think about how to deveop the game in African American communities.

[illwauk]

I just did a quick overview of the locations of MLB's RBI (Rebuilding Baseball in Inner-cities) programs and I couldn't help but notice that a disproportionate number of them happen to be concentrated in the southwest... many in towns that aren't even large enough or (relatively) old enough to have an "inner city" (at least not what would be considered one in the Northeast or Midwest). In other words, it seems that MLB is actually targeting Latinos over Blacks.

So does Hunter have a legit beef? Probably. But the targeting of black youth that MLB is doing seems to be on a very grass roots level... at least when compared to basketball, which has shamelessly lefts its doors wide open to the most trashy and disgraceful levels of exploitation. If I could say anything to Hunter, I'd ask at what cost he wants to see more people who look like him in MLB clubhouses.

[The_Admiral]

Well, I didn't know that. Interesting. Good research. Here I'd presumed that these programs were in the northeast/midwest, as you said, because that's generally where "inner cities" are.

One thing that certainly hurt the revival of inner city baseball was the Yankees eliminating Macombs Dam Park and failing to replace it. Now you have an entire neighborhood, mostly black and Hispanic, that doesn't have anywhere to play much of anything, let alone baseball.

[Gothamite]

Only for the next eighteen months. They can't replace those two lost ballfields (with three new ones) until the old Stadium is knocked down, which is happening now.

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

why should teams be concerned with the number of blacks in baseball when their top priority is finding the best possible prospects possible irregardless of race? if they are finding better prospects from lating/central american/carribean countries then so be it. as long as as they are getting prospects giving them the best chance to win, they aren't going to be overly concerned with the number blacks, whites, jews, or whatever ethnic groups in baseball, as long as they get the best possible prospect for that position.

now if anyone wants to complain go see League, National Hockey chapter 5

[Saintsfan]

why should teams be concerned with the number of blacks in baseball when their top priority is finding the best possible prospects possible irregardless of race? if they are finding better prospects from lating/central american/carribean countries then so be it. as long as as they are getting prospects giving them the best chance to win, they aren't going to be overly concerned with the number blacks, whites, jews, or whatever ethnic groups in baseball, as long as they get the best possible prospect for that position.

now if anyone wants to complain go see League, National Hockey chapter 5

I don't think that teams should be overly concerned, as long as they are being honest with themselves and fielding the strongest squad they can. A lot of the issue does fall on to the MLB as an organisation in promoting the game within African American communities.