With a new diversity fellowship, MLB wants its present to better emulate its past

Yahoo ^ | Oct. 2, 2017 | Jeff Passan

[ConservativeStatement]

This week, the league will begin taking applications for the MLB Diversity Fellowship Program, an initiative that will provide people of color and women 18- to 24-month jobs in 20 front offices across the game. Combined with three more spots in a three-year program with the commissioner’s office, it is MLB’s strongest foray yet into widening its talent base by recruiting those who don’t typically consider baseball a viable career path.

“It’s not necessarily that baseball needs someone who’s black or a woman,” Tirado said. “Baseball needs the absolute best talent possible to stay competitive and become a global entertainment and sports option. You can only do that if you’re fishing in the biggest pool possible. At the end of the day, whether people want to admit it or not, we’re becoming more global. The United States is becoming more diverse. And audiences want to see themselves reflected in the sports and brands they’re investing in.

[ConservativeStatement]

What happens if a transgender white male applies? Back of the line or "join us."

[PeterPrinciple]

Why does this remind me of the soviet political officers.

[ConservativeStatement]

Years ago, I made the prediction that the “Rooney Rule” would be expanded and altered to all facets of sports including journalism, front office positions, support staffs, etc. Many of my longtime associates constantly remind me of this. Let's not forget the college professor who grades each front office and gives minuses to those who have a white male and pluses to those who have females and minorities. He compiles a list based on that. How is that not bigoted? If people want to spend their money paying hundreds of dollars to see sports, this is where the money even goes in addition to the pockets of the players and elsewhere,

[pepsi_junkie]

Maybe it’s just me but if there’s any diversity problem in sports at all it’s too few white people.

[oh8eleven]

WTH is the BARF alert???

[Terry Mross]

“Did dat mans just calls us black folks fishes?”

[Dr. Pritchett]

I expect the women ON THE FIELD or else it doesn’t count. The fielded team MUST represent the community in every possible demographic.

[foreverfree]

Phillies bump

[refreshed]

Yeah. That will help. :eyeroll:

[TallahasseeConservative]

Wonder if this will be extended to the NBA? I mean when 12% of the population is 98% of your league, that needs to be examined right? /sarcasm

[eyeamok]

So Drug Testing only applies to the Players and Not management??

[mulligan]

And the world continues to go bananas every day.

[jjotto]

MLB’s problem is minor league teams in minor league cities. Almost every player and exec starts in smallish towns and spends at least a few years there working for peanuts. That particular kind of ‘paying your dues’ just isn’t acceptable to Affirmative Action-types.

[ealgeone]

One thing that almost consistently happens with a “diversity” office....the organization will begin to actively promote the lgbt agenda.

[txrefugee]

MLB is fighting the fear of too many Whites in the game. Black boys want to play basketball or football. Considering what has transpired in those two sports lately, the owners in the MLB may reconsider their push for diversity.

[A_Former_Democrat]

This is racist and sexist and should NEVER be tolerated

Screw MLB That’s just what you need more “people of color”

Take your game to Cuba/DR if you’re going to screw white male Americans

[TallahasseeConservative]

That and look at Little League as well. Simply put, Blacks just aren’t playing baseball anymore. Take a look at the Little League World Series on the US side, very few Black players in the lineup. Even here at Florida State, we have one Black player on the team, go back to the 80’s and 90’s and almost half the starting 9 were black.

[Alberta's Child]

MLB is the opposite of the NFL. Very few of their players are American blacks these days.

[IrishBrigade]

‘Phillies bump’

a team of females could beat out the Flailing Phils this year...

[Dilbert San Diego]

And audiences want to see themselves reflected in the sports and brands they’re investing in.

---

Is this true? Does anyone here believe this? So then, those of us who are white, want to see white basketball players? Do those of us who enjoy basketball really want to see white players to help our self esteem and all that stuff which liberals preach about??

Do those of us who watch women’s sports sometimes, really want to see men there, if we are male?

Do women who watch men’s sports really want to see women on the field with men? Or are women not supposed to watch men’s sports because they don’t reflect her self esteem by showing her reflection?

I don’t get this entire premise.