Posted on 10/26/2022 9:32:19 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Looking around Memorial Stadium before Game 1 of the 1983 World Series, Philadelphia Phillies star Gary Matthews saw a lot of Black talent.
Joe Morgan. Eddie Murray. Garry Maddox. Ken Singleton. Al Bumbry. Disco Dan Ford. And plenty more that night in Baltimore.
“There were quite a few of us,” Matthews recalled.
When fans watch the Houston Astros and Phillies line up this week to begin the Fall Classic, it will be a much different picture.
To be sure, Houston’s Jose Altuve and Philadelphia’s Jean Segura are among scores of Latin players helping keep big league rosters diverse.
But for the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, there project to be no U.S.-born Black players in this World Series.
Zero.
“That is eye opening,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. “It is somewhat startling that two cities that have high African American populations, there’s not a single Black player.”
“It lets us know there’s obviously a lot of work to be done to create opportunities for Black kids to pursue their dream at the highest level,” he said.
Robinson debuted in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and played in the World Series that year. Since then, the 1950 matchup between the New York Yankees and Phillies has been the only World Series without a Black player.
Houston and Philadelphia will announce their 26-man rosters several hours before Game 1 on Friday night at Minute Maid Park, where Dusty Baker, a Black outfielder for the 1981 champion Los Angeles Dodgers, manages the Astros.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
So what?
But of course the basketball teams are smaller.
It is far easier for urban blacks to access basketball courts than baseball fields (or hockey ice, tennis courts, etc.).
But then also basketball offers the potential to make the “big leagues” as a teenager, as opposed to whether starting in college or not toiling for years in the minor leagues with still long odds to eventually make it up.
There is also a robust global market for well=paid professional basketball players. Not so much for the other major American sports.
Add an Identify bonus of 1 million and I’ll bet half the players will change identity.
Black people aren’t that interested in baseball.Most find it boring.
Why is this even a story? The NBA and NFL are overwhelming populated by American-born blacks. They are gravitating towards these sports rather than baseball. There are blacks in MLB, both American-born and from elsewhere. There are no racial barriers.
Did he play himself as a non-cameo in that role?
Oops.
Dewey was black? Um, and on the '70s Reds? Like him or not, 4,256 speaks for itself, Pete Rose.
Dr. Sivana had Dwight Evans on the correct team (Red Sox), but forgot that Evans was a White guy. A darn good player who barely missed out on the HOF.
Racism!
The road to riches is a lot shorter in the NFL and NBA and neither involves years of minor league low-pay, and bus travel.
About 30 pro teams each in the 3 leagues.
I’d also guess each NFL team pays “good” money to about 50 players, 20 for MLB, and 10 per team in the NBA.
That’s 1500, 600, 300 total big buck jobs respectively here in the US.
Economies play a role in this, but the time it takes to get to one of the leagues is the main reason black participation is down, imho.
Then factor in youth playground hoops, little league, and pop-warner.
Pretty simple. U.S. born elite black athletes go into basketball and football. More opportunity to see fame and fortune.
I bet Pelicans fans are smiling too.
Yeah but what are US black basketball players going to do when they start finding themselves shut out from the NBA, by Euro players, who won’t even have to play at US colleges to get drafted. You get better seasoning playing in the Euro Leagues now than playing NCAA basketball.
Maybe they can pull a few out of the stands before game time and issue them uniforms.
Well. I hope the Phillies don’t mess with their roster just to make the AP feel better.
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